Dynamics of Land Use and Cropping Pattern in Andhra Pradesh

The dynamics of shift among different land-use classes and cropping pattern has been studied in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The area under utilization remaining same, there have been marked changes in the area allocation for different land use categories during the period under consideration. A declining trend has been observed in the area under forests. If depletion of forest resources continues, it will result in poor economic returns from agriculture to local people. The unfavourable increasing trends in the area put to non-agricultural uses are likely to have serious implications on ecological balance. The decreasing trend has been observed under barren and uncultivable land. This indicates that the area for cultivation has increased in Andhra Pradesh. While the net sown area shown decreasing trend, the area sown more than once has increasing trend. This indicates that there is intensive use of agriculture land for production in the state. The cropping pattern of the State had shown a significant shift. Cereals occupied a dominant position in the cropping pattern of the State. The area under pulses increased. There is a considerable increase in the area of fruits and vegetables in the State. The increase in the area is not due to area expansion but due to increase in cropping intensity. Thus it indicates that the farmers are shifting from low value crops towards high value crops. The study has emphasized on the evolution of suitable institutional mechanism for scientific management, conservation and development of land resources in the state.