Mishkat Marziya Department of Geography & Environment University of Dhaka E-mail: marzia_du@yahoo.

com

Agricultural Pattern of Rasulpur Village (Gazaria Upazila) (Rabi Season)

Agriculture is the science and practice of producing crops. The other sub-sectors of agriculture are livestock, poultry, fish & fisheries, & forest & forestry. The agriculture of Bangladesh largely depends on the amount and distribution of the rainfall i.e. the southwest monsoon, which comes during June-October. Cropping pattern is a spatial and temporal arrangement of crops within a cropping year, largely determined by physical, biological, and socio-economic factors. There are three cropping seasons (Rabi, Kharif-I or Pre-Kharif, and Kharif-II) during a year in Bangladesh. A large number of cropping patterns are generally practised in Bangladesh, depending on the crop production environment which is greatly influenced by land type, soil texture, flooding regimes, rainfall (amount and distribution) and resource base of the farmers. Some dominant cropping patterns under variable crop production environments are as follows:
Table 1: Some dominant cropping patterns under variable crop production environments.
Rabi Rainfed condition Irrigated condition Wheat/Boro/Wheat/Potato/ Tobacco/Vegetables Wheat/Potato/Pulses/Oilseeds/Sugarcane Kharif-I Boro Aus/Jute Fallow T Aus T Aman Fallow Kharif-II Fallow

General description of Gazaria Upazila Gazaria upazila is situated at the eastern part of Munshiganj district. The upazila is bounded by Sonargaon & Homna Upazilas on the north, Matlab upazila on the south, Daudkandi upazila on the east, Munshiganj Sadar, Sonargaon Upazila & the Meghna River on the west. It is situated between 23 029 & 23036 North latitude &

90034 & 90043 East latitude. The upazila has an area of 130.92sq.Km. (50.56sq.mile).

Figure 1: Gazaria upazila

Administrative Unit Gazaria thana was established in 1954 & was turned into an upazila in 1983. It consists of 8 union parishads, 114 mouzas & 133 villages (Population Census2001). Climate Climate is sub tropical. Hot weather is from March to May, Southwest monsoon from June to September, Northeast monsoon from October to December) and winter from December to February.

Gazaria upazilla receives an annual average rainfall of 1169 to 2850 mm, the most of which come from southwest monsoon. The rains normally begin in the second week of June and lasts till September (Southwest monsoon), which marks the main growing season (locally known as Kharif). The month of July is when the area receives most of its rain. The second rainfall occurs in October-November. Winter starts in December and lasts till March (locally known as Rabi season) and crop production is through small irrigation. No or very little rainfall is expected during this period.
Table 2: Average Temperature of Gazaria Upazila (2000)
Month Average Temperature ( C)
0

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

18.8

21.6

26.1

28.7

28.8

28.8

28.6

28.7

28.7

27.3

23.7

19.9

Average Temperature of Gazaria Upazila (2000)

35 30 Average Temperature 0C 25 20 15 10 5 0 jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Month

Chart 1: Average Temperature of Gazaria Upazila (2000)

Main occupations Agriculture 37.05% Agricultural laborer 17.2%

 Wage laborer 2.28% Fishery 4% Commerce 13.75% Service 12.10% Transport 1.71% Others 11.91%.

Population According to the Population Census of 2001, Gazaria upazila has a population of 13810 with a growth rate of 0.73.
Growth rate of population of Gazaria upazila(1981-2001) 3 2.5
Growth rate

2 1.5 1 0.5 0 1981 1991

Year

2001

Chart 2: Changing growth rate of population of Gazaria upazila(1981-2001). Soil The area is covered with different soils. As per soil structure, three types of soil are in the Gazaria upazila. Figure 2 shows the soil group of the study area. Heavy clayey soil prevails over the major part of the study area. Light clayey soil occupies the second position in the area, while Heavy loamy soil prevails over a smaller area.

Figure 2: Soil classification map of the study area - Gazaria upazila Literacy Average literacy 53.8% Male 57.4% Female 50.1% Agriculture Agriculture is the main activity in the study area. The main food grains grown include potato, maize, pepper, onion, mustard, winter vegetables, etc. Sugarcane and a variety of other pulses are also grown. These crops are grown either under irrigation or rain fed or both. The area is characterized by two growing seasons. The main growing season starts in November and ends in April (Rabi). The main source of water for crop production is the moisture stored from wet monsoon. The second growing season starts in June and last until September (Kharif). Land use Cultivable land 7430 hectares, fallow land 24 hectares; single crop 45%, double crop 45%, triple crop 10%. Cultivable land under irrigation 29%.

Photograph 1: Photograph of potato field.

Photograph 2: Photograph of mustard field.

Land control 19% are landless 37% small peasant 28% intermediate 16% rich Cultivable land per head 0.057 hectare. Methodology Data are collected from secondary & primary sources. Secondary data are collected from Soil Resources Development Institute (SRDI), Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), and Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE). The primary data are collected from the plot to plot observation of Rasulpur village. Excel & Arc GIS softwares are used in study for producing tables, charts & digitizing maps. Observation Rabi is the driest season for agriculture in Rasulpur village. During the field survey, it was found that potato is the main commercial & dominant crop of Rasulpur village in the rabi season. Because of its high productivity & high price in the market, potato is grown more than the other crops. Moreover the soil & climatic condition in rabi season are best for potato cultivation. Beside these IRRI, mustard & wheat are cultivated. Table 3: Number by type of holdings & land use.
All holdings 623 Agricultural labor households 127 Operated area 335 Cultivated area 273 Net irrigated area 40 Net fertilized area 205

Mauza

Rasulpur
Source: BBS (2001)

Table 4: Agricultural Land Use according to Percentage (%).

Agricultural Land Use Fallow IRRI Mustard Potato Wheat Total
Source: Field Survey (2011)

Percentage (%) 0.68 4.44 7.85 83.62 3.41 100

Percentage(%) of Agricultural Land Use of Rasulpur village

3% 1% 4% 8% Fallow IRRI Mustard Potato Wheat 84%

Chart 3: Agricultural Land Use according to Percentage (%)

Reference
Agro-climatic survey of Bangladesh(1975), IRRI, Manila. Population Census 2001Community Series, ZIla: Munshiganj; Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Census of Agriculture (1996), Zila Series- Munshiganj; Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Upazila Nirdeshika Series- 411(2002), SRDI, Dhaka, Bangladesh.