Livelihood Enhancement Through Agriculture, Tourism and Health

India is predominantly a rural country. It is witnessing several transformations in all its major domains. The rural settlements and their livelihoods are also no exception and observing changes in new economic order. The trends suggest that there is declining share of agriculture in the national economy whereas urban population is increasing at a faster rate, which threatens agricultural environs and influence their economic activities significantly. It also adds complications to rural livelihood sustainability. This study is primarily based on the secondary sources of data, collected from various governmental and ministerial publications. It attempts to evaluate transforming status of rural livelihood sustainability in the states of India. UNDP’s normalization method was incorporated to standardize indicators and a modified form of IPCC’s vulnerability index was used to develop “Sustainable Livelihood Index” (SLI). This index is taken as a base for formulating “Livelihood Ladder”, adapted from the Oxfam Report. Main findings of this paper reveal that there are large-scale inter-state disparities for different assets, where central and eastern states of India are found to be poor on livelihood sustainability due to their lower human, social, and financial capital and thus more vulnerable to present-day shocks and stresses while southern and northern states are better placed in terms of livelihood sustainability.

This present study is an assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on mobility and livelihood of informal migrant workers in India. The paper is based on a theoretical background built upon the arguments of development economists and scholars of migration. Case studies based on media reporting and newspaper clippings, presentation by scholars have been used to highlight the context of the discussion. The analysis also rests on data collected from Government documents, NSSO and the Census of India, 2011. The focus is on the lower end of the diverse labour market in India, that on one hand constitutes insecure tail end jobs, unequal wages and poor access to basic amenities and infrastructure, deprivation of social security on one hand and on the other constitutes a major part of Government’s nativist project, as it is an essential intra-national economic tool for development, however categorized by unevenness at its core. The paper places an exploratory effort to identify the institutionalized inequalities and mounting vulnerabilities during the ‘exodus’ of the informal migrant workers, amidst the nation-wide lockdown. The research finds that there is a necessity to rethink mobility and migration that has become apparent due to the COVID-19 crisis, and the fallout out of which has been extremely detrimental to the poorest section of the Indian workforce, i.e. the informal migrant workers, of which a vast section constitute the seasonal labourers. This also raises the issue of redistributive conflict and locating the problematic in the allocation of resources on one hand and on the efficacy of the Government schemes in reaching the defenseless ‘poorest of the poor’ on the other. The question here is also indicative of the inherent and persistent problems of data and reliable estimates involving this vast segment of the informal labour, required for enforcement of social safety nets.

This study shows how the agricultural calendar affects the concentrations of suspended sediments both spatially and temporally in an agricultural catchment. A nested monitoring design was deployed with a group of small headwaters within a second-order catchment. Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) was performed at each monitoring site with a set of rising-stage sampling collectors. Analysis of the land use dynamics showed a clear intra-annual sediment transfer into the aquatic system. The SSC in the catchment differed in summer under tobacco cropping (Nicotiana tabacum L) compared to that in winter under oat cropping (Avena sativa L). The accumulated sediment in summer was 67% higher than in winter. We found that the structural and functional hydro-geomorphic connectivity in an area with tobacco crops in the channel expansion zone caused significant hillslope–channel sediment transfer. In addition, the tobacco areas have plenty of connectors causing disruptions and enhancing the sediment delivery into the stream.

