Changing Land use and Cropping Pattern in Budgam District of Jammu and Kashmir - A Spatio-temporal Analysis

Land has often been said to be the basic natural resource, since it is the main source of our food, shelter and clothing. An assessment of the land resources, their extent, distribution and utilization are of prime importance for rational exploitation and sustainable development. The present study is based on land-use and cropping pattern dynamics being experienced in District Budgam, which is located in the central part of Kashmir valley and is mostly dominated by agricultural occupation. The study is based mainly of secondary sources. A multi-temporal analysis was carried out in order to analyze the extent as well as direction of change. The study revealed that in district Budgam, there was a major change shown by Chadoora tehsil from rest of tehsils. The change was mainly because of shifting to horticultural activity which is economically beneficial and also due to increasing pressure of population resulting into a lot of residential and commercial developments. Therefore, it becomes imperative to develop a sustainable land management strategy that does not cause the degradation of such valuable resources. The present study identified not only the problems but also management strategies.