CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Statement of the Problem

Agricultural development is multidimensional in nature. It includes a variety of

aspects like agricultural land utilisation, intensity of cropping, crop productivity, crop

concentration, crop diversification, crop combination, commercialization of agriculture,

nature of agrarian relationship, maintenance of ecological balance and so on.

Agriculture plays an essential role in the process of economic development of less

developed countries like India. Besides providing food to nation, agriculture provides

employment and savings, contributes to market economy and earns foreign exchange.

Agricultural development is an integral part of overall economic development. In India,

agriculture is the main source of national income and occupation. Agriculture and allied

activities have contributed nearly 50 percent to India’s national income. Around 72

percent of total working population was engaged in agriculture and allied activities. All

these confirm that Indian economy is primarily based on agriculture and it has been

socio-economically much behind many countries of the developed world including even

china. However, since Independence India has made considerable progress in the field

of agriculture. Indian agriculture, which grew at the rate of about 1 percent per annum

during the fifty years before Independence, has grown at the rate of about 2.6 percent

per annum in the post Independence era.

In North East India, the process of agricultural development has been very slow.

However, there is distinct spatial variation within the region. A major part of North East

India is covered by the hills with mountains with fertile soil experiencing remarkable

production of horticultural crops on the steep slopes. A significant aspect of agricultural

development in this region is the prevalence of a variety of agricultural systems, which

are controlled by the topographic features, soil and climatic conditions. For example,

traditional shifting cultivation on hill slopes and extensive settled cultivation in the river

valleys including Brahmaputra plains are major features of agricultural development.

The hill agricultural system and as well as intensive crop production systems of the

plains are controlled by different factors of landscape. In this part of the country the

agricultural practice is still determined by the physical factors. Within the region there

has been significant variations in the agricultural system such as hills have shifting

cultivation while the plains have subsistence agriculture, though major parts of the

built-up area covered by old alluvium have plantation agriculture. Depending on the

availability of facilities attitude of the farmers the development of agriculture in the

region is not uniform.

Agriculture is the main source of livelihood of the people of Assam, where more

than 80 percent of the total population are rural and about two thirds of the working

population are directly engaged in agriculture and its allied activities. The farmers of the

area cultivate HYV as well as traditional varieties of rice which is the staple food. In

addition to this some plantation crops, horticultural crops and cash crops also cover

sizable area of Assam. At present, there has been also blue revolution and white

revolution in some parts of the state. However, there are distinct variations in the

magnitude and importance of these aspects both in space and time. It is worth

mentioning that the importance of white revolution and blue revolution is not very

significant in the district. Thus in the respect of agricultural development Nagaon

district of Assam is therefore selected here where the farmers cultivate mainly crops and

agricultural development after seventies of the last century is significantly high. So, in

order to understanding of the nature of agricultural development, scientific investigation

and evaluation of aspects of development both in spatial and temporal dimensions such

a study has become highly necessary, which may definitely help us to have a clear

picture of nature of agricultural development in the study area. Keeping these facts in

view, the farming practices, productivity, intensity of cropping, production of crops,

innovation in agriculture etc. in Nagaon district of Assam have been discussed in the

present work.

Nagaon district is situated in the middle part of Assam and it has three sub

divisions and ten revenue circles which form essentially an important agroeconomic

region. The study area Nagaon district is located between 25043 N latitude and 26

045 N

latitude and 93025 E longitude and 93

020 E longitude. It is bounded by Sonitpur district

and the river Brahmaputra in the north, Karbi Anglong and North Cachar hills in the

south, Karbi Anglong and Golaghat district in the east and Morigaon district in the west.

The mighty river Brahmaputra flows along the northern periphery of the district.

Other major tributaries such as Kalong, Kapili etc. meandering through the district drain

into the Brahmaputra. Nagaon town constitutes a vital corridor linking the Upper Assam

districts of Golaghat, Jorhat, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and the North Assam

districts of Sonitpur and North Lakhimpur. It is important to note that the central

location of the study area facilitates for the movement of the people and agricultural

products to and from different directions. Nagaon district has covered an area of 3,975

sq. km in 2011. About more than half of the populations in the district belong to Muslim

community and the rest belong to Hindu, Christian and Sikh communities. According to

1991 census, the total population of Nagaon district was 18,93,171. The population is

Figure 1.1

Figure 1.2

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increasing day by day. According to 2001 census, the population increased to 23,14,629

which has further increased to 28,26,006 in 2011 census, with a male population of

14,40,307 and female population of 13,85,699.

