Like all other parts of the world, land use patterns in Bangladesh especially of south-west part have been observed to change rapidly since late of 20th century. Lands of south-west region were generally used for rice farming since the middle of 20th century but polderization project of Bangladesh during 1970s caused major changes in land use pattern either through transformation or modification of land cover and cropping. Literature shows that single cropped rice areas of past decades have already been cultivated twice or thrice per year while some such lands have already been converted for shrimp farming. This paper examines the determinants of land use patterns and their corresponding changes (i.e. rice and shrimp farming) over time at pirozpur village of Kaligonj upazila under Satkhira district of Khulna division in Bangladesh. The study is being done on the basis of cross-sectional data collected from the decision maker or head of each sample household. Here data have been collected through questionnaire as well as focus group discussion from a sample size of 80 households; each forty from shrimp and rice farming. Here logistic regression considering rice farming land as the reference dummy as well as cost-benefit analysis is being done to know the extents of land use determinants. However, the study area being close to river Hariavanga, shrimp farming has become predominant in the study area and young people are more interested in shrimp farming than in any other land use alternatives. Analysis shows that cost free irrigation for shrimp farming as well as higher profit, lower cost and available inputs are the major factors of increased shrimp farming in the study area. The study also finds that if rice can be cultivated thrice per year then shrimp is less attractive while there lacks training facilities for the rice farmers which may cause dissatisfaction to land owners causing conversion of rice land into shrimp. Available land holders primarily decide their land use pattern based on short run cost benefit calculation rather than long run impact of land use in their livelihood as well as ecology. The study finds age, natural calamities, family type and availability of credit to be negatively related with shrimp farming while land engagement process, accessibility, economically active family number, proximity to service sector, neighborhood land use patterns, land ownership and land rent to be positively related.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
1.2 Objective of the Study
1.3 Rationale of the Study
1.4 Scope of the Study
1.5 Operational Definitions
1.6 Limitation of the Study
1.7 Structure of the Study
Chapter Two: Theoretical Background
2.1 Land Use Models
2.2 History and Trends of Land Use Models
2.3 Land Use Modeling Approaches and Models
2.3.1 Agent-Based Perspective
2.3.2 Systems Perspective
2.3.3 Narrative Perspective
2.3.4 The Fitting Data Model
2.3.5 Simulation Processes
2.3.6 Structural Models
2.3.7 Statistical or Reduced Form Models
2.3.8 Geographic Models
2.3.9 Economic Models
2.3.10 Stochastic Markov Model
2.3.11 Ecological Models
2.3.12 Dyna-CLUE model
2.3.13 Spatial Economical Model
2.3.14 Cellular Automata Model
2.3.15 Species-distribution Model
2.4 Economics, Econometrics and Land Use Research
Chapter Three: Literature Review
3.1 Land
3.2 Land Use
3.3 Land Use Change
3.4 Land Cover
3.5 Land Cover Change
3.6 Land Use and Cover Change
3.7 Land Use Planning
3.8 Land Use Conflict
3.9 Methods Used to Identify Patterns and Changes of Land Use and Cover
3.10 Variable Used in Modeling Land Use and Cover Changes
3.11 Type and Scope of Land Use and Cover Change
3.12 Observed Land Use Pattern
3.13 Global Land Use and Cover Trends
3.14 Land Use Trends in Bangladesh
3.15 Causes of Land Use and Cover Change
3.16 Impact of Land Use and Cover Change
3.17 Initiatives for Land Use and Cover Changes
3.18 Findings and Results of Land Research
3.19 Problems and Limitation of Land Use and Cover Researches
3.20 Research Gap
Chapter Four: Methods and Materials
4.1 Conceptualization of the Research Problem
4.2 Study Area
4.3 Research Design
4.4 Target Group
4.5 Sample Design
4.5.1 Sampling Techniques
4.5.2 Sample Size
4.5.3 Data Collection Method
4.6 Type of Data Used
4.7 Variables and Indicators
4.8 Model Specification
4.8.1 Logistic Regression for Land Use Change
4.8.2 Empirical Analysis of Land Use Determinants
4.9 Data Collection
