India-People and Economy
Chapter-5 Land Resourcesand Agriculture
Land Use Categories
Land-use records are maintained by land revenue department
The land use categories add up to reporting area, which is somewhat different from
the geographical area
The Survey of India is responsible for measuring geographical area of administrative
units in India
The land-use categories as maintained in the Land Revenue Records are as follows :
i. Forests : It is important to note that area under actual forest cover is different from area
classified as forest. The latter is the area which the Government has identified and
demarcated for forest growth. The land revenue records are consistent with the latter
definition. Thus, there may be an increase in this category without any increase in the
actual forest cover.
ii. Land put to Non-agricultural Uses : Land under settlements (rural and urban),
infrastructure (roads, canals,etc.), industries, shops, etc. are included in this category. An
expansion in the secondary and tertiary activities would lead to an increase in this
category of land-use.
iii. Barren and Wastelands : The land which may be classified as a wasteland such as barren
hilly terrains, desert lands, ravines, etc. normally cannot be brought under cultivation
with the available technology.
iv. Area under Permanent Pastures and Grazing Lands : Most of this type land is owned by
the village ‘Panchayat’ or the Government. Only a small proportion of this land is
privately owned. The land owned by the village panchayat comes under ‘Common
Property Resources’.
v. Area under Miscellaneous Tree Crops and Groves(Not included is Net sown Area) : The
land under orchards and fruit trees are included in this category. Much of this land is
privately owned.
vi. Culturable Waste-Land : Any land which is left fallow (uncultivated) for more than five
years is included in this category. It can be brought under cultivation after improving it
through reclamation practice
vii. Current Fallow : This is the land which is left without cultivation for one or less than one
agricultural year.Fallowing is a cultural practice adopted for giving the land rest. The
land recoups the lost fertility through natural processes.
viii. Fallow other than Current Fallow : This is also a cultivable land which is left uncultivated
for more than a year but less than five years. If the land is left uncultivated for more than
five years, it would be categorised as culturable wasteland.
ix. Net Area Sown : The physical extent of land on which crops are sown and harvested is
known as net sown area.
Land-use Changes in India
Land-use in a region, to a large extent, is influenced by the nature of economic activities
carried out in that region
Three types of changes that an economy undergoes, which affect land-use are-
i. The size of the economy grows over time as a result of increasing population, change in
income levels, available technology and associated factors. As a result, the pressure on
land will increase with time and marginal lands would come under use
ii. The composition of the economy would undergo a change over time. In other words, the
secondary and the tertiary sectors usually grow much faster than the primary sector,
specifically the agricultural sector. This type of change is common in developing
countries like India. This process would result in a gradual shift of land from agricultural
uses to non-agricultural uses.
iii. The contribution of the agricultural activities reduces over time, the pressure on land for
agricultural activities does not decline
The reasons for continued pressure on agriculture land are:
a. In developing countries, the share of population dependent on agriculture usually
declines much more slowly compared to the decline in the sector’s share in GDP
b. The number of people that the agricultural sector has to feed is increasing day by day
India has undergone major changes within the economy over the past four or five
decades, and this has influenced the land-use changes in the country
Share of area under forest, area under non-agricultural uses, current fallow lands and
net area sown have shown an increase
The following observations can be made about these increases:
i. The rate of increase is the highest in case of area under non-agricultural uses. This is due
to the changing structure of Indian economy, which is increasingly depending on the
contribution from industrial and services sectors and expansion of related
infrastructural facilities. Also, an expansion of area under both urban and rural
settlements has added to the increase. Thus, the area under non-agricultural uses is
increasing at the expense of wastelands and agricultural land.
ii. The increase in the share under forest, as explained before, can be accounted for by
increase in the demarcated area under forest rather than an actual increase in the forest
cover in the country.
iii. The increase in the current fallow cannot be explained from information pertaining to
only two points. The trend of current fallow fluctuates a great deal over years, depending
on the variability of rainfall and cropping cycles.
iv. The increase in net area sown is a recent phenomenon due to use of cultural waste land
for agricultural purpose. Before which it was registering a slow decrease. There are
indications that most of the decline had occurred due to the increases in area under non-
agricultural use.
The four categories that have registered a decline are barren and wasteland, cultural
wasteland, area under pastures and tree crops and fallow lands
The following explanations can be given for the declining trends:
i. As the pressure on land increased, both from the agricultural and nonagricultural
sectors, the wastelands and culturable wastelands have witnessed decline over time.
ii. The decline in land under pastures and grazing lands can be explained by pressure from
agricultural land. Illegal encroachment due to expansion of cultivation on common
pasture lands is largely responsible for this decline.
Common Property Resources
Land, according to its ownership can broadly be classified under two broad heads –
Private land is owned by an individual or a group of individuals
Common property resources (CPRs)is owned by the state meant for the use of
the community
CPRs provide fodder for the livestock and fuel for the households along with other
minor forest products like fruits, nuts, fibre, medicinal plants, etc.