It may be mentioned here that Nagaon district has been experiencing tremendous

change in the landuse in general and agricultural in particular. The district has engaged

more than half of the total workforce in agriculture and its allied activities. In the last 100

years the district has been witnessing a rapid growth of population resulting in a

tremendous pressure of population on agricultural land resource. This is because agriculture

is the main source of economy in rural areas, and it is the main occupation of the people of

the study area. With the growing population, utilisation of land has been changing in the

district. Area under agriculture as well as settlement has been increasing while areas under

grazing reserves, forest and fallow land have been declining. Moreover, size of operational

holding per agricultural family has been declining. Thus, there have been problems faced

by the agricultural households, who are dependent only on limited available land. It is

therefore, essential to increase productivity of land by its proper use through systematic

planning. Though after Independence agricultural development has been taking place in the

study area and productivity it is not at per the demand of the growing population. However,

significant innovation in agriculture has changed the agricultural scenario of Nagaon

district. Modern agriculture like HYV seeds especially of rice covers 57.05 percent of the

rice area. Out of the total agricultural area 34.40 percent used chemical fertilizer, viz. N.P.K

(Nitrogen Phosphorous, Potassium) 36.05 percent used biofertilizer. Pesticides used 17.02

percent of the land and 12.53 percent of the agricultural land of the study area had irrigation

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facilities. These innovative measures were totally absent in the fifties of the last century.

Majority of farmers even in the seventies and eighties are dependent on climogenetic

supply of water i.e. rainfall. With the progress of irrigational facilities, intensity of cropping

or reuse of land in an agricultural year has been increasing. On the other hand along with

extension of irrigational facilities and intensity of crops help to enhance the agricultural

productivity of crops in the area. Moreover, horticultural crops especially vegetables on

commercial basis are cultivated in the agricultural field. As a result, significant development in

agriculture has been witnessing by the study area. However, there has been spatio-temporal

variation in the landuse pattern as well as development of agriculture in the study area. It is

observed that the attitude of peasants belonging to different social groups in different spatial units

play an important role in agricultural development.

1.2 Significance of the Study

The study of landuse considered to be more important in Nagaon district not only

because there is practically no other significant source of economy except agriculture, but

also because thousands of immigrants peasants have settled in the district during the

twenties and thirties of the twentieth century. These immigrants have altered the

agricultural landuse pattern through the commercial cultivation of jute and vegetables

creating a need for a thorough revision of the land utlisation plan. Even in the post

Independence period because of the execution of ‘Benor Plan’ in 1966 there has been

significant changes in agriculture mid sixties of last century. New crops like banana

plantation, citronella plantation, patchouli plantation etc. are introduced in the nineties on

commercial basis resulting a radical change in the agricultural land use pattern.

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Nagaon district has a high man-land ratio. The arithmetic density of population of

Nagaon stood at 604 persons/ km2 in 2001, which is highest among all the districts in

Assam (340 persons/ km2 of Assam and 325 persons/ km

2 of India). It has increased to 711

persons / km2 in 2011 in Nagaon (397 persons/ km

2 of Assam and 382 persons/ km

2 of

India). The rural density of population as well as the physiological and agricultural

densities of the district are comparatively higher than majority of the districts of Assam.

The bulk of the rural households are constituted by small, marginal and sub marginal

farmers. The method of cultivation is mostly traditional and sizes of agricultural holdings

are decreasing through fragmentation. Though there has been development of agriculture

the above mentioned factors stand as a barrier in some areas of the district. There has been

however significant variation in the innovation and attitude of peasant of different

communities for agricultural development. The spatio temporal pattern of agricultural

development is to be observed in the district. As the present study deals with the spatio-

temporal pattern of agricultural development, the agricultural weaker and stronger area can

be easily identified. This study is very significant in this regard.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objectives of the study are-

i) to analyze the change of landuse pattern in general and agricultural landuse in particular

in different periods of time and their spatial variations in the study area;

ii) to examine physical and socio-economic factors affecting agricultural development in

the study area;

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iii) to analyze critically the spatio-temporal pattern of intensity of cropping and

productivity in the study area;

iv) to explore the problems of agricultural development in the study area and evolve

strategies for sustainable development;

v) to study the spatio temporal pattern of agricultural development in the study area.

