Journal of Global Resources
Volume 5 (02)
July 2019
ISSN: 2395-3160 (Print), 2455-2445 (Online)

Page 01-07

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ANALYSIS OF LAND USE AND AVAILABILITY OF AGRICULTURAL LAND:A CASE STUDY OF TEHSIL MAHARAJGANJ, DISTRICT RAEBARELI, U.P.
Avinash Chandra Sharma,1 Vandana Sharma2 and B. L. Teli3
1

Research Scholar, Department of Geography,
Pt. Lalit Mohan Sharma Government PG College, Rishikesh, India
2

Associate Professor, Department of Geography,
Pt. Lalit Mohan Sharma Government PG College, Rishikesh, India
3

Retired Professor & Head, Department of Geography,
HNB Garhwal University (A Central University) Pauri Campus, India
Email: avisharma1331@gmail.com
Abstract: The financial advancement of any nation depends ashore assets and land assets.
Because of increment in population, these assets are over extended regularly prompting
asset exhaustion. There is consequently need to wisely deal with these fragile assets. This
paper attempts to examine the present scenario of land use and land cover which is engaged
in agricultural activities and other activities of the tehsil. Map is used to present net sown
area of different intensity of tehsil. The base layers like administrative boundaries, road
network, mapping of water bodies, etc. are created on map. Tables and graphs are used toshow land use data of various categories. Unit of study is divided into gram panchayat i.e.
147 gram panchayat. Farming is the main production activity in Raebareli district. About 6065 per cent of the people who are working are depends on farming for their livelihood. They
could be farmers or farm labourers. Analysis of occupation depends on the variety of thesocio-economic activities in the area.
Kew words: Land use, Agriculture land, Productivity, Farming, Livelihood.
Introduction
Activity decides the life style and living standard of any family. Region and climate give theopportunity to choose their favorite activity. In the rural area people mostly choose primaryactivity and some people choose secondary and tertiary activity. Most of the population islabour. In Maharajganj tehsil there are two or three heavy industries for secondary activities
like Reliance cement, Vishakha Seats. These are the heavy industries in the tehsil for
engaging people in the secondary activities and some local manufacturer like bricks,
handlooms, furniture, Iron based workshops pottery and others. In the tertiary sectorbanking, teaching, transport providers, mechanics, shop keepers, street venders, and private
and government employee. But these activities cover small proportion of population andhouse hold of the area. Large amount of population engage in the primary activity mainly inthe agriculture and cultivation. More than 60 percent of population depends on agriculture(cultivation). Therefore land is more important in the area. Increasing demand may include
changes in the choice of crops, crop rotations, utilization of crops, and intensity of production.
Trends include technical solutions to remove yield limiting factors, such as water availability
for crops, and increasing use of agricultural biomass as a source of renewable energy. It is
often supported by government legislation. A well-developed canal grid system covers theregion. Occupational structure is more valuable for agricultural development. In the region(tehsil) high per cent of land is available for cultivation because a large number of people
depend on agriculture.
Location of Study area
Maharajganj tehsil is situated in Ganga plain region in district Raebareli (U.P.). Raebareli liesin the middle part of Uttar Pradesh. The district is irregular in shape, but fairly compact. It
forms a part of the Lucknow Division. Tehsil is well connected from district headquarter and1

state headquarter by road. It is 35 km. from Reabareli and 65 km. from Lucknow. It lies
between Latitude 260 36’ North to 260 20’ North and Longitude 800 59’ East to 810 24’ East.
On the north, it is bounded by tehsil Mohanlalganj of Lucknow district and tehsil Haidergarhof district Barabanki, on the east by tehsil Musafirkhana of district Amethi and on the south
by Sadar tehsil of district Raebareli and in the west lies the Purwa tehsil of district Unnao.
Tehsil Maharajganj has 3 main blocks Maharajganj, Bachharawan, and Shivgarh and one
partial part of Amawan block. There are 25 nayay panchayt, 147 gram panchayat and 211
revenue village. Total area of district is 4,609 km² and tehsil is 734.14 km 2. Maharajganj
tehsil has total population of 414470 in which 199864 women and 214606 males and total
house hold is 78408 is a part of entire population. Tehsil Maharajganj has well connected bycanal system of Sharada canal maximum area of tehsil covered by it. Villages are connectedby pitch road with link road to district. Canal is main source of irrigation in the region.
Figure 01: Location of Study Area

