1. Land Use Categories and Records
In India, land-use records are maintained by the Land Revenue Department. The total area for which these records are available is called the reporting area, which differs from the geographical area measured by the Survey of India.
While the geographical area remains fixed, the reporting area can change based on revenue estimates.
The Land Revenue Records classify land into nine categories:
Forests: Identified and demarcated by the government for forest growth; this category may increase in records without an actual increase in forest cover.
Barren and Wastelands: Hilly terrains, deserts, and ravines that cannot be cultivated with current technology.
Land put to Non-agricultural Uses: Infrastructure (roads, canals), settlements (rural/urban), and industries.
Permanent Pastures and Grazing Lands: Mostly owned by the village ‘Panchayat’ or the government.
Area under Miscellaneous Tree Crops and Groves: Land under orchards/fruit trees, not included in the Net Sown Area; much of it is privately owned.
Culturable Wasteland: Land left uncultivated for more than five years; it can be reclaimed for agriculture.
Current Fallow: Land left uncultivated for one or less than one agricultural year to recoup fertility.
Fallow other than Current Fallow: Cultivable land left uncultivated for 1–5 years.
Net Area Sown: The physical extent of land where crops are sown and harvested.
2. Land-use Changes in India
Land-use is influenced by economic activities. Three types of economic changes affect land use in India:
Size of the Economy: Increasing population and income growth raise pressure on land, bringing marginal lands into use.
Composition of the Economy: The secondary and tertiary sectors grow faster than the primary sector, leading to a shift from agricultural to non-agricultural land uses, especially around urban sprawls.
Pressure on Land: Although agriculture's contribution to GDP declines, the population dependent on it declines much more slowly, and the absolute number of people to be fed increases.
Historical Trends (1950–51 to 2019–20):
Increases: Highest rate of increase is in non-agricultural uses due to infrastructure and urban expansion. Forests and Net Sown Area also showed increases.
Declines: Barren/wasteland, culturable wasteland, and fallow lands (other than current) have registered declines as they are pressed into use for other sectors.
3. Common Property Resources (CPRs)
Land ownership is divided into private land and CPRs.
Definition: CPRs are community natural resources where every member has usage rights but no individual property rights.
Significance: They provide fodder, fuel, and minor forest products. They are crucial for the landless and marginal farmers who depend on livestock.
Gender Impact: In rural areas, women perform most fodder and fuel collection; they are heavily impacted by the degradation of CPRs.
4. Agricultural Land Use and Cropping Intensity
Agriculture is a purely land-based activity, meaning the quality of land directly affects productivity. Land ownership also carries social status and provides security for credit and life contingencies.
Measuring Land Pressure:
Total Cultivable Land: The sum of Net Sown Area, all fallow lands, and culturable wasteland.
Cropping Intensity (CI): This measures how many times a piece of land is used in a year.
CI=(NetSownAreaGrossCroppedArea)×100.
High cropping intensity is desirable for land-scarce, labour-abundant countries like India to reduce unemployment and maximize resource use.
5. Cropping Seasons and Farming Types
India has three distinct cropping seasons, primarily in the north and interior:
Kharif (June–September): Tropical crops like rice, cotton, jute, maize, jowar, bajra, and tur.
Rabi (October–March): Temperate and subtropical crops like wheat, gram, and mustard.
Zaid (April–June): Short-duration summer crops (watermelon, cucumber, vegetables, fodder) grown on irrigated lands.
In southern India, high temperatures allow tropical crops to be grown thrice a year if soil moisture is available.
Types of Farming (by Moisture Source):
Irrigated Farming:
Protective: Supplemental water to protect crops from moisture deficiency.
Productive: High water input to achieve high productivity.
Rainfed Farming (Barani):
Dryland: Found in regions with <75 cm rainfall; grows hardy crops like ragi, bajra, and gram.
Wetland: Rainfall exceeds soil moisture needs; grows water-intensive crops like rice, jute, and sugarcane.
