Vanishing Arable Land

The Kathmandu Valley hardly has any farmland left due to the expansion of concrete structures, and the same is the condition of major urban centres throughout the country.  Unplanned urbanisation, on the one hand, has led to the development of concrete jungles; on the other, it has led to the depletion of fertile agricultural land. It has significantly reduced the availability of farmland. Haphazard construction and weak land-use policies have contributed to the conversion of fertile agricultural land into urban settlements. This trend has threatened food security, ecological balance and quality of life, leading to the degradation of the overall beauty of the cityscape. 

As per the news story published in this daily, areas along the Bheri Corridor, including Bhei Municipality and Nalgadh Municipality are rapidly being converted into residential plots. The trend of constructing houses on arable land adjacent to roads has taken a toll on fertile agricultural land, which has caused a decline in agricultural produce. This trend applies to places all over Nepal. The lack of policies from local authorities to restrict the construction of houses on agricultural land has worsened the situation. As once fertile lands turn into urban areas, the region has become heavily dependent on imported goods, from cooking oil to rice.

Construction of houses along the road and urban centres can lead to short term benefits like easy access to transportation and the marketplace. However, it can lead to long-term consequences like rising food prices, decreasing food self-sufficiency and rising dependence on imported consumer items. Lack of comprehensive urban planning has led to the development of urban centres that lack basic infrastructure, which eventually makes cities look unattractive and disorganised. Likewise, soil degradation, water management issues and increased risk of urban flooding and erosion may arise due to this kind of activity. 

The concerned authorities should work on planned housing development that has adequate infrastructures like proper drainage, wider roads, sound storm water management, adequate greenery and public space. The government should formulate laws to protect agricultural land from being converted into housing plots.  |The undesirable trend of converting agricultural land into housing plots is very high throughout the country, which has led to a huge loss of lush landscape and fertile agricultural land. Once a food exporter, Nepal now spends large amounts of money to import food items. The trend of food import is growing day by day as we are witnessing the shrink in arable lands. 

As we depend more on imports, our self-reliance on food is decreasing, so much so that we are not self-sufficient even on dairy and vegetables. The government needs to discourage this trend from the policy level and educate communities about the importance of farming and provide them with seeds and fertilizers as well as ensure easy access to the market for their products. Likewise, providing subsidies, financial support and other incentives to farmers to discourage them from selling their farmlands is essential to reverse this tendency. 

The government and the local communities should work on developing cities and urban centres in a planned and healthy way. The urban centres should have easy access to basic amenities like roads, drainage, water supply, healthcare, educational institutions, marketplaces, playground and proper greenery. In doing so, however, they should keep aesthetic appeal of the city intact along with the fertile land surrounding its vicinity.