Changes in agricultural land use have a profound impact on the personal, family and social lives of people living in rural as well as semi-urban communities. The main objective of this paper is to explore socio-economic consequences of agricultural land use change during 2005/06 to 2015/16 in Nawalparasi District. This paper is based on collected primary data through household questionnaire survey, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Key Informant Interview (KII) and field observation methods. Secondary sources of data through published and unpublished government documents, topographic and cadastral maps, and satellite images have been used in this study. Loss of cropping land and decreasing productivity, land fragmentation and increasing cost of inputs, changes in food security, increasing the land value, housing and rental cost, change in occupation, sources of income and expenditure and implementation of intensification and diversification strategies are the major consequences found in the study sites.

This paper discusses the causes and consequences of agricultural land fragmentation in Nawalparasi district. Primary and secondary sources of information at District and Village Development Committees (Now Municipalities and Rural Municipalities) levels are used. A total of 93 households were interviewed in three VDCs from Nawalparasi district of Nepal. Socio-economic, legal and infrastructure development factors are responsible for fragmentation of agricultural land. Results showed that there has been decreasing productivity of land due to fragmentation of agricultural land. It is mainly due to increasing time of labor input, less opportunity of using modern chemical fertilizer on the one hand and the problem in using modern agricultural equipment such as tractors on the other.The Geographical Journal of NepalVol. 11: 95-112, 2018

Channel geometry and sediment transport have been analyzed using Geographic Information System and statistical methods in Palung and Chitlang sub-watershed of Kulekhani watershed located in the Central Hills of Nepal, which covers 87.9 sq. km of land surface.The study demonstrates that the channel geometry and sediment transport changes abnormally in downstream distance for both rivers, though there are some controlling factors i.e. lithology, land use, climate, vegetation cover etc.Key words: Channel geometry; discharge; GIS; landscape; River morphologyDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jhm.v6i1.5490Journal of Hydrology and Meteorology, Vol. 6, No. 1 66-75

Conservation achievement is strongly inclined by perceptions of the impacts that are experienced by local communities. Perceptions provide an important means of assessing the performance of conservation plan so that better policies may be developed for effective biodiversity protection and the wellbeing of people living near protected areas. Local communities living adjacent to protected areas (PA) have played a vital role in biodiversity conservation. Understanding communities’ use and perceptions of a PA will increase its conservation effectiveness through reducing anthropogenic pressures and improving park-people relationship. The specific objective of the study was to explore the perceptions and reliance of local communities in conservation by different social groups and economic conditions on the basis of the current natural resource related needs in Bardia National Park (BNP) and its Buffer Zone (BZ). Data has been collected through a mixed-method approach, including qualitative semi-structured interviews and a household survey. This study confirmed that despite of the property loss and protected area management cost owed by local people, they are very much willing to contribute to biodiversity conservation, and in addition, their overall attitude towards various conservation statements is positive.

Land intensification is the process whereby land use activity is delicate through increasing yield per unit area and by crop intensification. The present study has examined the agricultural land intensification practices in different parts of Nawalparasi District. This study has used primary and secondary data. Primary data has been produced from household survey, focus group discussion, and key informant interview and field observation. Furthermore, published and unpublished reports such as profiles, annual progress reports, research articles, maps and images have been used to create secondary data. It is observed that farmers have practiced to cultivate many crops than the past to increase production even in the same area of land, changing crop and varieties within the particular crop and priority has been given to market oriented production of agricultural commodities like vegetables, livestock rising and diary product, poultry farming, and bee-keeping activities.