1.4 Research Questions

In the light of the above objectives the following research questions are inquired

into-

i) What are the main causes of spatio-temporal changes in land utilisation and cropping

pattern in Nagaon district?

ii) In what ways physical and socio-economic factors have been influencing the

agricultural development in the district?

iii) Is there any impact of irrigation and rural population density on intensity of cropping?

iv) How do the various innovative measures adopted in agriculture like use of fertilizer,

pesticides etc. help in the development of agriculture in the study area?

v) In what ways use of innovative measures differs from one social group to another?

vi) How does the attitude of peasants of different social group towards agricultural

development differ?

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vii) Are the fragmentation of landholding and small size of agricultural landholdings in the

district hindering agricultural development?

viii) What are the major problems of agricultural development in the study area?

ix) Is there any significant spatial variation of agricultural development in the study area?

1.5 Database and Methodology

Agricultural geography is mainly devoted to describing, classifying and explaining

the agricultural activities and their results as they occur in different parts of the world.

In the case of the present study also the existing facts are examined systematically and a

comprehensive presentation is made in this thesis. The data related to the research work has

been collected from two different sources. One is primary and the other is secondary data

sources.

The present study has been carried out in three phases. In the first phase the research

problem is formulated based on the pre-field work. In order to get comprehensive

knowledge of the problem a thorough study has been made of the relevant works done by

different authors. In addition, books, journals, bulletins, reports, newspapers, internet,

published and unpublished monographs relating to the agriculture of the world, as also

those of India and Assam in general and Nagaon district in particular have been gone

through in different libraries. Besides, the toposheets, revenue circle map and cadastral

maps of the area concerned have been thoroughly studied.

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In the second phase of the works are field survey and collection of data. After

acquiring a thorough knowledge of the theoretical aspects of the subject, designs of the

field survey have been worked out in order to collect necessary information within the time

limit. As time is limited to survey the whole study area, the examination of various aspects

of landuse, land utilisation and agricultural development have been confined to 28 sample

survey villages within the study area. With the help of stratified random sampling method

the survey has been conducted in the field. For this purpose, village information scheduled

and household questionnaire as shown in Appendix I and Appendix II have been used.

Considering the two major physical conditions, viz. built-up area and charlands the 28

villages area selected for primary survey. It is important to note that in addition to physical

environment, the different social groups inhabited in the area and their attitude towards

agricultural development is equally important. Out of 28 sample villages, 4 village

inhabited by indigenous general Hindu from built-up area, 4 villages inhabited by Muslim

peasants of immigrant origin from built-up area, 5 villages inhabited by Muslim peasants of

immigrant origin from the charlands, 4 villages inhabited by indigenous Muslim from

built-up area, 4 villages inhabited by Scheduled Castes in the built-up area, 4 villages

inhabited by Scheduled Tribes in built-up area and 3 villages inhabited by other social

groups, viz. Satnami, Manipuri and Nepali (Immigrant Hindu) are surveyed.

As distance from the urban centre always plays an important role in case of

cropping pattern as discussed in Von Thunen’s model, four zones are considered in the

present study. The first zone is considered up to 20 km from Nagaon town, which is the

main market and headquarter of the district, the second zone is 20-40 km the third zone is

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40-60 km and fourth zone is above 60 km are considered. Moreover, char area mostly

dominated by Muslim peasants of immigrant origin, where agricultural development is

significant is considered in the present study.

