Project 2: Land use pattern analysis

Project 2: Land use pattern analysis

India covers a land area of 3,287,263 sq km. There are different types of land in India about 54.7% of it is cultivated land. The several types of land available in India are: Agricultural Land, Barren Land, Real Estate Land, Commercial Land, Farm Land and Residential Land. Indian people are mainly employed in Agricultural activities thus agricultural land is almost 54.7% of the total Land Mass. The agricultural lands are located on the outskirts of the Metro Cites. Usually the agricultural land shares space with the Industrial areas outside the city. There are Agricultural lands in almost all the States of India. Agriculture resources considered to be one of the most important renewable and dynamic natural resources. Comprehensive, reliable and timely information on land use pattern of an area would focus on its optimal use and development of an area in viewpoint to food security. A close study of the present land use and utilization patterns and land use history will help to suggest suitable land use plan with the farmers’ available knowledge.

Objectives:
1. To study the land use pattern of the project area
2. To study the cropping pattern, cropping intensity in different land types.
3. To suggest alternate land use plan for the locality

Materials Required:
1. Square data sheet for inventory documentation
2. Primary and secondary data sources from Agriculture offices of block, subdivision and district, panchayat, NGOs, farmers’ club etc.
3. Large scale base map of the area

Methodology:
A. To collect data from primary/ secondary sources for the past few years on the following parameters.
1. Total area under study
2. Forests
3. Area put to non agricultural uses
4. Barren and uncultivable land
5. Total cultivated area
6. Area sown more than once
7. Gross cropped area
8. Cropping intensity (percentage)
9. Irrigated area, if available
10. Un-irrigated area
11. Percentage of net irrigated area to net cultivated area
12. Area under cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fibre crops, horticultural crops and others
13. Share of area under different crops.

B. Analyze data for variation of present and past last 10 years) land use

C. Suggestion of optimal land use based on farmers needs

D. Graphical representation of change in parameters with time (years).

Relevance:
The students can get an insight on the changes occurring in the land use patterns over the years due to a host of biotic and abiotic factors viz., climate change, land degradation, human interference, etc. and will help suggest ways for the planners, administrators and the end users to cope with the changing scenario.

Important Terminologies:

Cropping pattern: Sequence of crop (or crops) and fallow of a given area in a year.
Cropping Intensity: The ratio of gross cropped area to net cultivated area which is multiplied by hundred and represented in percentage. It is calculated with the formula as given below.

Cropping intensity = (Gross cropped area / Net cropped area) x 100

Net cropped area: The area under cultivation.
Gross cropped area: The area of net area sown plus the area sown more than once in a year.