Concentration and Diversification of Crops in Ambedkar Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

People have relied on agriculture as their primary source of income all over the world. More than half of the population of India depends on agriculture for employment and livelihood. Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of food grains because of its fertile Gangetic plains, canal irrigation, and government and private tube wells. Social, economic, political, and technological factors also decide crop production in different parts of the state. In this study, calculation and analysis of crop concentration and crop diversification in Ambedkar Nagar district have been done for 2000 and 2018 to investigate the changing relations between land, humans, and the environment. Crop concentration is calculated using Jasbir Singh's method, whereas crop diversification is calculated using the Gibbs and Martin method. Crop concentrations of crops like rice, wheat, and pulses are increasing, while crop concentrations of sugarcane are decreasing. Crop concentration in Ambedkar Nagar district shows changing trends from 2000 to 2018, crop diversification also follows the same pattern. The high crop concentration of food crops and the high crop diversification index show that agriculture is still the primary occupation and source of income and livelihood in the district.