6. Major Crops of India
Foodgrains occupy two-thirds of India's total cropped area.
Cereals (54% of cropped area)
Rice: The most important staple. A crop of tropical humid areas but grown widely via irrigation. India is the second-largest producer (22% of world production). Leading states: West Bengal, UP, Punjab. West Bengal grows three varieties: aus, aman, and boro.
Wheat: Primarily a rabi crop of the temperate zone. Concentrated in north/central India. Leading states: UP, MP, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan.
Coarse Cereals: Include Jowar (Maharashtra leads), Bajra (Rajasthan leads in hot/dry conditions), and Maize (grows all over India except the Punjab and Northeast).
Pulses and Oilseeds
Pulses: Rich in protein and restore fertility via nitrogen fixation. India is the world leader. Gram (rabi) and Tur/Arhar (marginal lands) are the main varieties.
Oilseeds: Occupy 14% of cropped area. Groundnut (Gujarat leads), Rapeseed/Mustard (Rajasthan leads), Soyabean (MP and Maharashtra produce 90%), and Sunflower.
Fibre and Other Crops
Cotton: Tropical kharif crop. Grows short staple (Indian) and long staple (narma/American). India ranks second globally; leading producers are Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Telangana.
Jute: Cash crop for coarse cloth/bags. West Bengal produces three-fourths of India’s output.
Sugarcane: Tropical irrigated crop. UP produces two-fifths of national output; Maharashtra and Gujarat are also major producers.
Tea: Plantation beverage crop; started in 1840s in Assam. Grown on hill slopes with well-drained soils. India ranks second globally; Assam contributes more than half.
Coffee: Tropical plantation crop. India grows the superior Arabica variety. Mostly cultivated in the Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu).
7. Agricultural Development and the Green Revolution
Post-independence, the goal was increasing foodgrains via cash-to-food crop switches, intensification, and expanding cultivated area.
Green Revolution: Introduced mid-1960s with High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of wheat and rice (from Mexico and Philippines).
Prerequisites: Assured irrigation, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides.
Impact: Made India self-reliant but initially created regional disparities, as it was confined to Punjab, Haryana, and Western UP until the 1970s.
8. Problems of Indian Agriculture
Dependence on Erratic Monsoon: Only 33% of land is irrigated; drought and floods are constant threats.
Low Productivity: Yields are much lower than international levels in the USA, Russia, and Japan.
Financial Constraints: Modern inputs are expensive, leading to indebtedness among small farmers.
Lack of Land Reforms: Exploitative revenue systems (Mahalwari, Ryotwari, Zamindari) were replaced by reforms that were poorly implemented due to a lack of political will.
Fragmentation of Landholdings: Shrinking average farm sizes make holdings uneconomic.
Lack of Commercialisation: Many small farmers practice subsistence farming for self-consumption.
Underemployment: Seasonal unemployment lasts 4–8 months, especially in unirrigated tracts.
9. Environmental Problems and Land Degradation
Faulty irrigation and development have led to land degradation, defined as a temporary or permanent decline in productive capacity.
Irrigated areas: Face alkalisation, salinisation, and waterlogging.
Rainfed areas: Suffer from water and wind erosion.
Chemical use: Toxic amounts of pesticides and insecticides have built up in the soil profile.
Cropping patterns: Multiple cropping has displaced leguminous crops, stopping natural nitrogen fixation.
Management and Conservation:
National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): Promotes climate-resilient and composite farming systems.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY): Aims for "Har khet ko pani" (water for every field) via protective irrigation.
Watershed Management: Integrated management of land, water, and vegetation. Examples include the success in Jhabua (greening CPRs) and Ralegan Siddhi (economic transformation via percolation tanks).
Rainwater Harvesting: Used to recharge aquifers and dilute contaminants like fluoride and nitrates. Structures like Kund or Tanka in Rajasthan are traditional examples.