The BPM may be conceptualised as a holistic capacity building framework that
involves longer term intervention towards building the strength of DLS, NGOs and
VOs at organisational level7. At individual level the poor women improve livelihoods
and basic nutrition status as a source of capabilities as emphasised by Sen (2002) and
thereby begin a movement out of poverty (Jensen and Dolberg 2003). DLS and
NGOs, which have been engaged in the delivery side of capacity-building efforts,
have learnt lessons from their experience and that lessons seem well taken by donors
to adapt the model not only all over Bangladesh but world-wide. As per the literature
of capacity building, what the best approach is, what triggers successful results and
what good practice means in this field, are concepts which are still very little
understood due to lack of monitoring and evaluation at the organisation level and
outcomes of the capacity building usually are considered the result of one time
intervention without any follow-up and so not possible to track down (Blagescu and
Young 2006). The BPM seems to be a step towards finding a new approach of
capacity building overcoming these demerits. For example, the services supplied
under the projects ‘subject to monitoring and evaluation and replication based on
experience’ include training, credit, vaccination, exotic poultry birds, feeders and
drinkers, feed, hatching receptacles, and housing for birds. These are longer term
efforts to improve capabilities of the poor and the pathway takes account of the
learning through experience.
Data
Data are drawn from a sample survey of 400 beneficiaries of BPM, 203 of them
dropped out from the programme but were still livestock holders in August, 2006
when the survey was carried out. The purposively selected location was in the district
of Manikgonj where the initial experiment of the model started. The sample size was
pre-determined by financial constraint and so survey coverage was kept limited to the
population under two area offices of BRAC. The two selected area offices covered
five Unions (45 villages) of Manikgonj Sadar Thana and one Union of Saturia Thana
(5 villages)8. The sample beneficiaries were selected randomly from the list of
member key rearers in the area offices of BRAC. As mentioned earlier, key rearers
constitute of about 95% of the participants in the programme and in addition, the
model was designed with a central focus on them, assuming that if they survive, other
participants would also survive. Data was collected with a structured questionnaire in
two weeks during August, 2006 by eight local interviewers who were selected and
trained with the help of DLS officers in Dhaka and Manikgonj. Questionnaires were
translated into the local language and pre-tested before being made final. The
interviewers were intensively supervised and data was checked regularly during field
data collection.
Framework for analysis
Dynamic process that lead households to fall into and escape poverty are analysed
using poverty transitions (Baulch and McCulloch 1998). In this paper, transition
7 The development of the concept of smallholder poultry for poverty alleviation targeting women is often
termed similar to the concept of multiple sources of innovation model of agricultural research and
technology development proposed by Biggs (1989) (Jabbar and Seré 2007).
8 Thanas are sub-districts and Unions are sub-Thanas. They are administrative units in Bangladesh.