Study of the Impact of Agricultural Land Use Pattern and Cropping Pattern Change on Rural Farmers: With Reference to the Hilly Rural Areas of Uttarakhand

Abstract

Indian agriculture is as diverse as the regional and cultural variations in the country. The hilly rural regions of Uttarakhand which represent the most adverse and difficult geographical settings results in not only the absence of industrial sector in these regions but also presents the most difficult environment for the development agriculture. About 80 percent of population in these regions of the state is dependent on agriculture and allied activities and faces the most tough and difficult environment for survival. The agriculture in these hilly regions which is marked with many problems represents the most diverse form of settings. The agriculture is carried out largely in the terraced agriculture farms which are largely fragmented and represents marginal or small agriculture land holdings. Even after adverse environmental settings agriculture sustains the livelihood of the residents of these regions. Due to several issues agriculture in these regions agriculture has depicted a decline in growth rate which has aggravated the problems of the farmers in these regions. Traditionally agriculture in these regions use to effectively sustain the livelihood of the residents of these regions and was the major source of earning and living but in past few decades agriculture has rapidly declined in these regions. The traditional crops and traditional farming practices are getting extinct and posing serious concerns for the agriculture and livelihood generation in these regions of the state. The change in this trend is marked with the change in cropping pattern and land use pattern. The present study explores this change in the cropping and land use pattern and its socio-economic impact on the farmers. The paper further presents the suggestions and policy initiatives for dealing with the adverse impact of this land use and crop pattern change and for reviving agriculture status and making it potent enough to generate livelihood and employment opportunities for the youths of this region.