Ecological assessment of land use changes in Rajasthan: Beginning of twenty-first century

Individuals and societies rely heavily on the land for economic activity. The utilization of land is complex and a constantly changing process. Divisive issues and planning must be formed on a thorough understanding of such processes. In this context, we intend to investigate (i) the spectral shifts in different land classes; and (ii) land-use growth and instability. The research took place in Rajasthan, which was purposefully selected and centered on a dataset spanning the years (2000-01 to 2017–18). The outcome of the land study found that the percent share of a forest, non-agriculture uses, tree crops and groves, and area sown increased in the first two decades of the twenty-first century, while the percent share of barren and unculturable, permanent grazing, culturable waste, and fallow lands decreased. The results of compound growth rate analysis revealed that forest, tree crops and groves, and area sown all grew significantly and positively. Barren and uncultivated land, permanent pasture, culturable waste, old fallow, and current fallow land, on the other hand, witnessed significantly negative growth. Massive land areas were converted from the A and E sectors to the NA sector, which would be a matter of concern for decision-makers and policy-makers in the coming years. In order to accommodate the increasing demand for rapid urbanization and industrialization, this issue of conversion of non-agricultural purposes can be resolved by using land area vertical direction rather than parallel to the ground. Better land policies must be enacted to prevent the shifting pattern in land.