Digital elevation model (DEM) is thought to be an important aspect of irrigation management. In order to ensure food security in a land-hungry country with a high population density, the Government of Bangladesh has decided to use every inch of her agricultural land for cropping. Therefore, DEM is essential for proper irrigation management in Bangladesh. The main objective of the study is to prepare DEM to explore the areas suitable for irrigation in Kishoreganj upazila/subdistrict (205 km² in area) under Nilphamari district with water supply from the surface water source. Printed topographic maps prepared between 1960 and 1964 with contour lines (with 1:15,840 for 1-foot contour maps) by Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) were used for preparing the DEM. The collected topographic maps for the study site were digitized with ArcGIS (version 10x) format. Field investigations were carried out using a global positioning system (GPS, Model: Garmin eTrex 30) for relevant positional information, levelling devices (G2-32X) for exploring spot height within a selected location of interest (LOI), and Google Earth images for the identification of physical features. The study site is mainly a gentle slope with a reduced level (RL) between 30.0 and 48.0 m from the mean sea level (MSL). Soil property for agriculture and agricultural productivity is very suitable in the study site. The DEM map, area-elevation-discharge curve, and GPS data show different land features in the study area for irrigation. Our study shows that about 11,460 ha (55.9%) of land are available for irrigation subject to providing sufficient water during the dry season with developing new canals from the nearby perennial Teesta River. The irrigation suitable area covers a very gentle slope within the RL of 37.0–44.0 m from MSL. The prepared DEM shows different physiographic characteristics and suitable irrigation areas in the study site. Suitable land for irrigation covers a very gentle slope and there is a high opportunity to increase the suitable land area by developing new canals from the nearby perennial river. The prepared DEM will be helpful for future irrigation and agricultural development planning. The delineated small, narrow, and terrain features in the study site can be utilized for potential irrigation.

India, like most of the developing countries, is dominated by smallholder farmers. While these small farms were typically of subsistence type, recently a considerable proportion of them have massively shifted in favour of cash crops in many parts of the country. This is very intriguing because escalating economic vulnerability of the small farmers due to erosion of state support from the farm sector in the neo-liberal policy context and concomitant monetization of smallholder economy are self-contradictory. Although South-East Asian countries have already experienced such a phenomenon few decades back with respect to the rubber production, the Indian tea production, particularly in Assam and West Bengal, is following a similar trajectory. This paper is mainly based on Agricultural Census of India, National Sample Survey unit level data and an exploratory field work in the tea producing district of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal undertaken in 2019. The fieldwork consists of an exploratory quantitative survey as well as in-depth interviews of few small tea growers to understand the recent trends and patterns of restructuring of the pre-existing agricultural system in the region. This paper seeks to draw insights from cropping pattern shift away from food crop towards cash crops and the socio-political and economic environment associated with this recent phenomenon. It emerges that the small farmers have shifted cropping away from food crops to cash crops and that the small farmers who have adopted tea farming have mostly replaced paddy cultivation.

Micro-watershed management is the process of formulating action for the manipulation of natural, agricultural and human resources of the watershed area without affecting water, soil or land resources. Land use refers to various activities of human being over land area, whereas land cover indicates the biophysical state of the earth’s surface. These are very dynamic. The changes in land use–land cover involve spatial and temporal aspects. Every watershed management project has a great impact on land use–land cover changes. Not only that but for proper utilization of land and other resources, there needs proper land evaluation and land use planning. Baku Micro-watershed project has a positive impact on land use–land cover aspects like increase of double-crop area, plantation activities, etc. It indicates a good mark of watershed development. In this paper, such kinds of spatio-temporal changes of land use–land cover patterns have been analysed. Relation of physiography and soil with land use has been identified. Here, low lands covering fertile soil with much agriculture and uplands are the areas of laterites and forest cover. The maximum portion of soils are sandy and acidic. Low lands indicate good quality land with a gentle slope and good quality soil. Land assessment and planning has been carried out for further better land utilization. The paper is based on extensive field works. Simple statistical and cartographic techniques have been applied to show various results.

Sericulture, being an agro-based labour-intensive industry, includes both agricultural and industrial aspects and thus refers to the activities from the cultivation of silkworm food plants, rearing of silkworms and obtaining silk up to weaving. As this industry mainly depends on human power, it helps to provide an ample employment opportunities to the developing counties, likewise in India and considered as a remunerative cash crop; whereas, being retreated from the developed countries because of the increasing labour cost. Silk known as “Queen of Textiles” is an inseparable part of Indian ritual. India has secured the second position in raw silk production with more than 18% of the world’s total production. Women play a vital role in this industry as 60% of the work has been done by them and simultaneously 80% of silk is consumed by them. In West Bengal, sericulture plays an important role in rural avocation by creating family employment round the year. The Murshidabad district of West Bengal is well equipped in the production as well as weaving of silk and so, as a matter of fact, the silk industry of West Bengal which is mainly confined around this state sometimes goes by the name of “Murshidabad Silk”. This paper intends to analyse the active participation of women in the development and also the current status of sericulture as well as the silk industry of Murshidabad.

