Land is a very important and scarce resource of Bangladesh. Land use priorities have to strike a balance between competing needs of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, livestock, settlements, and urban and industrial development. This study aimed to explore the existing land use patterns in Bangladesh to understand existing land use dynamics and predict future land uses. Time and population pressure were found to be the major driving forces to determine land use and land use changes in Bangladesh. As the country is slowly advancing towards development urbanization and industrialization are emerging as major conflicting land uses converting very good agricultural land to non-agricultural purposes. To overcome the loss of these lands farmers are trying to increase food production from the remaining lands without considering the productive capacity of the lands. Land tenure was also found to constrain potential yield. This results in a lack of inspiration and encouragement to produce more food from the land. It is now imperative to adopt a land reform programme providing the farmers with ownership rights over the land they cultivate.

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2014 in the subject Geography / Earth Science - Physical Geography, Geomorphology, Environmental Studies, grade: A+, Khulna University (Economics Discipline), course: BSS (Honrs) in Economics, language: English, abstract: Like all other parts of the world, land use patterns in Bangladesh especially of south-west part have been observed to change rapidly since late of 20th century. Lands of south-west region were generally used for rice farming since the middle of 20th century but polderization project of Bangladesh during 1970s caused major changes in land use pattern either through transformation or modification of land cover and cropping. Literature shows that single cropped rice areas of past decades have already been cultivated twice or thrice per year while some such lands have already been converted for shrimp farming. This paper examines the determinants of land use patterns and their corresponding changes (i.e. rice and shrimp farming) over time at pirozpur village of Kaligonj upazila under Satkhira district of Khulna division in Bangladesh. The study is being done on the basis of cross-sectional data collected from the decision maker or head of each sample household. Here data have been collected through questionnaire as well as focus group discussion from a sample size of 80 households; each forty from shrimp and rice farming. Here logistic regression considering rice farming land as the reference dummy as well as cost-benefit analysis is being done to know the extents of land use determinants. However, the study area being close to river Hariavanga, shrimp farming has become predominant in the study area and young people are more interested in shrimp farming than in any other land use alternatives. Analysis shows that cost free irrigation for shrimp farming as well as higher profit, lower cost and available inputs are the major factors of increased shrimp farming in the study area. The study also finds that if rice can be cultivated thrice per year then shrimp is less attractive while there lacks training facilities for the rice farmers which may cause dissatisfaction to land owners causing conversion of rice land into shrimp. Available land holders primarily decide their land use pattern based on short run cost benefit calculation rather than long run impact of land use in their livelihood as well as ecology. The study finds age, natural calamities, family type and availability of credit to be negatively related with shrimp farming while land engagement process, accessibility, economically active family number, proximity to service sector, neighborhood land use patterns, land ownership and land rent to be positively related.

Study to assess the impact of the Vested Propert Act on land ownership, land transfer, and its social and economic consequences on the rural population in Bangladesh; includes related laws, acts, ordinances, orders, rules, and enactments

Monograph on the need for agrarian reform to transform agrarian structure and permit economic and social development in Bangladesh - comments on historical evolution of land tenure and tenancy legislation, rights of landowner elites, neglect of tenant farmers, provides statistical analysis of land ownership, landlessness, tenancy, etc., and discusses limitations of relying on technology, political aspects and the role of development aid. Bibliography pp. 139 to 144 and graphs.