TRANSFORMING AGRICULTURAL WASTELANDS INTO AGRO-PRODUCTIVE LANDS: A CASE OF BANKURA DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL

Abstract

Agricultural landscapes across the world are under increasing strain as environmental degradation, unsustainable land-use practices, and climate variability continue to reduce the productivity of once-viable land systems. This challenge is particularly acute in developing countries such as India, where rural livelihoods remain deeply tied to agriculture and allied sectors. In such contexts, land degradation is not simply an ecological issue; it is also a socio-economic concern that directly affects food security, employment, and regional development. Agricultural wastelands—lands that have lost their productive value due to natural constraints or human-induced degradation—represent both a challenge and an opportunity. If left untreated, they intensify poverty, migration, and ecological imbalance. If strategically reclaimed, however, they can become productive assets that strengthen rural resilience and support sustainable development goals. Within this national and global discourse, the district of Bankura offers a compelling case for studying land reclamation and agro-productive transformation. Located in the western part of West Bengal, Bankura occupies a transitional geographical zone between the ancient rock formations of the Chotanagpur Plateau and the younger alluvial plains of the Bengal Basin. This unique setting gives rise to the district’s characteristic “Rarh” landscape—an undulating terrain marked by lateritic uplands, low-lying depressions, and fragmented agricultural fields. While visually distinct, this terrain presents considerable challenges for conventional agriculture. The elevated ridges, locally known as Tanr, often experience rapid runoff during monsoon events, while shallow depressions, called Kanali, retain seasonal moisture for limited durations. This uneven distribution of water creates a persistent hydro-climatic imbalance, where even regions receiving moderate rainfall can experience agricultural drought due to poor infiltration and storage. The ecological difficulties of Bankura are further intensified by its soil profile. The district is dominated by lateritic and red-yellow soils, both of which are products of prolonged weathering and leaching under tropical climatic conditions. These soils are typically acidic, deficient in essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and contain low levels of organic carbon. Their coarse texture and hardcrusting tendencies reduce water-holding capacity and restrict root penetration, making them unsuitable for intensive agriculture without intervention. As a result, large portions of cultivable land remain underutilized, seasonally abandoned, or converted into low-productivity scrublands. Such conditions have contributed to cycles of declining agricultural returns, land abandonment, and socio-economic vulnerability among farming communities. Despite these constraints, degraded agricultural lands should not be viewed as permanently lost. Rather, they hold latent potential for restoration through context sensitive planning, ecological engineering, and policy-supported interventions. The central premise of this research is that wastelands can be transformed into agro productive systems if reclamation strategies are aligned with local geography, soil conditions, hydrological patterns, and socio-economic realities. This approach moves beyond traditional conservation methods by framing degraded land as a resource that can be rehabilitated into multifunctional landscapes—supporting food production, ecological restoration, and rural livelihoods simultaneously. To operationalize this vision, the study adopts a multidisciplinary framework that integrates geospatial analysis, remote sensing, and field-based ecological strategies. Multi-spectral satellite imagery from Sentinel-2 and Landsat archives is employed to map and classify wasteland typologies across the district, including gullied land, fallow tracts, scrublands, and erosion-prone zones. These spatial datasets are combined with terrain, soil, rainfall, and vegetation indicators to build a comprehensive understanding of land capability. Through Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), diverse variables are standardized and weighted to identify priority zones for intervention. This methodological approach enables the detection of “pockets of opportunity”—areas where restoration efforts are most likely to yield high ecological and socio-economic returns. The findings of the study reveal that Bankura’s reclamation potential can be structured into three broad management zones, each requiring distinct intervention strategies. The western belt, characterized by severe degradation and fragile ecological conditions, is best suited for intensive ecological recovery measures such as agroforestry, contour trenching, and biomass regeneration. These practices aim to stabilize soils, reduce erosion, and restore ecosystem functions. The central belt functions as a transitional zone where moderate degradation can be addressed through productivity-enhancing measures such as drought-resistant crops, integrated farming systems, and micro irrigation. The eastern belt, relatively more stable and fertile, offers opportunities for agricultural optimization through high-value horticulture, crop diversification, and institutional strengthening through Farmer Producer Organizations. A significant strength of this research lies in its alignment with existing policy frameworks. By connecting technical recommendations with national initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and state-level programs like the Usharmukti Project, the study ensures that its proposed framework remains actionable and scalable. Rather than presenting reclamation as an isolated technical exercise, the research situates it within a broader governance ecosystem where financial support, institutional convergence, and community participation are essential for long-term success. Ultimately, this study contributes to the larger discourse on sustainable land management by demonstrating how degraded agricultural landscapes can be reimagined as resilient agro-ecosystems. Through the case of Bankura, it establishes that land restoration is not merely an environmental imperative but also a pathway toward rural transformation, climate adaptation, and socio-economic equity. The proposed framework offers a replicable model for other semi-arid and ecologically fragile regions facing similar challenges, reinforcing the idea that the future of agriculture depends not only on expanding cultivated area, but on restoring the productivity and dignity of the land already under stress.