Prepared by-Mohammad Mohaiminul Islam,

Department of Geography & Environmental Studies,

University of Chittagong.

Introduction Land use in Bangladesh has evolved through natural forces as

well as human needs. Cultivated land, forestland, settlements and homesteads are the major land use types in Bangladesh.

Like many other countries, land is overwhelmingly the greatest national resource of Bangladesh on which it's entire population depends for food supply.

To understand the nature and properties of the soils in Bangladesh and their geographical distribution, this country has conveniently been divided into three physiographic units having three distinct geological ages, such as:

(1) Tertiary hills (12 %) (2) Pleistocene terraces (8%) and (3) Recent floodplains (80%).

Abbreviations

BBS= Bangladesh Bureau of StatisticsFAO= Food and Agriculture Organization of

the United Nations

Concept of Land and land Use Land: Land is the solid surface of the earth; an area or ground.

Though land and soil are same in general sense‚ but geographically and geologically there's a difference‚ and that is- land includes both plant growing and non-growing surface of the earth‚ where soil includes only plant growing portion of the earth's surface.

Land Use: Land use or utilization is the statisfaction‚ which the farm population derives from the type of agriculture developed‚ the provision for future production and the contribution to national needs. (Buck‚ 1951)

It also has been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover type to produce, change or maintain it." (FAO‚1997)

Functions of Land 1. Production Function. 2. Space function for socio-economic and

infrastructural development. 3. Human settlement space function. 4. Biotic environmental function. 5. Climate regulative function. 6. Hydrologic function. 7. Waste and pollution control function. 8. Storage function. 9. Archive or heritage function.

Classification of Land Use The classification of land according to it's use-

A. Agricultural (Used for Cultivation and farming)

B. Industrial (Used as a space for manufacturing industries) C. Residential (Used as a space for settlement) D. Recreational (Used as a space for amusement park or entertainment purposes)

Rural Land Use in Bangladesh Bangladesh has a large area having rural setting.

According to Rashid, only Dhaka and Chittagong have the appropriate urban setting, other regions of the country have a strong rural influence.

Rural land mainly has two types of uses- cultivation and settlement. 25% of the total land of Bangladesh, are invaded by settlement spaces, lest are covered by agriculture lands or forests.

Physical Basis of Land Use in Bangladesh An understanding of physical environmental condition is

essential for understanding land use and copping practices in a region. The following phenomena are known as the physical basis of land use in Bangladesh.

1. Climate: Which includes 4 seasons- Premonsoon, Monsoon, Post Monsoon and Dry Season.

2. Physiography and Relief: Bangladesh has three major physiographic units- Hills, Terrace and Recent Floodplain.

3. Hydrology: It includes river flow, floods and flooding.

4. Soils: Bangladesh has a wide diversity in soils, and they often occur in complex pattern.

Land Use Scenario of Bangladesh (BBS,1999)

Land Use Types Hectares (in 000) %

Total land area 14,845 100     

Not available for cultivation 3,700 24.9     

Forest 2,255 15.2     

Cultivable waste 445 3     

Current fallow 2,999 20.2     

Double cropped area 979 6.6     

Single cropped area 451 3     

Triple cropped area 4,013 27

Crops Produced in Rural Lands of Bangladesh The main crop of Bangladesh is rice which occupies 80% of the

cropped area and annual production of rice is 26-27 million metric tons. Apart from this, there are some other crops that reaches the necessity of population and enriches national economy-

1. Rice 2. Wheat 3. Cereals 4. Jute 5. Tea 6. Pulses 7. Oilseeds 8. Vegetables 9. Spices 10. Fruits

11. Potato 12. Sugarcane 13. Tobacco

Conflicts of Land Use in Bangladesh Land is a notorious phenomenon for various

conflicts in Bangladesh. It's reported that half of murders in Bangladesh happened because of contradiction of land ownerships. Also there is a shortage of land in comparison to the size of population.

Calamity and Land Vulnerability in Bangladesh The geographical settings as well as some man-made activities have made

the country vulnerable to various natural disasters. These natural calamities occasionally cause drastic crop failures along with huge loss of lives and properties-

1. Floods 2. Cyclones and Tidal Surge 3. Drought 4. Riverbank Erosion 5. Saline water Instruction 6. Water Logging 7. Deforestation 8. Acidification 9. Plough Plan Formation 10. Sedimentation 11. Chemical Pollution 12. Arsenic Problem 13. Global Warming and Sea Level Rises

Estimated Land Degraded Situation in Bangladesh

Type of degradation Areas affected (million ha) Total area % National

        (M ha) Area

  Light Moderate Strong    

Water erosion 0.1 0.3 1.3 1.7 12

River bank erosion - - - 1.7 12

Soil fertility decline 3.8 4.2 - 8 54

Organic matter depletion 1.9 1.6 4 7.5 51

Water logging 0.7 - - 0.7 5

Stalinization 0.6 0.3 - 0.9 6

Plough pan - 1 - 1 7

Acidification - 0.6 - 0.6 4

Deforestation - 1.5 - 1.5 10

Total 7.1 11.2 5.3 23.6 -

Summary of Land Capability Classes and Percentage

Land capability class Area (million ha) %

I. Very good agricultural land 0.19 2

II. Good agricultural land 4.19 34

III. Moderate agricultural land 4.82 39

IV Poor agricultural land 1.92 16

Source: FAO, 1988.

Conclusion Appropriate land use and adoption of suitable

management technology can enhance and sustain high productivity and soil management, include crop and livestock management.