Patna University geography teacher KK Maltiar. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Patna, Feb. 1: The current trend of agriculture land being diverted to non-agricultural purposes has prompted two geography teachers of Patna University to develop a model to evaluate the value of land in terms of nutrition derived from food grain produced in it.

K.K. Maltiar and S.R. Maltiar, both geography teachers of Patna University, have developed a model, named agro-calorimetric triangle.

An international body has accepted the model and the teachers will present their model at the 25th International Cartographic Conference to be held in Paris from July 3 to July 8 this year.

This is an improvement on a previous model, named Agrometric Triangle, which was presented by Maltiar at the international conference of Indian National Cartography Association, organised by National Atlas and Thermal Mapping Organisation (Natmo) in Calcutta in November, 2009.

Maltiar claims his model would not only improve the socio-economic condition of the farmers but would also help set up infrastructure such as irrigation. The model would also help determine the kinds of organic and inorganic fertilisers and seeds that could be used for cultivation in such land.

Maltiar told The Telegraph: “Land evaluation is the most important task, not only for increasing crop production but also for providing adequate nutrition to people.”

The model has been prepared after extensive micro-level study in a village in Siwan district.

Maltiar said: “Our work is based on a micro-level study at Madhwapur village under Hasanpur block in Siwan district, where agro-calorimetric triangles have been drawn for different classes of lands. The result is astonishing as the lowest category of land, which is supposed to produce minimum nutrition, is producing the maximum.”

This is mainly due to the minimum diversity of cropping in this category of land, he added.

Maltiar said through his technique to measure standard nutrition unit, food grain were converted into calories and it was found that those lands which have less productivity provide less calories. In the Indian agriculture system, Class I land have maximum diversified cropping because of which the fertility of the land decreases, he added.

Maltiar also said the land evaluation is the need of the hour and it should be taken up on a large scale on a village-to-village basis. The real development will take place only when each and every village is evaluated with the help of this triangle and cropping is done accordingly, he said.