Trends and Direction of Land Use Change in the Perspective of Urbanization in Karnataka: A District Level Study

Background: Urbanization and industrialization are mainly responsible for the conversion of large tract of agricultural lands and other vegetation-rich lands to non-agricultural purposes. Land and its utilization across various activities must be analysed to frame suitable policies for optimum land use. In Karnataka, the share of the net sown and non-agricultural areas increased. However, the share of permanent pasture and other grazing lands, barren and unculturable land, current and other fallow lands, culturable wasteland and land under miscellaneous tree crops and groves decreased compared to their share in 2000-01. The goal is to explore the direction of land use change between these land use categories in the context of urbanization. Methods: We utilized the district-level data sourced from reports of the Directorate of Economics and Statistics of the Government of Karnataka, enabling us to conduct a robust panel data regression using fixed effects model that empirically establishes the relationships between different land use categories, particularly non-agricultural land, barren land and arable land, from 2000-01 to 2020-21. We recorded the land use changes in the major land use classes at the district level by comparing the temporal dynamics for 2000-01 to 2020-21 and also studied the dynamics of each category’s land use outcomes and the changes in urbanization status at the district level. Result: This study provides a detailed insight into the trends and direction of land use changes in Karnataka from the perspective of urbanization, which has been getting a significant focus in the country’s development. The study’s findings have significant policy implications, as they underscore how rapid population growth and the expansion of non-agricultural areas at the district level negatively impact arable and barren land.