International Arehives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B7. Istanbul 2004
existing approach for generation of ‘action plans’ relies on
generic prescriptions for the entire study area based on the
resource potentials. However, we argue that land use analysis
requirements vary for different areas in the region and
stratification of the region for analysis will allow a focused
attention on the specific requirements of an area. For example,
if in an area rice is the predominant crop, the farmers in the
area would benefit from advise on improved management
practices for higher yields, while in another area, characterized
by a multitude of crops, the farmers would benefit from advise
on suitable crop selection. Alternatively, in areas where soil
and water conservation is an issue, policy initiatives could
support farmers in moving from agriculture to less demanding
activities on the land such as for instance agro-forestry.
Therefore, identifying these areas with different requirements
as a precursor to a detailed land use analysis would make the
analysis better targeted and more efficient. This argument is in
tune with the idea of focusing efforts on development of Less
Favoured Areas (LFA) as discussed by Hazell (2000).
In this paper, a method is described that uses the association
between soils and broad land use classes to identify areas with
specific agricultural land use analysis (LUA) objectives viz.,
Conservation, Crop Management Improvement and Crop
Selection. Conservation is relevant in case of doubt about the
suitability of the land for cropping and deals with the decision
whether to crop the land at all. A mismatch between land
quality and land use results in land degradation (Beinroth,
1994); this may be associated with strong negative impact of
use on land quality and/or its productivity too low. In practice,
large areas of such land are not cultivated or have been
abandoned after cultivation. In case of Crop Management
Improvement the focus is on optimising land use management
without change in crops grown. The objectives of a Crop
Management Improvement process include improving water
and fertiliser use efficiencies through identifying limiting
production factors and alleviating their impact through
improved management. Crop Selection relates to choosing a
suitable crop based on land suitability, market demands and in
rain-fed areas reducing risks of investments and production
while facing uncertain weather-specific ^ yield-limiting
conditions.
The objectives of this study are to stratify an area as a pre-field
exercise for a focused land use analysis. To attain. those
objectives we: (a) identify relationships between soils and
associated land cover/use and identify patterns in these
relationships, (b) analyse the relationships observed on the
basis of a priori knowledge of the area and the available
statistics, and (c) verify these relationships in the field and
through interviews with farmers. The results are intended for
support of district land use planners in focusing on specific
objectives in detailed land use policy formulation by district
level land resources managers.
2. STUDY AREA
The study area is situated on the Deccan plateau in the western
part of Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh state, India
(Figure 1). According to soil taxonomy the soils in the study
area can be classified into four major orders — Inceptisols
(67%), Alfisols (15%), Vertisols (10%) and Entisols (8%).
Geo-morphological features in the study area are of structural,
denudational and fluvial origin. The study area is relatively flat with
nearly 69% of the ad TT =
in the 0-1% and 12% |
in the 1-396 slope : S
category. The climate p m M eese ^
can be described as rie Á
tropical, with an [|| 5 a e Wee
average annual rainfall oy :
of 897 mm received in /
57 days, of which Andhra , ri
about 95% is received re
during the southwest pie
monsoon. The climate
is characterised by hot
summers (maximum
mean monthly about 40
°C) and generally cool and dry winters (minimum mean monthly
about 13 °C).
\
? Bichkunda
J
NE SII
Figure 1: Location of Study area
Administratively, the study area comprises the mandals' Kotgir,
Birkur, Bichkunda, Madnur, Jukal and Pitlam, with a total area of
about 1300 km”. It comprises 220 villages and a population of
294,000 (Census of India, 2001). Historically, agriculture is the
primary occupation of the local population with about 80%
depending on it for its livelihood. Total agricultural land is about
90,000 hectares and non-cultivated areas with or without serubs
about 18,000 hectares. Annual per capita income of the farmers is
Indian rupees 33,000 (approx. US$ 700). The literacy rate is about
25%. Large numbers of farmers in the area are marginal to small
farmers with holding sizes ranging from 0.5 ha to 3 ha. Population
in the area
increased
from
222,000 in
1991 to
294,000 in
2001, an | on
increase of 20%]
about
3.2% per
year
(Chief
Planning
Officer, 1991, 2001). Statistical data from the same source also
indicate a reduction of 20% in area of permanent pastures and an
increase of 34% in agricultural area during the same period (Figure
2). These statistics indicate that the land resources in the area are
under pressure, due to increased population pressure. Hence, the
Deccan plateau of central India (of which the study area forms a
part), consisting of fertile soils derived from basalt, where
cultivation began many centuries ago and soil loss is expressed in
meters rather than in millimeters, is a typical example of the
worldwide problem of increasing pressure on land as a result of
rising population (Hudson, 1987). This problem and its
consequences for arable and pastoral production strategies and
environmental degradation have been discussed extensively and
fundamentally by for instance Boserup (1965) and Mortimore
(1995). In line with Boserup’s (op. cit.) reasoning Eswaran et al.
(2001) state that high population density does not necessarily lead to
Population BarrenLands
Change 1991-2001
Cropped Lands Pastures
Categories
Figure 2: Land cover change area 1991-2001
! A mandal is an administrative sub-division of a district.
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