Tourism is a growing industry all around the world. Though Bangladesh has a huge prospective to improve tourism due to its natural scenery and enriched heritage, the industry flops to the extent of its end because of its different challenges. The Sundarban mangrove forest, Shatgombuj Mosque, and Paharpur Buddhist Vihara are the three world heritage sites in Bangladesh. The total contribution of tourism to GDP is 4.4%, but the global contribution is 10.4% in 2018. Attracted by the natural beauty of the country, a significant number of domestic and overseas tourists visit its different tourist sites. Despite its immense potentials, the sector is facing different challenges like inadequate infrastructure and backward communication system, deficiency of accommodation facilities, lack of safety and security, scarcity of professionalism, lengthy visa processing, and political instability, which discouraged both international and internal tourists to visit the attractive places in the country. Tourism also brings socio-economic and environmental benefits for the country, albeit mass tourism is also associated with negative effects on the social environment. The opportunities for tourism of the country are religious tourism, sports tourism, eco-tourism, educational tourism, spa tourism, rural tourism, cultural tourism, etc. But there is a lack of research and plan to explore the development of the tourism industry of Bangladesh. The paper tries to focus on the important and attractive tourist spots and the impact of tourism on the economy of the country. The paper also explores the challenges and opportunities of the tourism sector of Bangladesh.

Having been accorded the status of the largest service industry in India, tourism is an instrument for economic development and employment generation, particularly in remote and backward areas. Tourism in the Indian Himalayan Region has shown a perpetual and increasing trend over many decades despite several disasters and crises. Sikkim is one of the peaceful and hospitable small Indian states that boasts of rich ecological and cultural diversities. Tourism in almost all the alpine regions of the Indian sub-continent is conceptualized to have been a means of spending from disposable and discretionary income, mostly for non-essential activities. This old and stagnant idea has been changing drastically as tourism either energies through a total long-lasting experience or an essential mean of the present time. On the supply side aspect, it is imperative to provide new avenues for income and employment in the destination. This article has dealt with the modern socio-economic environment of tourism in the backdrop of its essential sustainable development indicators. More specifically, this article has shown how the tourism phenomenon is influencing the ecology and community benefits with important tourism marketing and destination supply trends. The study is based on primary data collection of tourists and local communities in Sikkim, and the statistical tool used herein is Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance.

Fossils are paleontological treasures manifesting preserved remains, impression, or traces of organisms that existed in past geological ages. Fossil parks are one of the major geotourism attractions especially when they attain the status like world heritage sites. From geotourism promotion perspective, the fossil parks have exceptional heritage and scientific values as admired by UNESCO. Geosite and geomorphosite tourism is still at its juvenile stage in India despite of the positive efforts of Geological Survey of India who recognized 26 geological sites as National Geological Monuments including the seven fossil parks. With increasing interest on fossils as geoheritage, geopark network of the country has been strengthened with inclusion of new sites. In the year 2006, angiosperm wood fossils have been discovered from Illambazar forest of Birbhum District in and around a tribal village named Amkhoi. A fossil park is inaugurated in the year 2018, and its success encourages its extension and further planning for geotourism. This paper is an attempt to apply SWOT-AHP analysis on Amkhoi Fossil Park, the first fossil park of West Bengal which is youngest among the fossil parks of the country in order to evaluate its sustainability aspects.

India is one the fastest growing and developing economies and also societies of the world. An evident consequence of this is urbanisation, which poses a huge challenge for the population and the political decision-makers of the country and is also one of the most topical research trends of the social geographical researches concerning India. The paper first introduces the general urbanisation trends experienced in the sovereign India in the 1951–2011 period, in the framework of an analysis of statistical data recorded in censuses, indicating the volume and trends of urbanisation. This is followed by the demonstration of the structural features and diverse development paths of the million-plus agglomerations (i.e. agglomerations with at least a million inhabitants), connected to one of its main characteristics depicted by this introductory summary: metropolisation. Using the quantitative categories defined during their analysis, the authors classify the metropolises of India in urbanisation types, with the method of cluster analysis. In what follows, we sought to answer whether any correlation could be justified between these urbanization types and the complex quality of life indicators we generated for the central settlements of the agglomerations.

