CHANGING RURAL LAND OWNERSHIP, LAND USE PATTERN AND IT’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS: STUDY ON TWO VILLAGES OF BATIAGHATA THANA, KHULNA

Abstract

Land is the main repository of wealth, means of production and important determinant of social status of rural households in any developing country. About 86% of the dwelling units in Bangladesh is located in rural areas where land use and land ownership is changing rapidly. Population pressure and persistent poverty of people in rural Bangladesh are making land ownership pattern skewed and facing the conversion of agricultural land to homesteads and other uses. This paper through an in depth empirical study of two villages of Batiaghata Thana, investigated their changing land ownership and land use pattern for 1962 to 1998. It is found that in the study area agricultural land has reduced gradually and this is increasingly being used for non-agricultural purposes. Agricultural land in the study area reduced from 86% (of the total) in 1962 to 65% of total land in 1998. The main non-agricultural uses that have increased are settlements, roads, psici/shrimp culture, commercial uses etc. In 1962 land-less people constitutes about 24.49% of the households, whereas in 1998 they are 36% of the households. Changing land ownership and land –use pattern directly or indirectly affects the rural economy, societal interaction, morality and values. The main implications are fragmented land holdings, change in occupation, unemployment, merginalisation and social conflicts. The present study suggests that an effective land use planning and zoning regulations for rural Bangladesh could alleviate some of these problems.