Tropentag, September 10 - 12, 2025, Bonn "Reconciling land system changes with planetary health"

Land use and food consumption patterns along a rural-urban transect in Bangalore, India

¹University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Agricultural Economics, India
²University of Kassel, Organic Plant Production and Agroecosyst. Res. in the Tropics and Subtropics, Germany

Abstract

In rapidly urbanizing regions of India food systems are transforming dynamically. Little is known about the linkages between changes in land use, food expenditure, and consumption patterns at the regional level. Our study assesses these changes in three selected sites along a rural-urban transect across Bangalore through a combination of Geographic Information System (GIS) based analyses of urban and agricultural land use changes and 300 household surveys on food expenditure and consumption patterns. The results reveal significant differences across the selected rural, peri-urban, and urban sites. Food expenditure is highest in urban areas, ranging from ₹ 10,000 to ₹ 25,000 per month per household, and lowest in rural areas, with ₹ 5000 to ₹ 6000 per month per household. In peri-urban areas intermediate spending patterns were observed. Urban households are increasingly purchasing imported exotic fruits, and vegetables. Rural households show a rise in staple food consumption, largely driven by the public distribution system's provision of subsidised rice to low-income families. In peri-urban regions, large shares of agricultural land have been converted into built-up areas. As a result, households have shifted from consuming home-grown foods to relying more on purchased – often imported—food items. In these areas, financial resources play a critical role in shaping diets and determining access to healthy food. Overall, agricultural production for subsistence is declining, signaling a significant transformation in the region’s food system. This trend is increasingly extending from urban to rural areas, highlighting the need for policy interventions to promote healthy diets and equitable access to food

Keywords: Diet transition, food consumption, land use change, rural-urban transformation, urbanisation

Contact Address: Chaitanya Gangadhara, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Agricultural Economics, Pg samrudhhi girls hostel uas campus gkvk, 560065 Bangalore, India, e-mail: chaitanyag923gmail.com