Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/30540
Title: Agricultural Land Abandonment in the Hill Agro-ecological Region of Nepal: Analysis of Extent, Drivers and Impact of Change
Contributor(s): Subedi, Yuba Raj (author); Kristiansen, Paul  (author)orcid ; Cacho, Oscar  (author)orcid ; Ojha, Roshan Babu (author)
Publication Date: 2021-06
Early Online Version: 2021-03-17
DOI: 10.1007/s00267-021-01461-2
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/30540
Abstract: Despite widely reported trends of agricultural land abandonment across many parts of the globe, this land use change phenomenon is relatively new in the context of Nepal. In recent years, rural farming communities in the hill region are gradually reducing the intensity of farming, leading to underutilisation and abandonment of agricultural lands. Adopting a mixed methods research approach, this study investigated the extent of agricultural land abandonment, its underlying causal drivers and perceived impacts in the hill agro-ecological region of Nepal. A structured survey of 374 households and six focus group discussions were carried out in three districts. The study revealed that around 40% of agricultural lands in the hill agro-ecological region have been abandoned and 60% of farmers have left at least one parcel of agricultural land abandoned. It was found that biophysical drivers (distance from homestead to parcel, slope of the parcel, land fragmentation, land quality and irrigation availability) and socio-demographic drivers (family size, higher education of the household members, domestic migration and out-migration) were responsible for agricultural land abandonment. Negative impacts of land abandonment were observed on the rural landscape, human-made farm structures, socio-economic systems, local food production and food security. In line with global studies, this research suggest that marginal land quality, demographic changes and rising alternative economic opportunities elsewhere contribute to farmland abandonment. This study also discusses land management approaches and policy implications to address the issue of agricultural land abandonment.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Environmental Management, 67(1), p. 1100-1118
Publisher: Springer New York LLC
Place of Publication: United States of America
ISSN: 1432-1009
0364-152X
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 070101 Agricultural Land Management
050209 Natural Resource Management
070107 Farming Systems Research
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 300202 Agricultural land management
410406 Natural resource management
300207 Agricultural systems analysis and modelling
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 820299 Horticultural Crops not elsewhere classified
830399 Livestock Raising not elsewhere classified
820599 Winter Grains and Oilseeds not elsewhere classified
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 260502 Avocado
100407 Insects
260399 Grains and seeds not elsewhere classified
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Environmental and Rural Science
UNE Business School

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