The secondary data has been collected from different Government offices like

Revenue circle offices of Nagaon; District Economics and Statistics office, Nagaon;

Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Assam, Guwahati; District

Agricultural office, Nagaon; Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Assam, Guwahati;

Census of India, Guwahati, Assam; Assam Land Revenue Department Nagaon, Land

Record Branch, Nagaon; Deputy Commissioner office, Nagaon; Irrigation Department and

Ten Revenue circle offices of Nagaon district etc. Moreover, in the study, the base map

wherein the revenue circles of the district are considered to show the spatial pattern of

agricultural development is prepared with the help of cadastral map prepared by Revenue

Department, Government of Assam and Remote Sensing Application Centre (ARSAC),

Guwahati.

The third phase basically deals with the post field works. The collection of data

from field and offices have been compiled, processed and summarized with the help of

some statistical methods. Relevant quantitative methods like standard deviation,

co-efficient of correlation and co-efficient of variation etc. Bhatia’s method of

diversification of cropping and intensity of cropping, crop concentration and Nelson’s

crop-combination method have been used to analyses the data. In order to find out the

agricultural productivity of Nagaon district Kendall’s ranking method has been applied. In

addition to the above mentioned methods other methods like Z-Score and Principal

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Component Analysis (PCA) with the help of SPSS have been used to find out the spatio-

temporal variation and disparity in the level of agricultural development of the study area.

Moreover, Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques have been used for

digitization of relevant maps and diagrams and there from necessary analysis are being

carried out to acquire meaningful results. The other important steps like cartographic works

in preparing maps, diagrams, graphs, charts etc. report writing, data processing and analysis

etc. have been carried out through computer operations.

1.6 Review of Literature

The beginning of agricultural geography as a distinct field of study is a very recent

development. Eminent geographers and scholars have long devoted to the study of the

problems of landuse in different countries of the world with a view to finding out existing

maladies and potentialities. The study is as old as that of agriculture itself. It is interesting

to observe that most of the studies on landuse were mainly related to the cropping pattern,

because in an agricultural society, other types of land uses were of little importance. Urban

places were unimportant in the landscape and viewed as parasitic on the vast agricultural

region. Urban landuse have been studied since late nineteenth century.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Von Thunen (1826) developed the

theory of location on differential rent of land and built a model to study agricultural

location on a scientific basis. Von Thunen model of agricultural location was based on the

decline of economic rent or land rent with distance from the market. Based on this theory

Von Thunen predicted a concentric series of agricultural zones around a central market.

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Baker (1926) in the United States, Stamp (1930) in Britain and Lossing Buck (1937) in

China contributed towards the dynamic studies of landuse. But the real development in this

direction started with the establishment of British Land Use Survey in 1930 under the

Directorship of Stamp. The British Landuse Survey Department created a good impact on

the country by solving the agrarian problem during the first world war. This gave impetus

to the geographers to establish a commission on the World–wide landuse survey at the

International Geographic Congress, Lisbon in 1949 under the chairmanship of Valkenburg.

This survey proposed a scheme for the delineation of landuse classification on a uniform

scale for all countries of the world (Stamp 1949). Again the eighteenth conference of the

IGU at Rio-de Janeiro (1956) recommended to set up a commission under the chairmanship

of Stamp to organize a landuse survey in all parts of the world. Grigg (1969) dealt with

many of the concepts dealing with agricultural regionalization. During the decades of

sixties and seventies geographers made several conceptual, methodological and thought-

provoking studies which strengthened the theoretical base of agricultural geography. The

works of Bunge (1962), Brookfield (1964), Franklin (1962) and Franklin (1969) are worth

mentioning here. The Quantitave Revolution of the fifties encouraged and gradually

hypothetico-deductive treatment of problems leading to the building of models and

formulation of theories used to gain ground. In the recent period, a tendency among some

of the agricultural geographers to adopt the structural mode of explanation based on radical

thinking has also been observed. The renowned work on of Whittlesey (1936) on

agricultural regions of the world where he attempted to classify the types of agricultural

landuse over the world in terms of agricultural element complexes is considered to be

significant to the subfield.

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Landuse studies in India is still at younger stage. Before the fifties, the study in this

field was limited to regional description of some major crops. But during the last few

decades, the Indian geographers have been trying to apply quantitative techniques in the

study and analysis of landuse and agriculture as a result of which there have been some

notable changes both in content and methodology.

