Conservation in the Sikkim Himalaya: Traditional Knowledge and Land-use of the Mamlay Watershed

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suresh Chand Rai ◽  
Eklabya Sharma ◽  
Rakesh Chandra Sundriyal
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Eastern Himalaya ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Forested Areas ◽  
Viable System ◽  
The Himalaya

The ecological problems, including degradation of fragile ecosystems, of the Himalaya are quite conspicuous. A rapid depletion of forest resources is the main cause of environmental degradation and economic deterioration. Watersheds are considered as a unit for natural resource management and development in hilly areas; therefore a case-study of Mamlay watershed of Sikkim is presented in this paper.The Mamley watershed presents a viable system having a gradient of altitude where almost all types of land-uses that are common in the eastern Himalaya are found. All the ethno-cultural groups of Sikkim are present in this watershed, although the agricultural sector provides the main land-use, followed by forestry. Most of the forested areas in the Himalaya have been purportedly destroyed for the expansion of agricultural land. A similar situation was experienced in the Mamlay watershed, where an increase of 12.79% of the land-area used for agriculture has been recorded in the past 40 years. The watershed being fragile, 62% of the area is under intensive agricultural practice. Land-use and spatial relationships in the perspective of conservation are presented in this paper.Great genetic diversity of agricultural crops and trees has been recorded in this small watershed. Conservation ethics of optimum utilization/production of the resources, following traditional practices without much degrading of the system which is believed to be sustainable, was practised earlier in the watershed. But recently, due to population pressure and fragmentation of farm-owning families, the balance of land-use, natural resource utilization, and conservation, has become perturbed. Examples of traditional adaptation, indigenous knowledge, and perception of conservation amongst farm-owning families, are also presented in the paper.

scholarly journals Effect of population pressure on land to Manggar watershed at East Belitung Regency, Bangka Belitung Island Province, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 909 (1) ◽  
pp. 012013
Author(s):  
M Y Hidayat
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Spatial Analysis ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Land Exploitation

Abstract Population pressure triggers farmers to expand their cultivation area due to population growth. East Belitung Regency, an expanded area of Belitung Regency, has developed into a new economic center on Belitung Island. The agricultural sector which has the largest contribution to the economy of east Belitung, but it has a negative impact due to the increasing demand for land by the community. This research examines the population pressure on agricultural land in each sub-district area as part of Manggar Watershed. The recent study presents the results of spatial analysis of land cover overlaying to the population of the Manggar watershed using ArcGIS 10.1 software. The results showed that three sub-districts intersect one another, namely Gantung sub-district (2.17%), Kelapa Kampit sub-district (12.49%), and Manggar sub-district (83.34%). In addition, there are ten types of land cover in the Manggar watershed, and the most prominent area is dominated by mining (8,709 Ha). Population pressure on agricultural land in the Manggar watershed is classified as moderate for the Gantung sub-district and low for the Kelapa Kampit and Gantung sub-districts. Furthermore, this study also revealed that land exploitation for the agricultural mean is still below its carrying capacity. Nevertheless, it is necessary to improve the better management of land-use systems in the Manggar watershed.

Implication of Socio-economic Factors on Land Use and Forest Cover Changes in and Around Magamba Nature Reserve in Tanzania

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-117
Author(s):  
Solomon Jeremiah Sembosi
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Rural Settlements ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Rural settlements in mountainous regions are a typical process that occurs in many places around the world and have a number of implications on the landscape. Among them is a threat it possesses to the conservation and management of Afromontane ecosystems. This study assessed the socio-economic factors that drive the changes in land use and forest cover and the extent of land use and vegetation cover in and around Magamba Nature Reserve. Focus group discussion, direct field observation and household survey were used to acquire socio-economic information that impacts land use and forest cover. Through the use of Remote Sensing and GIS methods Landsat satellite images of 1995, 2008 and 2015 were employed to identify the extent of the changes in land use and forest cover. The perceived factors for the changes include education level, unemployment, landless/limited, landholding, population pressure, expansion of built-up areas and agricultural land at the expense of other land covers. This study revealed the transformation of natural forest and associated vegetation from one form to another. There was a decrease in natural vegetation from 61.06% in 1995 to 26.02% in 2015 and increase in built-up areas by 6.69% and agricultural areas by 4.70%. This study recommends conservation monitoring and strong law enforcement relating to natural resources so as to promote sustainable use of resources to rescue the diminishing ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Impacts of Urbanization on Land Use Pattern and Environment: A Case Study of Ajmer City, Rajasthan