Objectives of the Study Are
 To study the availability of land for agriculture.
 To study the land use pattern of area.
Methodology and Analytical Framework
The following methodology is adopted in the present study to meet the above mentioned
objectives. The present study is based on secondary data collected from tehsil record from
Milan Khasra of Patwari and population data from census hand book of district Raebareli.
The base map is generated.
 Location map was created.
 The base layers like administrative boundaries, road network, mapping of water
bodies, etc. were created.
 Cropping and land use data corresponding to the study area.
 Table and different statistical tools are use.
 Graphs are used for data representation.
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Table 01: Land Use: Tehsil Maharajganj district Raebareli U.P., 2015-2016
Category of Land
Area (in Hectares)
Area (%)
Net Sown Area
38073
52
Uncultivable Land
11819
16
Area Under Forest Cover
2543
3
Pasture996
1
Cultivable Waste Land (Not Sown)
20223
28
Table 02: Block wise Land use of Tehsil Maharajganj, 2015 - 2016
#

Block

Total Areaof GramPanchayat

12
3
4

AmawanShivgarh
Maharajganj
Bachharawan
Tehsil Total

3133
19527
23492
27262
73414

Uncultivable
Land (NonAgriculture)
(%)
10.82
18.08
16.60614.84916.099Area
Under
ForestCover (%)
1.72
2.89
5.121
2.645
3.464

Pasture
(%)

1.5
1.16
1.592
1.277
1.357

Cultivable
Waste Land
(Not Sown)
%
35.21
25.84
26.63
27.79927.219Net Sown
Area In
Total Area
(%)
50.75
52.03
50.05153.43
51.861

Total

100
100
100
100
100

Above table show blocks wise land use of tehsil. In the Bachharawan block net sown
area is greater than any other block while Maharajganj block have lowest net sown area.
35.21 per cent area in Amawan block in cultivable waste land while in the Shivgarh it islowest only 25.84 per cent. In the Maharajganj block forest area is higher than any otherblock it is 5.12 per cent it greater than tehsil average.
Land use/ Land cover
Knowledge of land use and land cover is important for many planning and management
activities concerned with the surface of the earth. The term land cover relates to the type offeature present on the surface of the earth, wheat fields, roads, rail tracks, lakes etc. are theexamples of land cover types. The term land use relates to the human activity or economic
function associated with a specific piece of land. As an example, tract of land on the fringe ofan urban area may be used for family housing (Thomas M. Lillesand and Ralph W. Kiefer).
The study area consists of different land use/land cover classes. The classes are as follows:
agricultural land, wasteland, water, and urban or built-up land. The land use/land coverclassification is based on the Level-I. The maximum land use/land cover is by agriculturalland, the wasteland occupies the second place in classification. After waste land the third
category is uncultivable land.
Land use Pattern
The land use classifications mean ding information on land cover, and providing from work tosatisfy the basic needs of the community of respective regions. Land classification is basedlargely on the quality and intensity of the land utilization (Mohammad Ali, 1978). The land useof the reporting area is categorized into five main categories of land use pattern. The table
No. 2 explains the agricultural land use of reporting area. Land use is always related toconservation of land resources. It is not easy to convert urban land to agricultural land use,
but an unprecedented change in forest regions and cultivable waste land can manage
through human efforts. We can increase net sown area by extra effort to decrease cultivablewaste land. In the figure No. 3 pie chart shows that 52 percent per cent net sown area but it
is low in respect to the dependency of population of the region. There are huge amount of
the cultivable waste land that can be changed into cultivable land by use of proper techniqueand management. Cultivable waste lands include fallow land, land under shrub and bamboo.
This can be increase the earning of the people of the region by the development of therelated products or land can be converted into cultivable land. That can increase productionof the region. There is, thus, an urgent need to evolve and adapt land-saving technologies forbetter utilization of agricultural potentials.

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Table 03: Net Sown Area of tehsil Maharajganj, 2015-2016
Category

