Question.
Discuss some reasons which are responsible for changes in land use patterns.
( Chapter - 2 Land-Soil-Water-Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources, Cass 8 NCERT Resources and Development ( Geography) )
Answer.
The land is used for different purposes like agriculture, forestry, mining, grazing, industries, building houses, and infrastructure development. Different use of land is called land uses.
Land use pattern is determined by physical factors like topography, soil, climate, minerals, and availability of water. Land use is also determined by population pressure and technology. Today. land use pattern is changing very fast due to the growing population and rapid changes in technology.
As per General land use categories 2014-14[ Directorate of Economics and statistics, ministry of agriculture 2017 report ], 45.5 percent of Indian land is used in agriculture, 23.3 percent of the land is used in the forest, and 8.7 percent of the land is used for non-agriculture uses like industrial setup and human settlements.
Some reasons which are responsible for changes in land use patterns are:
The pattern of land use is changing very fast due to Cultural changes in society and the growing population.
When our society was primitive, there was a very less population and most of the population was herders and gathers; at that time most of the land is forest and grasslands, Very less land are used for agriculture and other purposes.
Over time, the population grew and technology evolved and an agricultural society developed, and part of forest land was diverted to agricultural uses and non-agricultural activities.
Nowadays, with growing urbanization, industrialization, growth of transportation and communication infrastructure, there is a rapid increase in land use for non-agriculture activities. For example, from 1960 to 2014, land used for non-agriculture activities like industrial and human settlements increased from 4.95 percent to 8.7 percent.
You may like also:
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon