POPULATION PRESSURE AND RESPONSES IN RELATION TO AGRICULTURAL POTENTIALS: A STUDY IN ALMORA DISTRICT. Estelar THESIS. Submitted by

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1 POPULATION PRESSURE AND RESPONSES IN RELATION TO AGRICULTURAL POTENTIALS: A STUDY IN ALMORA DISTRICT THESIS Submitted to KUMAON UNIVERSITY, NAINITAL For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In GEOGRAPHY Supervisor Submitted by Prof. S.K. Singh Arpana Kashyap Department of Geography Kumaon University S.S.J. Campus, Almora Department of Geography Kumaon University S.S.J. Campus, Almora

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3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to express my thanks and gratitude to the people, who helped and guided me in the process and completion of this research work. My gratitude is most especially extended to Prof. S. K. Singh, Department of Geography, Kumaon University, S. S. J. Campus, Almora, under whose scholarly and able guidance, it became possible for me to present this research work. I feel highly obliged to him for his extraordinary and timely guidance and supervision. My thanks and regards are also due to Mrs Pushpa Singh for her loving and intellectual cooperation. I am also obliged to Prof. D. C. Pandey, Head of the Department of Geography, Kumaon University and Prof. A. K. Singh, Campus Head of the Department of Geography, Kumaon University, S. S. J. Campus, Almora for their valuable cooperation and instructions. My thanks and regards are due to all the respected teachers of the Geography Department, Kumaon University, Nainital. I also express my sincere thanks to the government administrative and revenue departments, offices and officials for their valuable support in providing me with the necessary data and records and permitting me to visit and survey the villages under their jurisdiction. I owe my obligations to all 3

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5 Preface Many Years ago Malthus made some very astute and penetrating observations about the relationship between food production and population. The basic doctrine which he advanced was that population increases in a geometrical progression, while food production increases arithmetically or at a much slower rate. It must be recognized that this is only a part of Malthus theory and it is an injustice to state it in this restricted form. But this is the basic consideration on which the following comments are based. The theory was stated on the basis of observed conditions in a given area at a given time. Given the situation existing at the time and certain assumptions about limited land area and the technology of agriculture, the basic theory leads to a logical conclusion of dire consequences. Since, population will increase at a much more rapid rate than food production, a balance can be established only by some drastic events like any calamity or epidemic or a serious step taken on a large scale to restrict the increasing population and increase the productivity of land. Present area studies of India and other countries situations can be cited as examples of this doctrine. The tremendous population increase and the meager increase in food production seem to prove at least in part, the theory. Thus, the relationship between population and agricultural land within a region can be readily separated into three successive stages as the 5

6 population grows. In the first stage, agricultural land is plentiful and much good land awaits settlement and a farmer can expand the cultivated areas through individual effort. In the second stage, marginal land is brought under cultivation principally to cater to the growing needs of a growing population. The third stage is reached when generally it is not economically possible to expand the cultivated area and the acreage under cultivation begins to decline. The soil becomes less fertile or exhausted; the settlements begin to encroach upon the farmlands. The present study area, like most parts of the country, is rapidly passing on from the second to the third stage. With the increasing pressure of population on the land and the growing need for food and raw materials, there has been a growing desire in the recent years for the rationalization of our agriculture so that every piece of ground could be properly utilized. This desire calls for the scientific study of the utilization of the cultivated lands. In any plan, which aims at the use of the land resources of a region in the most scientific, rational and economic manner, the importance of land-use surveys cannot be overlooked. The value of such a survey lies in the detailed information it provides regarding the existing use and misuse of land, and this information, when analysed, leads to a full appreciation of the rationality or irrationality of the present use and of possibilities of its further improvement. 6

