Coastal Commons and Food Security: Case Study of Sundarbans, West Bengal

Chandrima Biswas () and Gummadi Sridevi
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Chandrima Biswas: University of Hyderabad, School of Economics
Gummadi Sridevi: University of Hyderabad, School of Economics

A chapter in Proceedings of the IBA IEA Conference on Economics and Public Policy (Ecofluence 2024), 2025, pp 55-75 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Sundarbans, a region with 4.5 million residents, 85% of whom depend on paddy cultivation, fishing, crab gathering, and honey collection. Food insecurity is widespread—44% of households cannot secure even two square meals a day. Climate change further threatens traditional livelihoods by disrupting the freshwater supply. Given the background, this paper explores the role of coastal commons in providing food security, specifically regarding two pillars- physical availability and accessibility in the Sundarbans, using the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022. The study reveals that 99% of households consuming food from the commons are marginal landholders, with a major proportion belonging to the Priority Household (PHH) ration card holders. However, significant disparities in food consumption value, especially among Other Backwards Classes (OBC) with unreserved, Scheduled Cate and Scheduled Tribes, suggest structural barriers to equitable access. Despite relying on a representative sample of Sundarbans due to data limitations, the paper highlights the need for further research on the socio-ecological and institutional factors influencing coastal commons and food security.

Keywords: Coastal Commons; Food and Nutritional Security; Marginalised group (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6463-766-3_4

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