ROLE OF ECOLOGICAL FACTORS IN THE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH BIHAR PLAIN ABSTRACT THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF Bottor of ^f)iIo£iopI)p IN GEOGRAPHY BY MOHAMMAD MOKAMMIL HUSSAIN UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF DR. HIFZUR RAHMAN (READER) DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH (INDIA) 2003 ABSTRACT Agriculture is the mainstay of the people of North Bihar Plain and it constitutes the most important source of income in the region. It provides, directly or indirectly livelihood to a substantial proportion of the population and contributes a major share in the economy of Bihar. The agriculture of North Bihar Plain is mainly of subsistence type, where a majority of the farmers belong to the category of marginal landholdings. Therefore, the development of this sector of the economy is of prime concern. The main aim of agricultural development is to achieve a required amount of crop production for the growing population. Agricultural operations are influenced by a combination of physical, techno-institutional and socio-economic conditions. The present work is an attempt to assess the agriculture in North Bihar Plain with reference to ecological conditions. The main objectives of the study are to examine the agricultural development in the study area with respect to land use pattern, cropping intensity, crop productivity and their correlates which are likely to cause regional variations in the levels of agricultural development. North Bihar Plain forms a part of Indo-Gangetic Plain with a geographical area of 54,990 sq.km. comprising 22 districts of the state of Bihar. The region contains a total population of 55.17 million persons, with an average density of 1003 persons per sq.km (Census of India, 2001). It possesses 58.4 per cent of the total geographical area of Bihar and a population of 66.57 per cent. The present study is based on secondary sources of data for the period which extends over three points of time: 1985-90, 1990-95 and 1995-2000. For each time frame five successive years data were averaged. The district has been taken as an unit of study. Seventeen major crops which are gro'wn in the region have been considered and they are grouped into: cereals, pulses, oilseeds and cash crops. The impact of ecological parameters on agriculture was analysed with the help of factor analysis technique considering North Bihar Plain as an area of study, as well as for productivity regions demarcated as high, medium and low. The computation work was done on SPSS Programme on ALPHA System. The whole work has been divided into five chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the physical characteristics of the study area to deal with the structure and relief, drainage, climate and soil. North Bihar Plain is a levelled plain formed by the alluvial deposits. The slope of the plain as marked by the flow of river channels is from northwest to southeast. The region enjoys a tropical monsoon type of climate characterised by a seasonal change of rhythm corresponding to two main cropping seasons : kharif {summer crops) and r^Z?/(winter crops). The second chapter gives an account of ecological parameters (pertaining to climate and soil) which influence the growth and development of crops. Chapter third incorporates an analytical frame of the study. This deals with the trends in crop cultivation with reference to land use pattern, cropping intensity, and growth in cropped areas, production and yield of crops. Chapter four is devoted to deal with the conceptual framework of crop productivity and regionalisation of productivity in North Bihar Plain, the indices computed based on the method of Yang's Crop Yield Index. A correlation assessment has been worked out in the fifth chapter, on the basis of some selected important technological factors in the agriculture of North Bihar Plain, for the year 1999-2000. In order to establish an input and output relationship a set of eleven independent variables and one dependent variable (productivity index) were selected and analysed for North Bihar Plain considering it as a single unit of study and productivity regionswise. Further, it was attempted to determine the levels of agricultural development in the region with the help of a composite index. The findings of the study reveal that agricultural development in North Bihar Plain seems to be more dependent on technological factors (including irrigation, chemical fertilizers (NPK), High-Yielding Varieties (HYV) of seeds and agricultural machinery) rather than on ecological parameters. The regions which show a concentration of high degree of agricultural innovations are agriculturally advanced than the regions in which the farming is traditional and nature's role is dominant. In the last the thesis is summed up with some of the recommendations if they are incorporated they can help in bringing the change in agriculture in the region. T6116 ROLE OF ECOLOGICAL FACTORS IN THE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH BIHAR PLAIN THESJS SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF Mottor of ${itlQ2;opK)p IN GEOGRAPHY BY MOHAMMAD MOKAMMIL HUSSAIN UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF DR. HIFZUR RAHMAN (READER) DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH (INDIA) 2003 Dedicated to the Memory of My father Dr. Hifzur Rahman DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY Reader ALIGARH - 202 002, INDIA (0)' 0571-2700683 d^his IS to (yet't^y tAat cMt. cMoAamma^d' CAloA'a'm'mU Sj^asO'ln Aas oompleled Ais T'OieaTeA a/GTA ybz au/atf/ debtee} entcUaf/ q/ ^tyo^offitya^^ ffo/oCozs l/i IA& ^^fftcou^ftu/TO/C ^ (yVoi'lA ff^lo/in cond^ez my swp envision. '-Qr^- (Dr. Hifzur Rahman) PREFACE The development of agriculture is the utmost task in a densely populated and agriculturally dominated economy. The objectives of agricultural development are to achieve food security for a fast increasing population. In the present study an attempt is made to assess the regional variations in agricultural development in North Bihar Plain with the consideration of ecological parameters. The entire work has been divided into 5 chapters. Chapter first is devoted to deal with the physical setting of the region (including structure and relief, drainage, climate and soil). Chapter second gives an account of the ecological parameters which bear impact on agriculture. Ecological parameters take into account climatic and edaphic characteristics. Chapter third deals with the existing land use pattern and cropping intensity. The percentage growth of area, production and yield under major crops have been examined. In chapter fourth, a brief review of the concept and techniques of measurement of agricultural productivity has been presented. This chapter also focuses on the aspects of regionalisation of crops. Chapter fifth is devoted to deal with the spatial analysis of agricultural technology which is in use of agriculture of North Bihar Plain. This chapter also deals with the input and output analysis. In the end of the study some suggestions have been given, which may present a base for framing the planning to minimize the regional inequalities in the levels of agricultural development. XX ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I consider myself to be able to complete this work satisfactorily with the grace and mercy of almighty ALLAH. I express my sincere and deep sense of gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Hifzur Rahman, Reader, Department of Geography, A.M.U., Aligarh, for his generous inspirations, invaluable suggestions and scholarly guidance which helped me in the completion of this thesis. I am deeply indebted to Prof. Azimuddin Qureshi, Chairman, Department of Geography, A.M.U., Aligarh, for providing all the necessaiy facilities in the Department to carry oul this work. 1 am also thankful to Prof. Emeritus Mohd. Shafi and Dr. Abdul Munir, Reader, Department of Geography, A.M.U., Aligaih, for their valuable suggestions who gave me very oftenly. My thanks are also due to Library Staff at the Maulana Azad Libraiy and Research Section, Department of Geography, A.M.U. Aligarh for placing before me all the relevant literature whenever needed. Officials of Directorate of Statistics and Evaluation, Patna, Bihar and Meteorological Department, New Delhi also deserve my acknowledgement for providing all the necessary materials for the accomplishment of this work. 1 am thankful to all the teaching, non-teaching staffs of Department of Geography and to all my friends for their valuable cooperation and help rendered to me. I will be failing in my duties if 1 do not acknowledge Mr. Mohd. Ashfaque Ahmad, System Programmer, Computer Centre, A.M.U., Aligarh and typist, Mr. H.K. Sharma for their kind assistance in the computation of massive data and manuscript typing. Last, but not the least I am very much grateful to all of my family members who have always been a source of inspiration for me for higher academic pursuits. Dated 4 (Mohd. Mokammil Hussain) CONTENTS Preface i Acknowledgements ii List of Figures v-vi List of Tables vii-viii Introduction 1-7 CHAPTER 1 PHYSICAL SETTING OF NORTH BIHAR PLAIN 8 - 43 A. Structure and Relief 8 B. Drainage 18 C. Underground water 23 D. Climate 25 E. Soils 38 CHAPTER 2 ECOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND CROP CULTIVATION 44-71 A Concept of Ecology 44 B. Cardinal Points in the Growth of Crops 47 C. Ecological Parameters of Crops 52 CHAPTER 3 LAND USE AND CROPPING INTENSITY IN NORTH BIHAR PLAIN 72 -122 A Land Utilization 72 B. Cropping Pattern 79 C. Cropping Intensity 113 CHAPTER 4 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY REGIONS IN NORTH BIHAR PLAIN 123-183 / A The Concept of Productivity in Agriculture 123 B. The Measurement of Agricultural Productivity 132 C. Spatio-Temporal Variations in Agricultural Productivity in North Bihar Plain 150 XV CHAPTER 5 ECOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND LEVELS OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT - A CORRELATIVE ANALYSIS 184 - 225 A.