Name of the Village

Very Low

> 40%

I

Low

40% - 50%

II

Medium

50% - 60%

III

High

60% - 70%

IV

Very High

70% <

V

Total

5

5

Town Area Mahrajganj, Town Area Bachharawan,
Sothi, Baghai Ahalwar, Bawan Bujurg Balla,
Bahudakhurd, Pindauli, Dhodhwapur, Chitwaniya,
Bankagarh, Bedaroo, Dahigawan, Surajpur,
Kumbhi, Dehli
Shivali, Bainti, Osaah, Govindpuur, Narayanpur
Khajuro, Gurha, Bhausi, Basantpur Sakatpur,
Seewan, Achhai, Raipur, Nerthuwa, Aimapur,
Bariyarpur, Gumanwa, Reewan, Jadavganj,
Padariya, Kumharawan, Kasna, Pipri, Rampur
Khaas, Basant Kunwar Khera, Raipur Neruva
Kotva,
Dhekwa,Saray
Kshatardhari,Jagdeeshpur, Bhavanigrh, Shivgarh, Jyona,
Kushamhura,
Oathi,
Pali,
Atrehta,
Kair,
Tajuddeenpur, Doutra, Domapur, Teesa Khanpur
Janai, Chandapur, Kaindawa, Muraini, Mau,
Raghaupur, Indaura, Barhua, Oot, Pakhanpur,
Atra, Balai Mau, Chilauli, Hazipur Sultaanpur,
Hardoi, Alipur, Purasi, Majhigawan, Pure Achli,
Jamurawa Kakkepur, Bhatsara, Samaspur Halore,
Sirsa,
Baari
Gohanna,
Jamoliya,
Hilha,
Manjhgaon, Mohamdabad Kotva, Hasanpur,
Salethu, Parakhurd, Parakala, Tauli, Narayanpur,
Asni, Ramgaun, Ghurauna, Moan, Pokharani,
Baskanta, Kusurhi Sagarpur, Kubna, Kotva
Madaniya,
Hanswa,Padeerakala,
Ashan
Jagatpur, Uchauri
Jingo, Malpur, Rampur Mohuddinpur, Pahnasa,
Rasoolpur, Jalalpur, Jalalpur, Thulendi, Dundgarh,
Tamanpur, Sehngo Paschim Gaun, Sehngo Purab
Gaun, Devpuri, Kasrawan, Ranikhera, Bahadur
Nagar, Tilenda, Karanpur, Umarpur, Bannawan,
Kandawan, Kandawan, Khanirhani, Todarpur,
Bachharawan, Kundauli, Amawan, Dostpur,
Saraura, Neemteekar, Churwa, Isiya
Sabji, Kurri, Rampur Sudauli, Mainahar Katra,
Madakhera, Madakhera, Ichauli, Shedhpur
Samodha,
Kalui
Kherha,Rain
Pastaur,
Mubarakpur Saapo, Rajamau

Total No.
of Village

Village
(%)

15

10.20

41

27.89

49

33.33

30

20.41

12

8.16

147

100.00Net sown area is the total area sown with crops and orchards. It represents an area
in which total crops are grown only once in a year. The net sown area of the region isnormal. There are five categories of villages in respect to availability of land for sown. First
is very low (less than 40 per cent), second is low (40 per cent to 50 per cent), third is
medium (50 per cent to 60 per cent), fourth is high (60 per cent to 70 per cent) and last isvery high (greater than 70 per cent). Very low net sown area is available in 10.20 per cent of
the village of tehsil whereas very high net sown area is available in only 8.16 per cent of thevillage of tehsil. Which show the difference in availability of land for cultivation. Large No. ofvillages (27.89 per cent) in under the low availability of land for sown. The highest per centof villages (33.33 per cent) are under the medium cultivated land available in the village.
Net Sown Area
Map shows different part of tehsil for availability of net sown area. Very high and high percent of net sown area is available in the western part of tehsil because of availability ofresources in region availability of water supply, connectivity of canals. Middle and east part oftehsil is under medium net sown area. Town area Maharajganj and Bachharawan is densely
populated therefore very low net sown area is available. Northern and Southern part of tehsil
is availability of very low and low net sown area. It indicate that people of the Northern andSouthern part of tehsil is depend less than western part tehsil on land.

4Figure 02: Net Sown Area of tehsil Maharajganj

Cultivable Waste Land
It includes miscellaneous tree crops, groves and culturable waste land and it also include
fallow land. The miscellaneous tree crops and groves are grown in the areas not included in
the net sown. All the culturable land put to some agricultural use, but not included under ‘net
area has sown’, is included under this class. The lands under thatching grasses, bamboo
bushes and other groves trees for fuel, etc., which are not included under orchards, areplaced under this category. The culturable waste land included lands available for cultivation,
whether or not taken up for cultivation or abandoned after a few years for one reason or theother. Such lands may be either fallow or covered with shrubs and jungles which are not put
to any use. They may be assessed or unassessed and may be in isolated blocks or within
cultivated holdings. The land, once cultivated but not cultivated for five years in succession,is included, in the this category. It is a sort of residual class which includes all uncultivatedlands not accounted for any other class.
Fallow Lands
The fallow lands, other than current fallow, include all lands which were taken up for
cultivation but are temporarily out of cultivation for a period of not less than one year and not
more than five years. Against this, the current fallow comprises cropped areas which are kept
fallow during the current year. There is a close relationship between the fallow lands and the
net area sown. Good and timely rainfall, weather conditions, prices of agriculturalcommodities, political stability, security of tenure and tenancy conditions help in increasing
the area sown, which represents the actual physical area under crops and orchards (Hussain
Majid, 1996).
The data shows five category of village that grouped in having different percentage ofcultivable waste land. First category is very low cultivable waste land. In these villages have
only less than 20 per cent cultivable waste land. It means pressure on land is very high 23.81
per cent village on this category. Second category is low (20 per cent to 30 per cent) area ofvillage under cultivable waste land. Third medium (30 percent to 40 per cent) area of village
under cultivable waste land. Fourth high (40 per cent to 50 per cent) area of village undercultivable waste land and last is very high (above 50 per cent) area of village under cultivablewaste land. Very high per cent cultivable waste land means half of the land of village is notsown or we can say that half of the village area is not useful for agriculture. It is not use in5

