Land Reclamation and its Impact on Agriculture-A Case in Tamil Nadu

Abstract : Desertification is a significant global ecological problem. It is also common in many areas in the Theni district. The study villages in the Theni district are affected by the aeolian sand deposition, forming linear dunes along the Western Ghats. They have been so for hundreds of years. Arable/agricultural land has been covered by dunes for an area of 12,000 ha. There are even now high dunes stretching for almost 20-25 km all along the Western Ghats, after about 40 per cent of the area has been sand quarried in the last several years. The villages get very low rainfall of about 650 mm to 750 mm a year. Purpose of the Study. The purpose of the study is to look at what has happened after sand quarrying/mining of the area by the human agency and how the reclaimed areas used, particularly for small-scale agriculture, in the last several years. The Objectives of the Study. The objectives of the study are: (1) To examine the process of land reclamation in the study area through sand mining from the dunes and sand encroached areas; and (2) To analyse the use of reclaimed land for agriculture, particularly by the marginal and small farmers of the study villages. Land Reclamation and Agriculture of the Study Area. Land reclamation hereabouts has been happening for several years, but it has been primarily an individual effort. Some farmers have decided either on their own or the advice of someone or in some cases they have simply followed others. Lands of considerable extent have been reclaimed from the sands in the villages of Sillamarathupatti and Silamalai, which are our current focus. The paper speaks about the impacts of land reclamation on the agriculture of the villages from a questionnaire survey.