Changes in Land Use Pattern in Bihar: A Zone-wise Analysis

Abstract

Agriculture plays an important role in food and nutritional security in addition to overall development of the state. Land is an important input for the agriculture sector, any change in land use pattern has significant implications for food security of the state in particular and nation in general. This paper is based on secondary data published by Government of Bihar and an attempt has been made to investigate the land use pattern of state and also in its different agro-climatic zones. The study reveals that the net sown area has declined both at zonal and state level. Decline in net sown area in agro-climatic zone-III is more pronounced than that of Zone-I and Zone-II. As state capital is located in agro climatic Zone III, urbanization has been quite prominent in this part of the state. The other reasons for changes undergoing in land use pattern may be increasing population, fragmentation of land holdings and declining water table in this region. As Zone-I & Zone-II are primarily flood prone, farmers are forced to leave their land as current fallow due to fear of devastating flood threat causing damage to their crops. Land under trees and groves have also witnessed positive growth rate, this may be o the other reason for decline in net sown area in the state. Motivating farmers to increase productivity to protect growing population and serving their demand for food and nutritional security, we have to make such kind of strategies which may lead to enhance the income of the cultivators as well as fulfill the food demand of growing population, keeping in mind the fast changing climatic conditions all over the world and protecting wasteful and careless use of natural resources for betterment of coming generation.