Land Use Dynamics Across Rural-urban Transition of Bengaluru

Abstract

Growth and transition of various land use categories (LUC’s) in urban, peri-urban and rural areas of Bengaluru North was analysed using compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and Markov chain analysis. Area under non-agricultural uses has increased significantly across all areas. But, its growth is relatively high in urban and peri-urban more specifically in Devanahalli taluk (3.62 %) where LUC’s like cultivable waste (-0.72 %), permanent pasture (-2.11 %), tree and groves (-2.26 %) and net sown area (-1.20 %) have seen significant decline in their growth due to relatively more developmental pressures from augmented urbanization effects of Bengaluru. In urban, the net sown area has decreased significantly with CAGR of 4.62 per cent (district) and 3.9 per cent (taluk). In rural, permanent pastures and cultivable waste categories seen significant decline in their growth due to their nature of property right i.e. commons. Transitional probability matrix (TPM) of urban revealed that, area under non-agricultural uses, forest and net sown area were most stable whereas, permanent pasture, barren and uncultivable area were least stable on the basis of their probabilities. Similarly in peri-urban, area put to non-agricultural uses, net sown area were most stable whereas, barren and uncultivable area, cultivable waste and other fallow land were least stable. In rural current fallow category is least stable which is influenced by rainfall.