THE ROLE OF PRE-DISPOSING ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN AGRICULTURAL LAND CONVERSION IN DISTRICT MALAKAND KHYBERPUKHTUNKHWA PAKISTAN

Abstract

The present study deals with the role of pre-disposing environmental factors in agricultural land conversion. A quantitative research design was adopted to portray information from a sample of 375 households through simple random sampling technique. At univariate level analysis simple frequencies and percentages distributions was applied and at Multivariate analysis Chi-square and Tau-c (T^c) tests was adopted to found the association between the study variables. The results indicated that a high proportion of 61.1% of the respondents agreed that due to low agricultural productivity farmers enforce to convert their land for other purposes. Similarly, 18.4% negated the statement and 20.5% were indecisive. Additionally, high proportion 48.0% of the respondents were agreed that scarcity of natural resources is the driving force for land conversion followed by 32.8% of the respondents were deny about it. Additionally, a high proportion 77.6% of the respondents accepts that the growth in population creates immense pressure on agricultural land conversion. Furthermore, the result also show that majority 231 (61.6%) of the population were agreed that climate change and inadequate irrigation facilities are responsible for less productivity and land use change. Likewise, 150 (40.0%) of the population agreed that tradition nature of farming is responsible for low productivity and agricultural land loss. Additionally, a high proportion 162 (43.2%) of the respondents were of the view that infertility of the agricultural land is responsible for low productivity and agricultural land loss. Ample viable conversion policies with appropriate implementation mechanism and proper planning for safeguarding and increase the land production are the major study recommendations.