32. Land-Use Planning for Sustainable Development Using Geoinformatics: Policy Implications for Drylands

The land is the basic natural resource of the planet earth. Continuing population growth has definitely increased food, fuel and fodder demands, and this has put pressure on the judicious use of land resources. Therefore, proper and rational planning is essential to achieve long-term benefits from this resource. The proper planning for conservation, optimum utilisation and management of these resources is not only vital for sustenance of life but also to meet the growing needs of agriculture, expanding urbanisation, increasing industrialisation and for overall socioeconomic development of the country. The Agenda 21 ratified by over 170 nations at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 highlights that the land-use planning plays a key role in natural resource management. The science of sustainable development requires setting up of strategies based on the accurate assessment of the earth’s carrying capacity. This requires an integrated approach towards harnessing land resources after taking into account the vulnerable environmental condition. In this study, a dryland part of middle Ganga plain, known as Son-Karamnasa interfluve, in India is selected. Based on the results, alternative land-use systems and integration of livestock enterprises with the agriculture system have been suggested for land resources management. The objective of this chapter is to present a land-use plan to increase the productivity of land for sustainable development. The present study is likely to contribute required inputs to help policymakers to improve the socioeconomic and environmental conditions of the drylands.