4.9.1 Primary Data Collection
4.9.2 Secondary Information
4.10 Data Processing and Analysis
4.11 Writing the Thesis Paper
Chapter Five: Land Use Patterns and Changing Trends
5.1 Global Land Use Patterns
5.2 Land Use Trends of Bangladesh
5.3 Trends of Land Availability in Khulna Division
5.4 Land Use Trend in South-west Part of Bangladesh
5.5 Land Use Policies in Bangladesh
Chapter Six: Overview of Study Area and Respondent
6.1 Overview of Study Area
6.2 Information of the Respondents
6.2.1 Age and Gender of the Sample Population
6.2.2 Educational Status
6.2.3 Family Size and Composition of the Respondents
6.2.4 Occupational Distribution
6.2.5 Engagement Process in Present Land Use Pattern
6.2.6 Land Ownership Pattern of Households
6.2.7 Scenario of Assets and Non-assets of the Sample Households
6.2.8 Household Yearly Income
6.2.9 Household Yearly Expenditure
6.2.10 Households’ Farming Experience
6.2.11 Training Facilities of Sample Population
6.2.12 Credit Facility
6.2.13 Plan to Change Land Use Pattern in Near Future
6.2.14 Pressure and Regulation on Current Land Use Pattern
Chapter Seven: Results and Discussion
7.1 Lands Cultivated over Time
7.2 Variation in Land Use Pattern
7.3 Change in Land Use Pattern
7.4 Location of Land
7.5 Land Elevation
7.6 Fertility of Land
7.7 Salinity and Sand in Land
7.8 Neighborhood Land Use Pattern
7.9 Water Management Facilities
7.10 Distance of Water Management Sources
7.11 Way Used for Water Management System
7.12 Cost of Water Management System
7.13 Proximity to Nearest Infrastructure
7.14 Land Rent
7.15 Accessibility to Land
7.16 Transport Mode and Available Facilities to Specific Land
7.17 Cost of Transportation per Trip
7.18 Availability of Input
7.19 Demand for Final Product
7.20 Market Location
7.21 Price Distribution of Final Output
7.22 Changes in Land Use Patterns of the Households
7.23 Conversion and Maintenance Cost
7.24 Cost-benefit of Land Use
7.25 Estimation of the Determinants of Land Use Change
Chapter Eight: Findings and Conclusion
8.1 Information through Focus Group Discussion
8.2 Findings of the Research
8.3 Comparison of Findings
8.4 Conclusion
8.5 Further Scope
Objectives and Research Themes
The thesis aims to examine the determinants of land use changes in the south-west region of Bangladesh, specifically focusing on the transition from traditional rice farming to shrimp farming. It addresses the research question of what driving factors—socio-economic, biophysical, and institutional—influence household-level land use decisions and what the corresponding impacts of these changes are on local ecology and livelihoods.
- Analysis of historical and current land use trends in Bangladesh and the south-west coastal region.
- Empirical identification of determinants for land use conversion using logistic regression models.
- Evaluation of cost-benefit structures comparing rice farming and shrimp farming systems.
- Assessment of the role of infrastructure, credit availability, and natural hazards in land use decisions.
- Recommendation for sustainable land use policies based on household-level empirical evidence.
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1.1 Background of the Study
Since 10,000 BCE, world population was less than 10 million with negligible land uses (NASA, 2006) but with the industrial revolution as well as rapid population growth especially in developing states (Lambin et al., 2003), researchers now claim that human footprint has affected 83% global terrestrial surface while degraded more than 60% ecosystem in last century (Nkonya et al., 2012). Moreover, settlements and sprawl development have become much influential both in underdeveloped, developed and developing countries (Oluseyi, 2006) with rapid and continuous changes in land use patterns (Minar et al., 2013). Therefore land has now been considered to have locally pervasive and globally significant influence on ecology and sustainability (Agarwal et al., 2001) mainly because of its limited size (Zubair, 2006). Humans have been altering land uses through clearance of patches of land (Shi, 2008) since the beginning of civilization and it is now claimed that during last three centuries, nearly 1.2 million sq km of forest and woodland as well as 5.6 million sq km of grassland and pasture have been transformed (Ramankutty and Foley, 1999) while cropland has increased by 12 million square km (Vitousek et al., 1997).
