Drivers of Agricultural Land Use in the Terai Region of Nepal: A Case of Chitwan District, Nepal

Population growth and rapid urbanization have led to agricultural land use change in the Terai region of Nepal. Both underutilization and intensification of agricultural land are common phenomena in Terai districts like Chitwan. It is important to examine the factors determining the agricultural land use intensity to develop a location and context-specific agricultural land use policy. However, due to lack of evidence-based research, land use policies in Nepal became impractical. This study used both qualitative and quantitative survey design to assess the drivers of agricultural land intensification of Terai region of Nepal. Chitwan district of Nepal was purposively selected for this study. The stratified random sampling method was used to select 384 households from the six municipalities of Chitwan. Statistical analysis was conducted using R Studio version 4.3.3. A binary logistic regression model was used, where cropping frequency, a dependent variable, of more than two per year indicated higher intensification. Two and less than two cropping frequencies were considered as low agricultural land intensification. Among different predictor variables, increased access to groundwater and canal irrigation sources, fewer land parcels, reduced home to land distance, medium family size, and land operated by the household, either owned, and owned and leased, were found to significantly influence higher cropping frequency. Key informant surveys and focus group discussions with stakeholders were used to explore the causes of low cropping frequency and land leasing practices. Policy recommendations include promoting land leasing, improving sustained irrigation sources, and land consolidation. The findings provide valuable insights for developing and implementing local-level context-specific agricultural land use plans.