Cropping Pattern in Flood Prone Areas of Bihar: A Study in Perennially Flood Prone Districts of North Bihar

Abstract

Land is an important input for the agricultural production, any change in land use pattern has significant implications for crop production. Land is a limited resource and net shown area is reducing year after year. Hence, judicious use of land is of prime importance to meet the growing demand of food for ever increasing population of not only the state in particular but nation in general. Adoption of new technologies have brought changes in food production, particularly in rice and wheat. Total area under food grains in the state and in agro-climatic zone-I of Bihar was estimated to be declined from 88.78 to 87.93% and 91.91% to 84.95% during TE-1985 to TE-2016. While agro-climatic zone-II recorded increase in area under total food grain production i.e. from 71.43% to 82.99% during the period TE-1988 to TE-2016. Shares of area under sugarcane and potato crops also increased during the period under investigation