Sustainable environment is the need of any society. Urban renewal in Smart Cities is the major concern for incorporation of sustainable environment in cities. Significant increase in population and lack of proper planning strategy has led to the series of problems of urban decay in metropolitan areas intimidating community wellbeing and security. To seize urban decay, rejuvenation is normally an adopted move toward regeneration of rundown areas. Rejuvenation often results negatively and may lead to bother existing social networks. The success of the renewal practices mostly depend on active participation of residents. The approach of sustainable development in urban rejuvenation should balance the interests of stakeholders in different socio-economic and demographic class. According to Ease of Living Index 2018, Pune ranks highest among 111 cities in India while in Smart city ranking by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in 2019 Pune stood 11th with 213.50 marks. For ranking purpose MoHUA considers a variety of factors like performance of civic institution, spent expenditure, and implementation of different projects in five years. On the one hand, Pune is considered as the most liveable city in contrast its ranking being a smart city shows negative effect. Pune is selected for the present study that is governed by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). PMC governs 331.26 km² area comprising 15 administrative and 144 electoral wards. The total population of PMC is 3,371,626 where, 452,240 are SCs and 37,630 are STs. The present study explores the preferences and aspirations of citizens in regard to urban renewal through smart city mission. The questionnaire survey is been used to collect the responses of citizen from Pune Municipal Corporation. This paper aims to assess how residents perceive the urban renewal strategy through smart city mission and to identify the responses in view of individual's socio-economic and demographic structure. The results show that how age, educational level, employment status, etc. changes the perspective of responses.

Urban wetlands function differently than those in natural areas. In natural wetland, the water level is not changing rapidly until and unless natural events occur in urban context, and the water level of wetlands can fluctuate more rapidly due to anthropogenic activities which affect the ecosystem services of the wetland. The landscape of urban wetlands does not only have the role of carbon sink, water accumulation, cleaning and drainage but also it binds the nature with city dwellers. Yet, as built up spaces within urban areas have increased, these treasures have undergone a drastic decline. Analysis of published land use and land cover data from 22 cities by Wetlands International South Asia team, indicates that during 1970 to 2014, every one square kilometre increase in built-up area matched up with a loss of 25 ha wetlands. The main thrust of the study is to analyse the major causes behind wetland loss in the capital city and also to assess the wetland ecosystem services for the existing wetlands, its conservation and management.

Since the partition of India and Pakistan, the City of Jammu has emerged as a most favorable and suitable destination to settle down, for the people who came from the other side of the border during 1947 and 1965 war between India and Pakistan and also for the people from inside the country thereafter. During this period the city of Jammu has shown unprecedented growth of population from 157,708 pers. in 1971 to 576,195 pers. in 2011. Keeping in view the flow of migrants and the widespread growth of population in Jammu City, current research is an attempt to analyze the availability and disparities in the spatial distribution of basic amenities using simple geospatial technique among the different wards of Jammu City. The outcome of the research shows that basic amenities among the different wards of Jammu City are not uniformly distributed. With a composite score of more than 43.47, about 26% of the total wards show high levels of overall development. There are only seven wards falling in the medium line. On the contrary, a highly drastic picture has been observed, as more than 63% of the total wards (i.e., 45 wards) show low to very low levels of overall development. Broadly speaking, old city wards are found to have adequate urban amenities when compared to peripheral wards. The findings of the current research are extremely useful to decision-makers for the comprehensive formulation of urban policy.

