Changing Land use and cropping pattern of Ahilyanagar District (M.S.): A Geographical Analysis

Abstract Farming is a foundation of all economic activity in a developing world. Farming in India transforming from time to time as advancement in technical aspects. This transformation took place in land use and cropping pattern. Transformation in landuse and cropping pattern is the result of factors which affect the same. Present study area is Ahilyanagar district, which receive less rainfall due to rain shadow zone. so it affect the land use and cropping pattern. According to available information, common land uses i.e. agricultural and non-agricultural shows that area under forest and fallow land decreasing, and increasing in net sown area.The transformation in cropping pattern is shows that the tendency of farmers changing towards profitable farming. Agriculture forms the backbone of economic activity in developing nations like India, where transformations in land use and cropping patterns reflect changing socio-economic and environmental conditions. The present study analyzes the spatial and temporal changes in the land use and cropping pattern of Ahilyanagar District (Maharashtra) during the period 1990–91 to 2023–24, based on secondary data extracted from district socio-economic abstracts. The findings reveal a decline in forest cover and cultivable waste land, accompanied by a steady increase in net sown area and non-agricultural land, indicating pressure from population growth and industrial expansion.