any productive purpose. This is the barren land fallow land, land under shrub and bamboo.
This can be reduce and converted into agricultural land and increase sown area by thehuman effort and using better technique and management. In the high per cent of cultivablewaste land is only 2.7 per cent of village of tehsil but in medium category a very highpercentage of the village that shows a large no of village are not available for converting land
from cultivable waste land to net sown area.
ForestForest is an important asset of country. Area under forests includes all actually forested
areas or land classed or administered as forests under any legal enactment dealing with
forests whether state-owned or private. If any portion of such land is not actually wooded or
put to some agricultural use that portion is included under the appropriated head of cultivatedor uncultivated land. It is very important for society and important for survives species. Forest
is a major component of environment, without forest we can’t think life. It gives us many
resources without any payment like fresh air as well as maintain temperature andprecipitation in the area. Besides of this forest give us wood for commercial purpose likefurniture, timber and also main use in cooking. Dhak, Khair, Babul, Mahua, Sheesham,
Neem, Kanji, Siras, Eucalyptus, Mango and Jamun. Pipal, Baniyan, Pakar, Gular, Chilbil,
Arjun are common tree and Teak, Papular are rare tree. Groves in the district are mostly ofmango and Mahua Shisham. Shisham Teak is costly wood use in furniture. Only 3 per centarea of the tehsil is under forest cover. In the region 55 per cent village of tehsil having lessthan 2 per cent forest area in the village, it is very low area under forest. About 19 percent
villages having 2 percent to 4 percent area under forest cover and 8 percent villages having
4 percent to 6 percent area under forest cover which is medium of the region. Only 10
percent of village having more than 8 per cent area under forest cover.
Uncultivable landThis stands for all land not available for agriculture means land used in other purpose
besides agriculture. It is classified into different categories such as land used in settlements,
buildings, industrial undertaking, road, canal, cemetery, crematory, bridge, land under thecontrol of Army, Railway and others paramilitary force and all other lands put to any othernon-agricultural uses. In the tehsil only 3 percent of land under uncultivable land means land
not available for primary activities. The data shows that villages are categories into fivecategories on the basis of availability of uncultivable land in the villages i.e. Very Low, Low,
Medium, High and Very High. 7.48 percent village have very low (below 20 percent) area
under uncultivable land, 39.46 percent village have low (20 percent to 30 percent) area underuncultivable land, 31.29 percent village have medium (30 percent to 40 per cent) area underuncultivable land, 17.01 per cent village have high (40 percent to 50 per cent) area underuncultivable land and only 4.76 percent village have very high (above 50 percent) area underuncultivable land in the village.
PastureIt included permanent pastures and other grazing lands. The permanent pastures and othergrazing lands cover all grazing lands, whether they are permanent pastures and meadows ornot. The common land in the villages and grazing land within the forest areas are included
under this head. Pasture is very important land in the village. This is the community landavailable for common use of resident of village. It can’t be occupied by any person of village.
One per cent land of tehsil occupied by pasture. The data shows that villages are categories
into five categories on the basis of availability of pasture land in the villages i.e. Very Low,
Low, Medium, High and Very High. 45.58 per cent village have very low (below 1 percent)area under pasture land, 25.17 percent village have low (1 percent to 2 per cent) area underpasture land, 13.61 per cent village have medium (2 per cent to 3 per cent) area underpasture land, 7.48 percent village have high (3 per cent to 4 percent) area under pasture landand only 8.16 percent village have very high (above 5 percent) area under pasture land in
the village. It means approx. half village of the tehsil having very low area under pasture it
have only below one per cent.

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Conclusion
The present study of tehsil Maharajganj, district Raebareli shows the presentation of different
category of land use. The tables and diagram indicated land is available for converting into
cultivable land by the using of different techniques and better planning. The new approach toagricultural development and land use planning can provide an opportunity to get
employment generation, poverty alleviation, community empowerment and development ofother economic activity of the rural areas. The state government, local community andbusiness houses should establish a public policy framework to support new agricultural
economic era development. After the analysis of land-use availability of land for agriculture itmean availability of work for the labours, which increase money power of local people andincrease production mean availability of food in reasonable price for sustainability.
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