One of the crucial questions among the urban planners is to determine suitable locations for future urban expansion, especially in areas adjacent to large cityscapes. Plain land, fertile soil, an opportunity for a livelihood, and a decent transportation system have always encouraged human habitation; however, adverse physical environments and inadequate livelihood opportunities have always constrained urban expansion. The present study area, Siliguri town, stretched over Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts which is the third largest urban agglomeration in the Indian state of West Bengal and continueously growing at a rapid pace. After considering various socio-economic, environmental and physical factors, the final suitability map of settlement concentration was prepared using remote sensing technique, AHP and FAHP method. Among the selected factors, seven are found as favourable factors, viz. elevation, slope, distance from the river and road, distance from main settlement patches, changes in an existing built-up area, night-time light images; and three are discouraging factors, viz. dense forest cover, river flood-prone area, distance from tea garden and protected landscape. The generated thematic maps of these criteria were standardized and given weights according to their importance to each other using a pairwise comparison matrix applying AHP and FAHP method. The final suitable map was classified into four suitable zones; in the highly suitable zone, 92.66 percent of pixels are matched with both the weightage methods. This study revealed that FAHP was marginally more useful than AHP in detecting future urban expansion. This research may be useful for optimizing land use planning and help urban planners in the decision-making process.

The spatial access and dynamics of a changing population in urban areas with changing healthcare needs require frequent and logical methods to evaluate and assist in primary healthcare access and planning. Spatial or geographical access is an important aspect in the planning process. Healthcare accessibility analysis based on GIS is a logical method which can be applied to test the degree to which equitable access is obtained. In reality, a person will always go to their closest facility; GIS analysis is, however, based on this assumption of this rational choice. Inputs to the analysis are supplied in the form of healthcare facilities and demand estimates in the form of people who are actually seeking the healthcare service. Hyderabad healthcare system is a dual system made up of private and public healthcare facilities. Private healthcare system is expensive and only affordable to rich class. In the present study, GIS analysis is applied to determine three distinct demand scenarios based on a combination of three variables: (a) Household income groups, (b) Age criteria, (c) Chronic diseases, and Healthcare emergencies. GIS is used to determine catchment or buffer areas for each healthcare facility, allocating demand to its closest healthcare facility limiting access based on facility capacity and accessibility through a road network. The catchment or buffer area analysis results from each of the three demand scenarios are compared with actual situations in the form of nearest facilities and mapped origins of number of users at each facility. The major objective of the study is to show the use of GIS to quantify and improve the access to healthcare resources in terms of availability (supply of services which meets the population needs) and Accessibility (physical access along with travel time and cost) in Circle No.9 of GHMC, Hyderabad.

While medical advancement has conquered most infectious diseases in the twenty-first century, the majority of the tropical and sub-tropical developing countries are still fighting against various vector-borne diseases as an inevitable consequence of the climate change. The predominance of vector-borne diseases in Kolkata has become a continuous threat to human health. Rapid increase of disease incidence, proliferation, and fatality rates among dengue patients creates multi-dimensional effects on the socio-political scenario of urban daily lives. In the last 10 years, the city has experienced a gradual transformation of Dengue Ecology among the city dwellers. Over time, the virus has changed its temporal Disease–Population Dynamics including its transmissibility, rate of replication, infectivity, and virulence. Major Dengue outbreaks in this city exhibit the ineffective surveillance, improper urban environmental planning, vulnerable living status, insufficient political strategies, poor perception quality, and ignorance. High rate of Dengue induced death poses an important question regarding the effectivity of health planning in a metro city like Kolkata. In addition to that, discrepancies in dengue-related reports and data have become associated with disease ecology and the health politics of Kolkata. In this context, an attempt has been made to focus on the Spatio-temporal transformation of the Dengue Virus, to analyze the severity pattern among the patients, to generate dengue-prone area mapping based on spatial autocorrelation method, to correlate the spatiality factor of Dengue pockets with local socio-economic conditions, and finally to study the changing Dengue Dynamics in this city from a geographical perspective.