7 At this juncture, although it is very much needed to appreciate some of the notable works, but it would prove to be much space-occupying to enlist all of them. Yet some exponents of the ideas in this area may be mentioned here: Malthus, Boserup, Trewartha, Webb, Clark (Colin), Clark (J I), Valdia, Seddon, Pande etc have contributed much in the field. Other works have, however, been appreciated as and when relevant in the research work. The study region of Almora district possesses unique geographical and cultural aspects, which has shaped its land-use patterns and agricultural set up in particular. It is located in Kumaon Himalaya in the state of Uttarakhand. Its unique physiographic characteristics, the hilly topography covered by forests, patches of valley lands and water-divides make it an interesting region to be studied. All the research material has been organized into seven chapters. The first chapter is of Conceptual Framework which includes the broad outline of the concept, statement of the problem, relevance and objectives of the study, methodology and review of literature as well as a brief study of the area. The second chapter has a reference to the geographical settings of the Almora district. It includes minute information about the location, topography, geological structure, climate, natural vegetation, wildlife, drainage and soil of the region. This chapter also refers to the socio-economic settings of the 7

8 district, which covers the economic activities, mode of transportation and communication, educational and health facilities as well as population settlements in Almora district. The third chapter has got the assessment of demographic structure of Almora district which includes different aspects of population: growth, distribution and density, age and sex composition, literacy, economic composition, fertility and mortality patterns, migration, measures of family planning and language. The fourth chapter deals with the aspect of measuring the population pressure in terms of man-land ratio, carrying capacity of land, agricultural holding and productivity etc. The fifth chapter studies the changing land-use patterns. It also analyzes the constraints in terrace cultivation like slope, altitude, climate and drainage and various aspects of terrace cultivation like crop distribution, crop association, crop rotation, mode of cultivation etc. The sixth chapter deals with the various responses towards population pressure in terms of economic, socio-cultural, demographic and environmental impacts. The seventh chapter discusses the role of terrace culture in the development of the region and the problems and prospects of terrace culture in the light of the population pressure. This chapter also refers to some recommendations for development and further research and experiments. At the end, summary and conclusions are drawn as concisely and precisely as had been possible. 8

9 To explain and further expand the factors, ideas and situations, some maps and diagrams have been designed and prepared and exhibited at respective places in the study. 9

10 List of Tables Sr. No. Table No. Title Page Block-wise Number of Commercial Banks: Almora District 3.1 Population Growth: Almora Dist ( ) 3.2 Growth & Distribution of Urban Population: Almora District 3.3 Block-wise Population Density: Almora Dist Block-wise Average Village Size acc. to Population Climatic Characteristics: Almora District Block-wise Metalled Roads: Almora District Block-wise Post Offices & Telephones: Almora District Health Care Facilities: Almora District Block-wise Sex-Ratio: Almora Dist. (2011) Sex Ratio: Almora District ( ) Age & Sex Composition: Sample Population % Distribution of Sample Population in Age Groups Sex Ratio of Sample Population 91 10

11 Block-wise Literacy: Almora District (2011) Workers & Non-Workers: Almora Dist ( Rural Occupational Structure ( ) Number of Alive Children: Born btw Number of Deaths btw % of Child-Bearing Women by Age at Marriage 3.15 Number of Birth & % of Child-Bearing Women 3.16 Proportion of Births by Age of Mother during Birth 3.17 Proportion of Births in btw Successive Birth Orders by Length of Interval 3.18 Fertility & Mortality acc. to Age at Marriage 3.19 (a) Fertility & Mortality acc. to Husbands Education (b) Fertility & Mortality acc. to Wives Education Fertility & Mortality acc. to Women in Different Landholdings Size Group

12 Number & Percent of Migrants by Caste Perceived Concepts regarding Population Control Block-wise Agricultural & Nutritional Density Per Capita Net Sown Area & Geographical Area 4.4 Groups % of Migrants by Duration of Staying Outside % of Migrants by Age Group Educational Status of Migrants in % Response towards Measures of Birth Control Religious Composition: Almora District Block-wise Population Pressure Carrying Capacity of Land: Almora District Size of Holding: Almora District, Level of Agricultural Productivity by Altitude Level of Agricultural Productivity by Land Coefficient

13 Area & Per Hectare Production of Crops Per hectare Production of Crops in Different Countries Distribution of Land-Use Efficiency: Almora Livestock Resources: Almore District, 2011 Proportionate Change in Land-Use: Almora District ( ) Types of Forests & Coverage: Almora Dist. Block-wise Land-Use Pattern: Almora Dist. 5.4 Block-wise Area under Main Crops: Almora District, Crop Combination Regions: Almora District 5.6 Block-wise Details of Irrigated Land: Almora District, Perceived Events of Degradation in Agro- Environment in General Proportion of Farmers Adopting Prevention Measures in Agro-Environment Proportion of Farmers Undertaking Measures to Maintain Soil Fertility

