Land Use

Institution: Auroville Botanical Gardens

Overview: This study will collaborate with the district administration in Tamil Nadu to decentralize climate risk management and integrate climate adaptation into policy. Anchored with the office of the District Collector, it aims to identify and prioritize climate adaptation actions and map climate co-benefits of development interventions. A framework for district climate adaptation prioritization will be developed through community engagement and expert consultations.

Institution: World Resources Institute (WRI) India

Overview: Urban growth extends beyond city boundaries, often unacknowledged in Indian state policies. These transitional peri-urban areas face negative impacts from urban development. This study aims to identify and map such zones in Tamil Nadu's statutory towns, assess growth trends, and identify settlement typologies. Backed by literature and evidence-based analysis, and through expert consultations, it will formulate a sustainable urban management framework for these peri-urban areas.

Institution: National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (ICAR), Bengaluru

Overview: The aim of the project is identification and delineation of fallow land using high-resolution sa tellite imagery followed by detailed soil characterization help to find out the factors keeping the productive lands under fallow. It will help to initiate the necessary policy guidelines to arrest the increasing trend of fallow lands.

Institution: Auroville Consultancy

Overview: The study explains the importance of identifying and utilizing unused land in Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu. This initiative aims to balance various development needs while promoting sustainability. The project will assess the land's potential for initiatives like forestation (contributing to India's carbon sink goals), surface water harvesting (supporting water management), agriculture (revitalizing the sector), solar energy development (meeting renewable energy targets), housing (providing affordable housing), and industrial development (aligning with Tamil Nadu's industrial policy).

Institution: Annamalai University, Chidambaram

Overview: The study explores Tamil Nadu’s land use dynamics, noting a shift from agriculture to non-agricultural uses. Challenges like declining agricultural area, increased fallow lands and water scarcity are highlighted. The analysis emphasizes the need for robust land management policies, preservation of forest lands, and collective farming. Addressing these factors is crucial for sustainable agricultural development and mitigating ecological issues.

Institution: Annamalai University, Chidambaram

Overview: This study examines the shifting land use in northern coastal Tamil Nadu towards urbanization and industrialization. Focusing on cashew and casuarina cultivation feasibility, it identifies economic viability and challenges such as water scarcity and marketing issues. The study emphasizes policy suggestions to promote tree cropping on fallow lands for sustainable income and land use.

Institution: MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai

Overview: The study in Tamil Nadu examines agricultural land decline and its impact on food security in Karur, Pudukottai, and Tiruchirapalli districts. Factors like urbanization, low returns, and water scarcity push land away from agriculture. Increasing demand for housing and industries pulls land for non-agricultural use. Findings show that 300 farmers converted 396 acres, affecting food production. Recommendations focus on climate-smart practices and improving farming conditions to reverse land conversion.

Institution: Institute of Remote Sensing (IRS), Anna University, Chennai

Overview: The study aims to analyze land use changes in the Theni district from 2007-08 to 2017-18 using Remote Sensing and GIS. Emphasizing water scarcity due to deforestation and urbanization, the study identifies potential artificial recharge zones based on geological, hydrological, and land characteristics for sustainable groundwater management.

Institution: Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR), Chennai

Overview: This study examines land use changes across Tamil Nadu through secondary data analysis and farmer interactions in seven districts. Highlighting shifts from agriculture to non-agricultural use, it identifies areas needing policy attention to sustain agriculture and offers suggestions for revival and preservation based on a 2003-2015 dataset.

Institution: Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai

Overview: The study explores land use changes in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, amidst agricultural distress and rural economic shifts. Examining macro and micro factors influencing land sales, it evaluates the impact of urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural trends. Focusing on the sale of agricultural land, it assesses implications for economic sustainability and policy formulation, aiming to understand the dynamics of the land market and agricultural shifts.

Institution: Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai

Overview: This report examines agriculture and the land market in three villages in Nagapattinam district. While agriculture is potentially vibrant, water scarcity significantly constrains production, leading to varied productivity across the landscape. Households have diversified into non-farm employment within and outside the villages due to declining agricultural returns and evolving aspirations. However, this employment is neither secure nor well-paying. Although a speculative land market has not yet emerged, it is likely to develop if both agriculture and non-farm employment remain unsustainable.

