Master plan to protect arable land  

The Prime Minister's instructions to the relevant authorities to prepare a master plan to protect cultivable land in all the upazilas of the country coincided with the US Environmental Performance Index (EPI) report that finds Bangladesh topping the list of countries which are fast losing arable lands.

Notably one of the most significant moves of the ruling party since assuming office months ago, the decision to work on the master plan is laudable, though such exercise was long overdue. As reported by the media, the PM last week asked the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD) to sketch out a master plan to build up all upazilas under a specific development design aimed at protecting crop lands and check unplanned construction of buildings, roads and other structures. Unplanned development of the upazilas should be regulated, and roads of the upazilas should have to be made in a planned manner to save crop land as well as public money, she said adding that the master plan should have a complete layout for housing, hospitals, markets, schools, colleges, playgrounds, agricultural farms, industries and other facilities.

While planned development of upazilas is the broad object of the proposed master plan, the idea of protecting crop lands from housing, mills, factories and other structures appears to have drawn attention of the conscious citizens.

In a land-scarce country like Bangladesh, losing arable land is one of the common worries that frequently gets in the way of achieving many development objectives. There is an element of confusion as to the pace at which arable lands are shrinking. At times exaggerated estimates make it difficult to get a clear picture of the actual lands under cultivation, those under industrial use and human habitation and so on. While losing arable land is a reality one has to live with, the important aspect is the availability of credible data in order to facilitate the planners to plan and address a multitude of issues, not all of which are necessarily related to food production. However, authentic information is crucial for the simple reason that food security hinges on the availability of land under cultivation.

Studies conducted in the past revealed that the country was losing around 1.0 per cent of its agricultural land annually. According to an agricultural census conducted in 1983-84, the country's total agricultural land was estimated at 9.2 million hectares. A subsequent study done in 1996 showed a considerable decrease in farm lands amounting to 8.2 million hectares. This went to show the annual loss at 1.0 per cent. But findings of a study conducted a few years ago by the country's lead NGO BRAC revealed a somewhat relieving picture. Between 1983 and 2008, the study says, decrease of cultivable land was to the tune of an annual rate of 0.3 per cent instead of what many considered alarming, counting on 1.0 per cent annual loss.

However, one important issue that needs to be worked on is a database of the size of agricultural lands in order that planning at the macro level is rendered easier. Besides, there is also the need for accurate data about the reclaimed lands that the government has been announcing for some time now but not providing precise information as to their size.

There is an apparent note of complacency in recent times due to bumper harvests of paddy, but the matter of food security, anticipated as a result of increased production of the staple food, does not seem to hold ground as decrease in farm lands is accompanied by a considerable decrease in the number of rural population engaged in agro profession.

Now, while credible data are important, equally important to know are the reasons for the losses. The reasons are not many, but how these impact the loss and what measures are needed to check are matters that require urgent attention from the concerned quarters. A combination of policies and actions could help offset the loss to a great extent.

The number one factor responsible for the loss is the increased demand for land as a result of increasing population. More and more lands are required for raising homesteads, and the requirement is met mostly by agricultural lands. As per 2001 population census, the total number of homesteads in the country was 24.85 million which rose to 28.66 million as per 2008 agricultural census - at a growth rate of more than 15 per cent.  Subsequently, as per 2011 population census, the number of homesteads stood at 32.18 million. The total land area occupied by homesteads between 1996 and 2008 rose from three hundred fifty three thousand acres to six hundred seventy seven thousand acres.

Similar is the case with the requirement of roads that come with increased population and decrease in agricultural lands. Coupled with it is the recurrence of river erosion that takes its toll on farm lands. As per estimates of the Centre for Geographic Information Services (CGIS), river erosion cost 1,655 hectare of agricultural land in 2010 which was even higher in 2009 at 2178 hectare. Besides these, the menace of brick fields coming up mostly on farm lands has been a cause for serious concern for quite some time.

Looking at the overall situation, it appears that loss of farm lands could have been partly protected had there been a legal bar on the use of agricultural lands for purposes other than cultivation. Concerned quarters expressed opinions in the past in favour of some legal instrument to protect agricultural lands.

While the loss of farm land is an issue of serious magnitude, there is also the need to examine a number of allied matters that need important findings by way of intensive research. For example, the need to examine economic returns of farm lands being used for non-agricultural purposes is such a one. There is thus the need for research not just to update on the available farm lands including those being reportedly reclaimed, but also to disseminate findings on a host of inter-related matters to facilitate macro planning.

These are some of the core issues that must be kept in mind by all concerned while preparing the master plan. Understandably, the proposed master plan, if worked out thoroughly and thoughtfully, is highly likely to help address most of the problems affecting crop lands.  

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