It is also demanded that most populated areas are located along coastal zones and major waterways in Indian Sub-continent, East Asia and western Europe (Lambin et al., 2003) and have witnessed major land use changes in last decades (Nkonya et al., 2012) through aggregated global influences in trade and commerce (Lambin et al., 2001). Researchers have also demanded that economy expands in size and growth with the expansion of population, invention and innovation (Houghton, 1994) which in turn causes a transfer of agro land to non-agro uses (Quasem, 2011). For instance, though by 1970 there were two megacities (e.g. populations more than 10 millions), today there are 23 megacities and is estimated to be 37 in 2025 of which most are in developing countries (Rui, 2013).
Summary of Chapters
Chapter One: Introduction: Outlines the global and regional context of land use changes, defines the research objectives, and describes the study's scope and limitations.
Chapter Two: Theoretical Background: Reviews established land use models and theoretical frameworks to explain land use decisions and modeling approaches.
Chapter Three: Literature Review: Synthesizes existing academic literature on land, land use, and land cover changes, and identifies the research gap.
Chapter Four: Methods and Materials: Details the research methodology, including the conceptual framework, sample design, data collection, and econometric model specification.
Chapter Five: Land Use Patterns and Changing Trends: Provides a qualitative and quantitative overview of global, national, and regional land use trends.
Chapter Six: Overview of Study Area and Respondent: Describes the socio-economic and demographic profile of the respondents and the specific characteristics of the study area in Satkhira.
Chapter Seven: Results and Discussion: Presents the empirical findings, including cost-benefit analyses and the results of the logistic regression on determinants of land use change.
Chapter Eight: Findings and Conclusion: Summarizes the major research findings and provides concluding remarks regarding policy implications and future research scope.
Keywords
Land Use Change, Determinants, South-west Region, Bangladesh, Shrimp Farming, Rice Farming, Logistic Regression, Econometric Analysis, Land Management, Agro-economic Development, Polderization, Coastal Zone, Sustainable Development, Rural Economy, Household Survey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research focuses on analyzing the determinants of land use patterns and their changes in the south-west region of Bangladesh, with a specific interest in the conversion of land from traditional rice farming to shrimp farming.
What are the central thematic areas of the study?
The key themes include the socio-economic drivers of land use, environmental impacts of shrimp farming, the role of institutional support (or lack thereof), and the cost-benefit comparison between different agricultural practices.
What is the core objective or research question?
The primary objective is to trace major land use patterns and identify the key determinants that cause landholders to shift their land engagement from rice farming to shrimp farming.
Which scientific methods were employed?
The study utilizes a mixed-methods approach, combining primary cross-sectional data collected through household surveys and focus group discussions with econometric modeling, specifically logistic regression, to quantify land use determinants.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body covers theoretical frameworks of land use modeling, a review of existing literature, a detailed description of the methods, and an empirical analysis of findings from the Satkhira district study area.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Land Use Change, Determinants, South-west Region, Bangladesh, Shrimp Farming, and Logistic Regression.
Why is the Pirozpur village area significant to this study?
Pirozpur village serves as a representative case study of the south-west coastal region where agro-based rural livelihoods are facing rapid pressure from salinity and changing economic incentives, leading to shifting land use patterns.
How does the study conclude regarding the transition to shrimp farming?
The study concludes that while shrimp farming is often perceived as more lucrative in the short term, rice farming can be more profitable if cultivated optimally; thus, it highlights the need for mass awareness and better-coordinated land management policies.
- Quote paper
- Jahangir Alam (Author), 2014, Determinants of Land Use Change in South-west Region of Bangladesh, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/284812
