ABSTRACT
This chapter shows the economy and society of Bangladesh as they have changed since independence. The amount of cultivable land is basically constant, affected only by the quantity gained through double- or triple-cropping; hence, as the population increases, the amount of arable land per person decreases. The challenge is to increase production per unit of land at a faster rate than the population growth rate. Much research subsidiary to the basic research at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines has been undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture and other organizations. Bangladesh is using its substantial reserves of natural gas to provide nitrogenous fertilizers to supplement the animal fertilizers that have been used for centuries. Bangladesh's export trade is based on traditional items, especially jute and tea. Bangladesh has had unfavorable balances of trade since independence. In the social setting of Bangladesh, education is largely directed at males, although at the higher levels of education the discrepancy is smaller.
