IJRRPD (2018) 36–45 © JournalsPub 2018. All Rights Reserved Page 36 International Journal of Rural and Regional Planning Development Vol. 4: Issue 2 www.journalspub.com Rural Resource Management: A Study to Promote the Sustainable Use of Land Resources Md. Shakil Ar Salan 1 *, Shazzu Rahman 1 , Rukshana Mustari 1 , Md. Abdul Wakil 2 1 Graduate, Department of Urban & Regional Planning, Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology, Rajshahi, Bangladesh 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Urban & Regional Planning, Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology, Rajshahi, Bangladesh ABSTRACT Most of the areas in Bangladesh are rural. In rural areas most of the lands are used for agricultural purposes. Rural people don’t get their expected benefit from agricultural fields. The implication of the study is land resource management. This study has been conducted at Subhadanga union, Bagmara, Rajshahi. Most of the people are involved in agricultural sector in the study area. Recently they have been cultivated alternative crops such as: betel in agriculture fields or they have been converted the agricultural land to fishing ground to cultivate fish in order to get more benefit. The objectives of this paper are to find out the exiting condition of land resources and to recommend some strategies to ensure the sustainable management of land resources. Data from the secondary sources and some participatory rural appraisal techniques have been used to represent the existing condition. The analysis results that as a result of lack of proper management technique a significant portions of agricultural land have been converted to non-agricultural land mainly panbarouj, fishing ground, residential area etc. For the proper utilization of the land resources some strategies have been recommended in this paper which will help to manage the land resources properly. Keywords: Land Resource, Resource Management, Sustainable Use. *Corresponding Author E-mail: shakil.127005@gmail.com INTRODUCTION Bangladesh is an agricultural country. The foundation of natural resources helps rural poor people to overcome poverty. As the human-land interaction of South Asia is attempted through urbanization and relevant development, the rural farmland is in continuous decay. According to FAQ (2015), about two-third of the populations lived in Bangladesh in 2014 [1]. The percentage of population directly engaged in agriculture is about 41.54%. About 20% GDP of the country comes from agriculture [1]. As a consequence of absence of proper planning, land use control and regulation, the agricultural lands are now converted to commercial, residential, industrial and others irrelevant uses which ultimate results in the decline of traditional rural agro-based income and productivity [6]. This study provides insight into the way for sustainable management of the rural resources. The objective of this study is to identify the exiting condition of land resources and to recommend some strategies to ensure the sustainable management of land resources. Review of the Literature Rural Resources can be defined as a country’s collective means of supporting itself or becoming wealthier, as represented by its reserves of minerals, land, and other natural assets [4].