Changing cropping pattern and sustainable agriculture: A spatio-temporal analysis of Uttar Dinajpur District, West Bengal

The proportion of area under different crops at a point of time is generally coined as cropping pattern. It is a dynamic concept because it keeps on changing in space and time depending upon the physical as well as institutional and technological factors. Thus no cropping pattern can said to be ideal for all times to a particular region. In the present paper the authors have made attempt to study the cropping pattern in Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal and tried to examine the changes in cropping pattern between the period 2001-02 and 2011-12 by applying simple statistical techniques. Relative yield of the crops in each block has been calculated for identifying inefficient crops. The study revealed that the area under maize has tremendously increased along with mustard and potato, while the area under jute has sharply declined along with rice and pulses. In the southern blocks rice is still a dominant crop, whereas in the northern blocks wheat and mustard crop is encroaching over the area of rice. This indicates that the district is going through diversification of agriculture which is a good sign for sustainability of agriculture. The authors have also tried to find out the controlling factors of cropping behaviour and gave some valuable suggestions to promote sustainable agriculture in the district.