Siddiqui (1946) studied the influence of physical environment and socio-economic

factors on land utilization. Chatterjee (1952) dealt with the scarcity of foodgrains in India

and gave a comparative idea of food-grain supply of India and the world. Besides, one of

the most important advances made by Weaver (1954) who tried to apply the ‘Least

Deviation Model’ for delineation of crop-combination regions. However, Jasbir Singh

(1976) have shown that ‘Least Deviation Model’ can be modified to overcome its

limitations. T.J. Coppock (1964) prepared the agricultural Atlas of England, Wales and

Scotland, which is also highly significant in this regard.

Dayal (1950) analyzed the various aspects of agriculture in Bihar and identified

some agricultural regions. Shafi (1951) made a strong effort to carry out a land capability

survey combined with land capability survey of the country. Landuse surveys were carried

out by the students of the Department of Geography, Aligarh Muslim University (1956),

Madras University and Calcutta University in different areas of the country. Banerjee

(1954) analysis the influence of physical environment on the distribution of tea plantation

in West Bengal. Mukerji (1957) assessed the importance of food crops, cash crops and land

tenure system of the Meerut District. Again Mukerji (1962) studied the field pattern of a

village in Telengana and established the relationship between the size, situation and form of

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the fields. Hussain (1970) studies how the distribution of rainfall determines the

agricultural activities of the Upper Ganga–Yamuna Doab. With the comparative study of

the physical conditions and their possible effects on the type of landuse, it may be possible

to ascertain the quality and character of the present landuse i.e. whether the land is under

proper use or being misused. In this regard Shafi (1969) points out that there is a need to

raise uniformly the food production efficiency of land and if land is used properly it can

feed as many as five terms the India’s population. Mohammad (1975) delimited the crop-

combination regions in Ganga-Tapti Doab. Safi (1972) critically analyzed the earlier

approaches to measure the agricultural productivity and presented a new method for

determining the productivity co-efficient of crops. Singh (1975) has analyses the natural,

economic and cultural variables as the basis of farming and studied in detail some

environmental problems and their solutions. He has made a comprehensive study of the

form of surface, climate, soil, water resources, crop distributions and yields, cropping

pattern, crop status, crop-combination and agricultural efficiency in association with

livestock for the delimitation of crop producing regions and delineations of “weaker areas”.

Pathak (1977) studied the role of crop association regions in agricultural

regionalization in a case study of U.P. Himalayas. Singh and Chauhan (1977) applied a

composite index method to find out the agricultural productivity in Uttar Pradesh. Singh

(1981) evolved a new technique for measurement of agricultural productivity in Haryana.

Singh and Dhillon (1982) in their book “Agricultural Geography” emphasized a number of

aspects of the sub-discipline. Besides, the “Agricultural Geography” by Hussain (1979) has

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been widely accepted as precise book for higher level. In addition to these works, a number

of books in India on agricultural geography have been published in recent years.

Patnaik (1979) made an attempt to establish the relationship between the

geomorphological character and the pattern of agricultural development in Meghalaya. The

impact of irrigation on the yield of rice in Manipur was studied by Devi (1988).

Being a dominant sector of economy and life-line of people, agriculture has

considerably drawn the attention of geographers practicing in the state of Assam. This is

well reflected in the attempts of geographers to unfold the local and regional realities

connected with agrarian practices and pattern. The pioneering works on agricultural

geography of the region was made by Das (1984). He has analyzed the general and

agricultural landuse in detail in his structural analysis of peasant agriculture in Assam. The

spatial pattern of agricultural landuse is delineated in all its aspects. The problems of

agriculture in Assam are compounded by recurrence of floods, drought and soil erosion,

which are also discussed at length. Exploring another dimension of the problem, the study

investigates the socio-economic structure and the socio-cultural institutions that typify

peasantry-family, caste and class structure, the role of existing laws of inheritance and the

stronghold of religion. The study of the infrastructure reveals lacunae in all aspects, viz.

rural electrification, irrigation, agronomic credit, transport and communication and

marketing. Das and Datta (1986) tried to present the picture of landuse in the states of

North East India. Based on secondary data, this work provided some clues towards

investigating landuse problems in different parts of the region. Datta’s (1983) work relating

to agricultural occupance of Nowgong district is another valuable contribution to

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agricultural geography. Datta (1985) works on physiographic framework and intensity of

agricultural landuse in Nagaon District. Bhagabati (1990) presented an exhaustive study on

the land problems of Assam with special reference to Nalbari district. Saikia’s is concerned

(1987) study concerned with the relation between the size of landholding and the crop

productivity level in the thickly populated Nagaon district of the state. Barman and Das

(1978) by applying the Weaver’s method delineate the crop-combination regions in Assam.