Institution: Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai

Overview: This report examines agriculture and the land market in three villages in Tirunelveli district. While agriculture is potentially vibrant, water scarcity significantly constrains production, leading to varied productivity across the landscape. Households have diversified into non-farm employment within and outside the villages due to declining agricultural returns and evolving aspirations. However, this employment is neither secure nor well-paying. Although a speculative land market has not yet emerged, it is likely to develop if both agriculture and non-farm employment remain unsustainable.

Institution: Care Earth Trust, Chennai

Overview: This project focuses on studying Land Use and Land Cover Change around Protected Areas—Kalakad Mudanthurai Tiger Reserve and Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary in Tirunelveli district. Objectives include analyzing drivers, trends, and socio-ecological impacts.

Institution: Care Earth Trust, Chennai

Overview: This project examines Land Use and Land Cover Changes around Reserved Forests in Thiruporur Block, Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu. Objectives include analyzing drivers, and trends emphasizing urbanization, fragmentation, and socio-ecological impacts.

Institution: Care Earth Trust, Chennai

Overview: This project investigates Land Use and Land Cover Change around Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary in Nagapattinam district. Objectives encompass analyzing proximal and distal drivers, trends emphasizing urbanization, fragmentation, and socio-ecological impacts. Nagapattinam district.

Institution: Centre for Law, Policy and Human Right Studies (CLP&HRS), Chennai

Overview: Tamil Nadu’s growth ambitions aim at industrialization and infrastructure development, yet face challenges due to an acute land crisis—land degradation, reduced agriculture, and ecological issues. The study underscores the pivotal role of land use policies, laws, and fair decision-making in balancing diverse and conflicting land use demands for sustainable development.

Institution: Care Earth Trust (CET), Chennai

Overview: This comprehensive study examines the intricacies of land use and cover changes, highlighting the drivers, distinctions between land cover and land use, and their environmental implications. Focused on Tamil Nadu’s Western Ghats, it delves into urbanization, ecological considerations, and the complex balance between biodiversity conservation and human activities.

Institution: Institute of Remote Sensing (IRS), Anna University, Chennai

Overview: This report examines land use changes, specifically in solar saltpans, around Tuticorin Coast. Utilizing remote sensing and field data, it delineates land cover classes, water quality variations, and socio-economic aspects. It discusses saltpan area shifts, urban expansion, water quality, the socio-economic status of salt workers, and freshwater needs in Tuticorin.

Institution: Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS)

Overview: This study investigates Tamil Nadu’s agricultural sector stagnation amidst overall economic and social growth, focusing on shifts in land use away from agriculture. Examining macro and micro factors shaping this change, the report aims to inform policies incentivizing sustainable agricultural land use amidst rural transitions and urbanization.

Institution: Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS), TNAU, Coimbatore.

Overview: This study examines the agricultural land use changes and cropping patterns in Coimbatore and Dharmapuri districts over a decade. It investigates factors driving shifts, and their impact on farmers’ livelihoods, and proposes suitable cropping patterns to enhance farmers’ standard of living amidst changing socio-economic and environmental conditions.

Institution: Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS), TNAU, Coimbatore.

Overview: This study investigates the dynamics of land use in Tamil Nadu and its impact on agricultural performance. Focusing on spatial and temporal variations, it examines factors driving land use change, analyses farm-level patterns’ relationships with productivity, and explores implications at micro and macro levels for agricultural performance and future trends.

Institution: National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning (NBSSLUP), Bangalore

Overview: This study focuses on assessing and mapping salt-affected soils in Tamil Nadu using satellite imagery (1:50,000 scale), aiming to characterize these soils in specific blocks (1:10,000 scale). It aims to measure their impact on crop productivity and propose effective strategies to mitigate salinization’s adverse effects.

Institution: National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning (NBSSLUP), Bangalore

Overview: This study focuses on understanding and addressing the increase in fallow lands in Kangeyam and Nanguneri. Utilizing satellite imagery and socio-economic surveys, it aims to delineate and characterize these lands, identifying causes and effects while proposing measures to curb their expansion. As agricultural land diminishes due to urbanization, insights from this research intend to guide policies for enhancing productivity and preventing further fallow land increase.