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-91
Author(s):  
Bhanu Priya Chouhan ◽  
Monika Kannan
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Growth ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Land Use Patterns ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
The Impact

The world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history. More than half of the world’s population now lives in towns and cities, and by 2030 this number will swell to about 5 billion. ‘Urbanization has the potential to usher in a new era of wellbeing, resource efficiency and economic growth. But due to increased population the pressure of demand also increases in urban areas’ (Drakakis-Smith, David, 1996). The loss of agricultural land to other land uses occasioned by urban growth is an issue of growing concern worldwide, particularly in the developing countries like India. This paper is an attempt to assess the impact of urbanization on land use and land cover patterns in Ajmer city. Recent trends indicate that the rural urban migration and religious significance of the place attracting thousands of tourists every year, have immensely contributed in the increasing population of city and is causing change in land use patterns. This accelerating urban sprawl has led to shrinking of the agricultural land and land holdings. Due to increased rate of urbanization, the agricultural areas have been transformed into residential and industrial areas (Retnaraj D,1994). There are several key factors which cause increase in population here such as Smart City Projects, potential for employment, higher education, more comfortable and quality housing, better health facilities, high living standard etc. Population pressure not only directly increases the demand for food, but also indirectly reduces its supply through building development, environmental degradation and marginalization of food production (Aldington T, 1997). Also, there are several issues which are associated with continuous increase in population i.e. land degradation, pollution, poverty, slums, unaffordable housing etc. Pollution, formulation of slums, transportation congestion, environmental hazards, land degradation and crime are some of the major impacts of urbanization on Ajmer city. This study involves mapping of land use patterns by analyzing data and satellite imagery taken at different time periods. The satellite images of year 2000 and 2017 are used. The change detection techniques are used with the help of Geographical Information System software like ERDAS and ArcGIS. The supervised classification of all the three satellite images is done by ERDAS software to demarcate and analyze land use change.

scholarly journals Utilization of Agricultural Land in the Russian Federation

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 75-80
Author(s):  
Sergey Volkov ◽  
Vladimir Kosinsky
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Topographic Survey ◽  
Land Survey ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Accelerated Growth ◽  
Land Inventory

This article reviews the initiatives for setting up rational use and protection of agricultural lands in order to ensure accelerated growth of the agricultural sector of the Russian Federation, enhancing its sustainability, efficiency, competitiveness, and environmental safety. It is hereby proposed to complete the differentiation of public lands into federal property, property of the subjects of the Russian Federation, property of municipal settlements; as well as to conduct topographic survey of lands in the Russian Federation (to establish and locally document the boundaries of territories of the subjects of the Russian Federation; municipal settlements; communities; special-purpose lands; areas with special land use conditions; and to systematically (once every 5 years) perform agricultural land inventory in order to identify unused, irrationally used or non-purposely used lands, as well as land use in violation of the relevant permitted use of land plots; to relaunch land survey works relating with the performance of pedagogic, geobotanical and other studies and research.

A Brief Political History of South Australian Agriculture

Rural History ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
SIMON J. FIELKE ◽  
DOUGLAS K. BARDSLEY
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
History Of ◽  
Social Environmental

Abstract:This paper aims to explain why South Australian agricultural land use is focused on continually increasing productivity, when the majority of produce is exported, at the long-term expense of agriculturally-based communities and the environment. A historical analysis of literature relevant to the agricultural development of South Australia is used chronologically to report aspects of the industry that continue to cause concerns in the present day. The historically dominant capitalist socio-economic system and ‘anthropocentric’ world views of farmers, politicians, and key stakeholders have resulted in detrimental social, environmental and political outcomes. Although recognition of the environmental impacts of agricultural land use has increased dramatically since the 1980s, conventional productivist, export oriented farming still dominates the South Australian landscape. A combination of market oriented initiatives and concerned producers are, however, contributing to increasing the recognition of the environmental and social outcomes of agricultural practice and it is argued here that South Australia has the opportunity to value multifunctional land use more explicitly via innovative policy.