14 List of Figures Sr. No. Fig No. Title Page/After Page Almora District: Sample Villages Almora District: Location Map Almora District: Geology Almora District: Relief Almora District: Physiographic Units Almora District: Drainage Pattern Almora District: Climatic Zones Almora District: Climatic Characteristics Almora District: Natural Vegetation Almora District: Soil Almora Dist: Roads & Communications Length & Density of Roads (Bar Dgram) % Electrified Villages (Block Diagram) Population Growth (Bar Diagram) Almora Dist: Population Distribution Almora District: Population Density Almora Dist: Occupational Structure Almora Dist: Carrying Capacity of Land

15 Almora District: Land-use Efficiency Land-Use Pattern (Pie Diagram) Almora District: General Land-Use Almora District: Cropping Pattern Major Crops (Pie Diagram) Almora Dist: Crop Association Regions

16 Preface List of Tables List of Figures CONTENT Page No. i-v vii-x xi-xii Chapter I: Conceptual Framework 1-30 Introduction; Statement of the Problem; Relevance of the Study; Concept of Population Pressure and Agriculture; Process of Environmental Degradation; Socio-Cultural Heritage of the People; Communication of Technological Innovations; Objectives of the Study; Assumptions; Review of Literature; Methodology: Nature and Sources of Data, Sample Size, Collection of Data, Methods and Techniques of Analysis. Chapter II: Geographical Settings Physical Setting: Location and Extent; Geology; Physiography; Drainage; Climate; Natural Vegetation; Soil Socio-Economic Setting: Economic Activities; Transportation and Communication; Education and Health; Settlement; Organization; Institutional Intervention Chapter III: General Demographic Structure Introduction Growth and Distribution of Population: Rural and Urban Density of Population Age and Sex Composition Educational Status and Literacy Economic Composition: occupational structures Fertility and Mortality Pattern: Crude Birth and Death Rates; Age of Mother at Birth; Birth Spacing; Infant and Child Mortality; Differential Fertility and Mortality Patterns Migration: Volume; Duration & Purpose of Migration; Selective Migration Measures of Birth Control / Family Planning: Use of Contraceptives; Practice of Preventive Measures Language and Religion Chapter IV: Population Pressure And Its Measurements Man-Land Ratio; Carrying Capacity of Land. 16

17 Agricultural Holding; Agricultural Productivity; Land-use Efficiency; Development of Agricultural Resource Chapter V: Changing Land-Use Pattern And Cultivation Typology Introduction Changing Land-Use Pattern: Agricultural Land; Forests; Pasture Land; Causes of Land-Use Change; Effects of Land- Use Change in Fragile Hill-slopes Specific Nature of Agriculture in Hills: Terrace Cultivation Constraints in Terrace Cultivation: Slope; Altitude; Drainage; Climate Terrace Cultivation: Distribution of Crops; Crop Association Regions; Mode of Cultivation; Rotation of Crops; Irrigation Chapter VI: Population Pressure and Responses Introduction Economic Responses to Population Pressure: Expansion of Cultivated Land; Intensification and Modernization of Agriculture; Marketing Socio-Cultural Responses to Population Pressure: Changes in Work Schedule; Emergence of Social Deprivation Demographic Responses to Population Pressure: Changes in Fertility Pattern; Migration Environmental Impact: Origin of Events of Environmental Deterioration; Perception towards Events of Environmental Deterioration; Prevention and Conservation of Resources; Maintenance of Terraces Chapter VII: Agricultural Potentials And Population Pressure The Issue of Experiences Problems in Agricultural Development in the Hills Prospects of Agricultural Development: Improvement in Field Crop Cultivation; Adoption of Alternatives Prerequisites for the Development The Role of Terrace Culture for Sustained Development Recommendations for Development Summary and Conclusions Appendix Bibliography