Nath (1984) in a micro level study of the Mangaldai region of Assam gives a detailed

analysis of agricultural development of the region. Bhagabati (1984) examines the levels of

agricultural productivity of the Brahmaputra Valley. Devee (1981) dealt with the land-

based rural economy of a village in the Barpeta district. Another attempt to access the

pressure of population on the agrarian land within the Pagladiya basin of Assam was made

by Das (1985).

With the introduction of innovative measures in agriculture on one hand and

growing demand for agricultural produces on the other the topics relating to cropping

pattern, intensity of cropping and changes in agricultural practices use to attract the

attention of the agricultural geographers. Datta (1983,1985),Das and Das (1989), Bhagabati

(1990) analyzed the cropping intensity pattern and established their relation with population

structure, density, irrigation facilities and physical bases etc.

The rate of growth and pattern of agricultural development indicate the economic

dynamism of an area. Encouragingly, a number of geographical studies are directly

concerned of with various aspects of agricultural growth and development in Assam. Das

(1978) carried out a study on the problems of agricultural growth in Assam. While

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assessing various facts of agricultural development, Bhagabati (1984, 1990) developed a

model in order to identify the complex pattern of agricultural development in Assam.

Sharma (1976) delineated Brahmaputra valley, Assam by applying suitable quantitative

techniques. In respect of planning for agricultural development, the work Taher (1975) on

regional basis of agricultural planning in the Brahmaputra valley was important. Kakoti

(1985) discussed the pattern of agricultural innovation and its impact on agricultural

changes in Bajali Block of Barpeta district, Assam. Konwar (1986) analyzed the problems

of agricultural development in Morigaon sub-division of Assam and called for removal of

structural and socio-economic constraints of agricultural development in the area. In an

ecology-oriented study Goswami (1989) discussed various aspects of flood and its impact

on agriculture of Assam and advocated for reorganization of the cropping pattern and crop

rotation according to the flood environment to ensure sustainable development of

agriculture.

Chattaraj and Sahu (1983) studied the intra-district variations in agricultural

development of Kamrup District, Assam at micro-level. Based on the use of inputs,

improved seeds and crop productivity. Gopalkrishnan (1989) presented the picture of

agricultural development in Assam. Mipun (1988) worked on an important cultural aspects

of agricultural development, i.e. immigration which, according to him brought about a

positive change in the agricultural scenario of the Lower Brahmaputra valley, Assam.

Talukdar (1992) in his M.Phil dissertation attempted to investigate and analyze the land use

pattern, cropping pattern, crop production and some of the factors like irrigation that

determine the patterns of agricultural performance in the command area of Kaldiya

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irrigation project, Barpeta district, Assam. Dutta (1992) made an analysis of the changes in

landuse and cropping pattern during a span of about twenty years in Morigaon Town,

Assam. The work of Saikia (2000) aims at studying the pattern of agricultural landuse

change, changes in productivity and many other aspects of agricultural activity in Sonitpur

district of Assam. Saikia’s (2004) in her M.Phil Dissertation analyzed the population

growth and changing landuse pattern of Nagaon Town, Assam. Sharma (2006) in her

M.Phil. Dissertation analyzed the pattern of agricultural development in Tezpur

Subdivision, Assam. A study on shifting cultivation in Assam laying emphasis on

management approach was made by Bora and Saikia (2007). Datta (2007) examined the

pattern of population growth and its pressure on agricultural land resource in Assam. Saikia

and Datta (2010) dealt with impact of population pressure on agricultural landuse in

Nagaon district of Assam. Bora, Datta and Barthakur (2009-11) made to examine the

agricultural development in Sonitpur district with special reference to its spatial variation.