An Application of Linear Programming and Geographic Information Systems: Cropland Allocation in Antigua

1992 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 535-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
J C Campbell ◽  
J Radke ◽  
J T Gless ◽  
R M Wirtshafter
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Linear Programming ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Cost Information ◽  
Policy Application

This paper is focused on the application of linear programming (LP) in combination with a geographic information system (GIS) in planning agricultural land-use strategies. One of the essential inputs for planning any agricultural land-use strategy is a knowledge of the natural resources. This is even more critical in small countries such as those in the Eastern Caribbean, where land-area limitations dictate a greater need for careful assessment and management of these resources. The first step of the proposed methodology is to obtain an assessment of the natural resources available to agriculture. The GIS is used to delineate land-use conflicts and provide reliable information on the natural-resource database. This is followed by combining the data on natural resources with other quantifiable information on available labour, market forecasts, technology, and cost information in order to estimate the economic potential of the agricultural sector. LP is used in this step. Finally, the GIS is applied again to map the crop and land-allocation patterns generated by the LP model. The results are concrete suggestions for resource allocation, farm-size mix, policy application, and implementation projects.

scholarly journals Impact of the Domestic Labor Market on Sustainability of Agriculture in Oman

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Hemesiri Bandara Kotagama ◽  
Hamam Al-Farsi
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
Government Sector ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Impact

Undistorted factor markets are a perquisite for efficient allocation of resources and growth in production. In Oman by 2013, only 16% of households have reported agriculture as the main occupation and 53% have reported nonagricultural government employment as the main occupation. This situation is hypothesized to be related to the labor market; where government legislated higher remuneration in the nonagricultural government sector vis-a-vis agricultural sector, influences Omani farmers to move to nonagricultural employment, causing reduced cultivated area and farm production. The study uses operations research methods to quantify the impact of labor market policies on agricultural employment, farm gross income and land use intensity (proxy for farm production and food security). It is found that the shift of Omani labor from agriculture is influenced by higher wages in the nonagricultural sectors. The agricultural land use intensity is thereby decreased. The policy of allowing hiring of expatriate labor is beneficial in overcoming labor scarcity. However, in the long-run both farm productivity need to improve to be competitive with legislated income receivable from nonagricultural employment and ideally labor markets need to operate freely, to enhance food security and assure employment of Omani labor in agriculture.

scholarly journals FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE REPRODUCTION OF BALANCED AGRICULTURAL LAND USE

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadiia Davydenko ◽  
Olena Zhovnirenko ◽  
Olha Kliuchka
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Tax Incentives ◽  
The State ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Balanced Development ◽  
Credit Mechanism

An important component of forming the basis for the balanced development of the domestic agricultural sector is the reproduction and protection of land resources. A significant part of the problems here are directly related to the insufficiency and inefficiency of financial support for agricultural land use. The purpose of the article is to reveal the financial and credit mechanism for ensuring balanced land use and to develop proposals for improving the financial support for the reproduction and protection of agricultural land through the introduction of tax incentives. The financial and credit mechanism for stimulating balanced agricultural land use can be defined as structurally complex and diversified; it has its own features to ensure its implementation and influence on the subjects of financial and credit relations in the direction of regulating their activities. It is established that financial relations in agricultural land use combine a very large chain of relationships between the state, enterprises, individuals and financial institutions in terms of financial support for the reproduction of agricultural land use. The financial and credit mechanism for stimulating balanced agricultural land use can be defined as structurally complex and branched; it has its own features to ensure its implementation and influence on the subjects of financial and credit relations in the direction of regulating their activities. It is proved that it is necessary to create such conditions of management that unbalanced use of land became economically unprofitable. The level of profitability and income of land users should become dependent on the degree of achievement of balanced agricultural land use, which is determined by a set of agrochemical indicators of the quality of land used for agricultural activities. In order to financially ensure the reproduction of balanced agricultural land use, the introduction of tax incentives is proposed. These include the formation of general favorable tax conditions for enterprises in the agricultural sector of the economy and the introduction of targeted tax benefits. It is established that the use of the above financial and credit levers and incentives for the development of balanced land use is the most accepted in today's challenges, because it has minimal impact on the expenditure side of the state budget.

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