Access and reachability to healthcare centre is an important issue for lucrative delivery of health services to its recipient. The basic essence of emergency service facility is to assess the degree of reachability through its connectedness and accessibility. Better connectivity and accessibility would provide nodal services with greater extent. The first and foremost objective of this study is to recognize the spatial location of different health care service centres as a nodal service point with its linkage perspective in Itahar block, Uttar Dinajpur District. The study has given its emphasis on to recognize the relative location of maternal health care service centres, its network alignment, connectivity, and accessibility. The study put its effort to highlight the fact that only maternal health care services equipped with better quality is not enough to give its optimum until and unless the better accessibility is achieved through the said services to its recipient. The entire study involves in acquiring and analysis of the spatial data such as discrete location of the maternal healthcare centres, its weathered road connectivity, degree of reachability and to recognize the spatial extent of its services for each and individual healthcare service centre. In this regard the road network connectivity to each health care centre has been taken into consideration. The entire analysis has been carried out through the geospatial analysis techniques. A matrix algebra technique, different algorithm regarding network analysis, has been carried out to assess and evaluate the connectivity and accessibility of maternal healthcare service centres in Itahar block.

Social ecology is simply an approach to understand the human world through some interconnected elements like ecology, social structure, culture, economy and polity. The social ecology can interpret the societal condition and many plans and policies for sustainable development of both man and environment can also be made by the study of social ecology. Social ecology discerns that the outrage of the development and growth have destroyed the ecological settings of the tribes. The tribes have been uprooted from their pristine land and compelled to live with mixed culture. The said actions affect both the tribal economy and the tribal identity. The Kharia Sabar of the eastern part of the Chotanagpur plateau is the most affected tribal community who lost their traditional habitat and was compelled to live with the stigma of criminality followed by extreme poverty and social exclusion. The present study explores some strategies and suggestions for the sustainable tribal development by understanding the life and livelihood of the tribe under socio-ecological lines.

Development is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. It includes some variables like the level of economic growth, level of education, level of health services, degree of modernization, status of women, level of nutrition, quality of housing, distribution of goods and services and access to communication, etc. Development of tribal livelihood is not uniform among the five tribes in Manbazar-II block because they have primitive traits, geographical isolation, and distinct culture, economic backwardness, and as well as of their limited engagement on different functional activities. It has been examined with mentioned variables regarding some selected developmental indices. Disparity has been found within them. Overall development will be increased through improvement of common minimum needs and their awareness. And also true development requires Government action especially for women. Role of social development such as literacy (particularly female literacy) in promoting basic capabilities emerges as the prerequisite to overall development.

Science has evolved from being empirical (1000 years ago) and theoretical (100 years ago) to computational (few decades ago) and now, in the twenty-first century, it has entered into a new paradigm. This new paradigm, commonly referred to as the ‘Fourth Paradigm’, is based on data-driven science and is influencing the way we derive scientific insights. High volumes of data are now being generated at varying speeds and are spread over different geographies, which are stored digitally in a variety of formats. These constitute ‘Big Data’, on which scientific analytics are now being performed. Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms constitute the core of present-day analytics and are providing insights far advanced from the traditional approaches (i.e. empirical, theoretical and computational). Industry and businesses are leading the way forward in leveraging on this new paradigm which has tremendous potential for Geographical Sciences. Burning issues in health, population, migration, public policy, society, sales and marketing, climate and environment and, energy and sustainability are now utilizing this paradigm. This article discusses the fundamentals of data science with linkages to geographical science. It summarizes few key applications of ‘The Fourth Paradigm’ in Geographical sciences.

With recent unplanned development and steep human population density increase in Jodhpur District during 2010–2019, spectral congestion can be an impending problem. The article emphasis lies in the analysis of coverage calculated based on Okamura–Hata model with respect to several distinct parameters. Jodhpur city, lying on the Vindhyan porous plateau (with high water management potential), has the highest density of mobile towers in the district. Mobile towers installed by government communication companies are mostly across the rustic champaign. These are distributed with relatively uniform density. Most of the district is characterized by negative normalized difference vegetation indices and low slopes confirming desert (Thar Desert) climate. Therefore, population density, railway routes, road infrastructures and townships are major parameters, which define cellular tower installations. Governmental company-based tower installations account for less than 20% of the non-governmental cellular tower installations. Coverage of the governmental towers is much higher than those of non-government cellular tower installations in terms of land surface area. WebApp Builder in ArcGIS is utilized to present this scenario which hereat provides an opportunity to perform design, development and planning of future cellular tower installations.