1.7 Organization of the Work

The whole work is organized in nine chapters.

The Chapter I is devoted to Introduction, statement of the problem, significance of

the study, objectives of the study, research questions, database and methodology, review of

relevant works, organization of the work and terms and terminology.

Chapter II deals with the Geographical background of the study area with a brief

description of physical background, physiography and drainage, climate, soil, natural

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vegetation, overview of socio-economic background, population, industries, land revenue

administration and historical background of the study area.

Chapter III is devoted to factors of landuse and agricultural development, physical

factors includes soil erosion, flood and drought situation etc. While socio-economic factors

covers growth of population pressure on agricultural landuse, size of operational holding

and fragmentation of landholding, labour force, capital investment in agriculture, transport,

communication and marketing facilities, agricultural marketing.

Chapter IV deals with landuse pattern and changes. This chapter containing four

sub-chapters like general landuse pattern, spatio-temporal changes in general landuse at

revenue circle level, agricultural landuse pattern and spatio-temporal changes in

agricultural landuse at revenue circle level. This chapter reflects mainly the changes in

general and agricultural landuse both over space and time.

Chapter V is devoted to cropping pattern mainly underlines the cropping pattern

over space and time, distribution of major crops, crop-combination analysis, intensity of

cropping, crop concentration, diversification of cropping, introduction of commercial crops

and crop rotation and interculture.

Chapter VI deals with the use of various innovative measures for agricultural

development in the study area like cultivation of HYV crops, irrigation practices, use of

manures and fertilizers, crop protection measures and infrastructural facilities.

Chapter VII examines the participation of different social groups in agricultural

development based on survey of some selected villages. This chapter includes cropping

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pattern of selected villages inhabited by different social groups, innovation in agriculture in

selected villages, landholding structure of households belonging to different social groups

and attitude of peasants belonging to different social groups towards innovation.

Chapter VIII deals with the pattern of agricultural development. This chapter

analysis the agricultural productivity and spatial pattern of agricultural development based

on some selective factors and indicators.

In Chapter IX the summary and conclusion, findings of the study and suggestions

are incorporated.

1.8 Terms and Terminologies

ahu : Summer rice, sown mostly by broadcast method in the months of March-

April and harvested in the months of June –July.

sali : Winter rice, transplanted during the rainy season in June- September and

harvested in November- December.

boro : Spring rice, transplanted in the month of January and harvested in April.

kharif : Crops grown during the rainy season and harvested in Autumn and early

winter.

rabi : Crops grown in winter largely in the absence of water and harvested in late

winter or spring.

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charland and chapari: Sandy flood plain on the immediate bank of the Brahmaputra or

other large rivers. Charland is generally flooded every year.

Literate : A person, who can both read and write in any language with understanding.

Kankary: Very hard soil containing a high proportion of calcareous nodules.

Cultivator : A person engaged directly in cultivation or in its supervision or direction in

one’s capacity as the owner or lesser of land. He may hold land either from

Government or from a private person or an institution as a tenant.

Agricultural Labourer: A person engaged in agricultural work of a landlord in lieu of

given in each or kind, with no right on the land he works on.

Peasant: A peasant is a self-employed agricultural worker, other than an agricultural

wage labourer or plantation labourer. He is largely dependent on his own

labour and also on the labour of his family members. Whatever be the type of

tenure, he has, at least, an operational holding of his own.

District: A primary administrative unit of the states of India, administered by the

Government through a Deputy Commissioner (District Collector) in

collaboration with other district department heads. There are 27 districts in

Assam.

Village: A unit of settlement. It is also the smallest unit. In the plains where most of the

area has been cadastrally surveyed, a cadastral unit is taken as a ‘census

village’. In case of the char and forest areas, the village is an area covering a

�

cluster of settlement. In the hills, where no cadastral survey has been done, a

village covers an area around a collection of houses and is demarcated with a

boundary traditionally recognized by the local tribal society.

Social group: Group of people belonging to some social divisions based on as cultural

constitutional provision as well cultural characteristics like indigenous general

Hindu population, Muslim peasants of immigrant origin, Indigenous Muslim,

Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other social groups, viz.

Satnami, Manipur and Nepali (Immigrant Hindu).

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