Changes in Terrains and Socio-Economic Profile of an Oraon Dominated Rurban Centre in Chotanagpur

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About The Book The book is an attempt to sketch in microcosm the various aspects of an Oraon dominated rurban area which has changed and is changing drastically in its physical as well as socio- economic scenario owing to the growing influence of Ranchi, at present the capital of the State of Jharkhand.

An effort is made to analyse developing Boreya's economy and social composition, and changing terrain character. The scientific study of soils and terrain capability with a view to providing for better terrain planning may prove to be of immense help in effecting optimum utilization of land resources of Boreya.

Squeezed in nine chapters, the book surveys the whole panorama of an Indian rurban centre located at undulating, rugged and hilly tracts of Ranchi Plateau. Investigations are based on information gathered from farmers and intensive field work including plot-to-plot and door-to-door land use and socio-economic survey in all the seasons of two period of 15-years gap.

The book is well illustrated with 38 maps and diagrams, 48 tables, bibliography and glossary. The work gives a guideline particularly to those who are interested in micro-level study and planning.

Preface In shaping the present volume, Changes in Terrains and Socio- Economic Profile of an Oraon dominated Rurban Centre in Chotanagpur, efforts have been made to evaluate the Boreya's terrain for economic purposes, and also to show the important social, economic and landuse changes that are taking place in Boreya within the context of urban influence of Ranchi and development programmes.

The work is divided into nine chapters. Each chapter includes various aspects of discussion to achieve the goal how the physic-cultural and socio-econimic environments have been shaped out in Boreya to change its identity from rural to rurban centre in recent years. Why, where and how the plan of study has been set up, is included in the First Chapter.

Terrain is a tract or facet of the landscape with more or less homogeneous or uniform properties of natural features and configuration viewed with regard to its suitability for some specific purpose. Terrain evaluation, as a process involves first analysis: the simplification of the complex phenomenon which is the natural geographic environment; secondly classification: the organization of data distinguishing one area from another and characterizing each; and thirdly appraisal the manipulation, interpretation, and assessment of data for practical ends' A detailed analysis of the important components of the natural geographic environment has, therefore, been made in Chapter 2. The classification of terrain of Boreya into its distinguishing units dealing with their main characteristics has been presented in Chapter 3.

The appraisal of terrains for their appropriate and better utilization requires further recognition and analysis of diagnostic criteria, and terrain is to be classified according to qualities and potentialities. The extent of irrigation has been considered an important parameter, because it plays an important role in Boreya's agriculture, it is an aid to terrain and it increases the productivity of land at least sixfold. Chapter 4, therefore, deals with the extent, system and schemes of irrigation in detail.

Introduction Over recent years important social, economic and landuse changes have taken place in rural areas in the development and developing countries of the world including India. The changes merit rather more attention from geographers than they currently receive. The main objectives of the discussion of the present book are, therefore, to show that important social, economic and landuse changes are taking place in Boreya, particularly with the influence of an urban centre, Ranchi. It is also to show that the quantum and nature of development are rather different from those rural centres which are located far from the urban centres, although the fundamental physical and cultural potentialities are more or less the same or the least dissimilar. For example, most of the land which surrounds the built-up area of Ranchi is still in agricultural use, but in a number of ways, fringe farming and fringe farmers differ from their more rural counterparts. Here the farmers are becoming truly commercial, the acreage of land in commercial agriculture, particularly vegetable farming is increasing rapidly. Also, the economic and social structures are changing. It has, therefore, been realized that the rurban villages ought to be studied in the right perspectives. The present study of Boreya, a rurban centre situated on the fringe zone of Ranchi, is an humble attempt in this direction.

For this purpose, the physical potentialities are analysed in detail, particularly by evaluating terrain. Since it is a village, too small to record geological and spatial climatic variability, physical potentialities limit to relief aspects, edaphic and drainage conditions and slope elements while classifying the area into terrain units, each terrain with specific physical characters indicating optimum scope for economic changes and development, and thereby changes and development in social structure. The book presents such a study of Boreya, in particular, over a period of fifteen years (1969-1984).

**Contents and Sample Pages**