Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
10.4 DEMOGRAPHIC IMPACT ON AGRICULTURAL LAND USE: A
MICRO-LEVEL EXAMPLE FROM AN ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
This part of the research has its ethnographic documentation on two vil-
lages in Bangladesh. Dhonjoypara and Gopalhati, are both agricultural
communities located in the same physiographic and environmental set-
ting. They belong to Puthia union (Note 5) of Rajshahi District in the
north-western part of Bangladesh. Physiographically, Puthia and these
villages lie on the outer margin of the riparian tract which is about eight
miles in land from the left bank of the Padma River. It lies in the southern
low-lying bed or depressed marshy area (Siddique, 1976). It is situated
over 25
o
22 north latitude and 88
o
50 east longitude (Hossain et al., n. d.).
The mean temperature for Puthia and these study villages increases from
63
o
F in January to more than 85
o
F in the summer months. Of the yearly
rainfall of about 56 inches, no less than 50 inches fall in the rainy season.
Compared to other parts of the country, the rainfall of Puthia villages is far
less, which speaks of the necessity for irrigation of its land.
On the basis of surface level, there are three types of land in Puthia
(Note 6): (1) Daira or also known as bhiti land, meaning land for home-
stead or the elevated land above fl ood-level; (2) Mathan or the fl at fi elds
of intermediate level which are partially fl ooded during the rainy season;
and (3) Layal or the low-lying land which is completely fl ooded during the
rainy season. These diverse soils of the villages provide them with diversi-
fi ed cropping pattern (Note 7).
10.5 SETTLEMENT TRENDS: AGRICULTURAL LAND USE AND THE
POPULATION DYNAMICS IN THE VILLAGES
We will examine the settlement trend, land use pattern and the population
dynamics in Dhononjoypara and Gopalhati to provide data for the micro-
level investigation. Information about village settlement prior to 1850
is not available. According to the first Village Revenue Survey of 1850,
Dhononjoypara contained 205 acres of land, while Gopalhati had 393
acres of land in its mouza. The Village Revenue Survey of 1850 indicated
