Scientific Society of Advanced Research and Social Change SSARSC International Journal of Geo Science and Geo Informatics Volume 3 Issue 1, August 2016, ISSN 2348-6198 www.ssarsc.org Page 1 Depopulation and Rural Land Abandonment in the Hills of Nepal Chhabi Lal Chidi Central Department of Geography Tribhjuvan University, Kathmandu chidichhabilal@gmail.com Abstract: Decreasing population leads to changes in local patterns of land uses due to abandonment of agriculture land which increase in fallow lands and wild vegetation. In recent decades hill areas of Nepal has lost greater proportion of population resulting labour deficit on hill agriculture. The study area of this paper is Andhikhola watershed of Syangja, western hill of Nepal which district has population change rate nearly negative one during last two censuses. Population census, Landsat image and topographic maps are data sources. DEM was generated from contour of topographic map. Altitude, slope gradient and slope aspect were derived from DEM. Land use data was derived from Landsat image. Intersection of land use maps with maps of altitude and slope gradient and slope aspect maps. These intersected maps generate landuse change data by different wards, altitudinal range, slope gradient and slope aspect categories. Tables, maps and different statistical tests have been used to identify the relation between population and landuse change. In general decreasing population has greater impact on decreasing cultivated land but local variability of population change on cultivated land is not regular pattern. Regular relation of population change and cultivated land is much better determined by slope gradient than altitude and slope aspect. The greater regularities of spatial pattern of cultivated land and vegetated area indicate the conversion of cultivated land into vegetated area. Key word : Chi-square test, Cultivated land abandonment, Depopulation, Vegetated area, Rank correction. Introduction Depopulation leads to changes in local patterns of land uses due to agriculture contraction, increase in fallow lands and wild vegetation with far reaching ecological consequences [1] and food deficit. Re-growth of natural forest is the result of a decline in traditional agricultural practices that can be observed worldwide [2]. Land abandonment and forest re-growth are related to positive consequences such as soil stabilization, carbon sequestration and temporary increase in biodiversity but equally irreversible loss of traditional cultivation forms, long term loss of species rich habitats and the higher probability of wild fires are negative consequences. In the past, expansion of agriculture land even in steep mountain slope because of rapid population growth was considered one of the main causes of growing environmental degradation and poverty in the Nepal Himalaya [3] but in last two decades heavy outmigration of population from rural hill and mountain areas has resulted growing land conversion and abandonment. It is not only because of the depopulation, Nepalese agriculture system of these areas have reduced scope for enhancement of productivity of traditional agriculture due to fragile mountain environment, reduced economies of scale because of the highly fragmented and diversified biophysical condition, and resistance to adopting modern, market oriented farming practices by mountain people are other reasons for growing trend of land abandonment [4, 5 and 6]. Outmigration of hill farmers of mountain and hill of Nepal to urban centre, plain area and foreign countries is highly increasing during last two decades which has created heavy labour shortage in Nepalese hill agriculture as a result cultivated land is shrinking because of land abandonment in the rural hill areas of Nepal. Conversion of cultivated land into grassland, shrubs and forest (vegetative) area is increasing day by day [7]. Depopulation in the agriculture area, shrinking of cultivated land and landuse change is a greater issue for food security, employment and environmental perspectives as well but very few attentions have been taken on dynamic situation of Nepal. The changing pattern of population and landuse are very complex due to diverse topographical features in the hill of Nepal. It requires in depth analysis of the relationship between population change, landuse and shrinking of cultivated land under certain physical constraint. The Study Area The study area is Andhi Khola watershed area of Syangja district, Western Hill of Nepal. The geographical extension of the study area is 27˚56'20" to 28˚13'46" north latitude and 83˚35'07" to 83˚57'00" east meridians of longitude.