Land use and Land Conservation in Bangladesh

Agricultural land is becoming scarce in Bangladesh because of the small size of the country (144000 sq. km) and a large population (112 million). Therefore, the land-man ratio is decreasing over time. Besides, the availability of cultivable land is decreasing due to deterioration of land by the flood-induced sand cover, riverbank erosion, and unplanned expansion of human settlements as well as non-farm activities. Further, many other human activities tend to accelerate land degradation. Many of these land users stem from a lack of knowledge about land quality and its optimum usage. As a result, the amount of agricultural land is decreasing at a faster rate in Bangladesh.

A proper assessment of land, particularly, agricultural land and its conservation is vital for sustainable development in Bangladesh towards propagation and conservation of the country’s agricultural resources. This paper investigates the cultural and human dimensions of land use and land conservation in Bangladesh using both primary and secondary data.  

The paper was presented at the 19^th Bangladesh Science Conference 1996. The conference was held at Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh from 29-31 October 1996. It was organized by Bangladesh Association for The Advancement of Science (BAAS).