In rural areas, such land is of particular relevance for the livelihood of the landless
and marginal farmers and other weaker sections since many of them depend on
income from their livestock due to the fact that they have limited access to land
CPRs also ar important for women as most of the fodder and fuel collection is done by
them in rural areas
. They have to devote long hours in collecting fuel and fodder from a degraded area of
CPR.
CPRs can be defined as community’s natural resource, where every member has the
right of access and usage with specified obligations, without anybody having property
rights over them
Examples of CPRs are community forests, pasture lands, village water bodies and
other public spaces where a group larger than a household or family unit exercises
rights of use and carries responsibility of management
Cropping Seasons in India
There are three distinct crop seasons in the northern and interior parts of country-
a. kharif- The khari season largely coincides with Southwest Monsoon under which the
cultivation of tropical crop such as rice, cotton, jute, jowar, bajra and tur is possible
b. rabi- The rabi season begins with the onset of winter in October-November and ends in
March-April this season facilitate the cultivation of temperate and subtropical crops such
as wheat, gram and mustard.
c. Zaid- It is a short duration summer cropping season beginning after harvesting of rabi
crops. The cultivation of watermelons, cucumbers, vegetables and fodder crops during
this season is done on irrigated lands.
Types of Farming
On the basis of main source of moisture for crops, the farming can be classified as
a) irrigated farming
The nature of irrigated farming as well based on objective of irrigation, i.e. protective
or productive
The objective of protective irrigation is to protect the crops from adverse effects of soil
moisture deficiency which often means that irrigation acts as a supplementary source
of water over and above the rainfall
The strategy of this kind of irrigation is to provide soil moisture to maximum possible
area
Productive irrigation is meant to provide sufficient soil moisture in the cropping
season to achieve high productivity
In such irrigation the water input per unit area of cultivated land is higher than
protective irrigation
b) rainfed (barani)farming
Rainfed farming is further classified on the basis of adequacy of soil moisture during
cropping season into dryland and wetland farming
In India, the dryland farming is largely confined to the regions having annual rainfall
less than 75 cm
These regions grow hardy and drought resistant crops such as ragi, bajra, moong,
gram and guar (fodder crops) and practise various measures of soil moisture
conservation and rain water harvesting
In wetland farming, the rainfall is in excess of soil moisture requirement of plants
during rainy season
Such regions may face flood and soil erosion hazards
These areas grow various water intensive crops such as rice, jute and sugarcane and
practise aquaculture in the fresh water bodies
Food grains
On the basis of the structure of grain the foodgrains are classified as cereals and pulses
Cereals
The cereals occupy about 54 % of total cropped area in India
The country produces about 11% cereals of the world and ranks third in production
after China and U.S.A.
India produces a variety of cereals, which are classified as fine grains (rice, wheat)
and coarse grains (jowar, bajra, maize, ragi), etc
Rice
Rice is a staple food for the overwhelming majority of population in India
It is a crop of tropical humid areas, it has about 3,000 varieties which are grown in
different agro-climatic regions
It can successfully grown from sea level to about 2,000 m altitude and from humid
areas in eastern India
In southern states and West Bengal the climatic conditions allow the cultivation of
two or three crops of rice in an agricultural year
In West Bengal farmers grow three crops of rice called ‘aus’, ‘aman’ and ‘boro’
In Himalayas and northwestern parts of the country, it is grown as a kharif crop
during southwest Monsoon season
India contributes 22% of rice production in the world and ranked second after China
in 2008-09
About one-fourth of the total cropped area in the country is under rice cultivation
West Bengal, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh were the leading rice producing states in the
country in 2009-10
The yield level of rice is high in Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, West Bengal and Kerala
Rice cultivation in the irrigated areas of Punjab and Haryana was introduced in 1970s
following the Green Revolution
The main reason due to which there is high yielding of rice in this region are
Genetically improved varieties of seed
high usage of fertilisers and pesticides
lower levels of susceptibility of the crop to pests due to dry climatic conditions
. The yield of this crop is very low in rainfed areas of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh
and Odisha
Wheat
Wheat is the second most important cereal crop in India after rice
India produces about 12% of total wheat production of world
It is primarily a crop of temperate zone
Its cultivation in India is done during winter i.e. rabi season
About 85% of total area under this crop is concentrated in north and central regions
of the country i.e. Indo-Gangetic Plain, Malwa Plateau and Himalayas up to 2,700 m
altitude
About 14% of the total cropped area in the country is under wheat cultivation
Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are five leading
wheat producing states
The yield level of wheat is very high in Punjab and Haryana whereas, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan and Bihar have moderate yields
The states like Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir growing
wheat under rainfed conditions have low yield
Jowar
The coarse cereals together occupy about g16.50 % of total cropped area in the
country
Among these, jowar or sorghum alone accounts for about 5.3% of total cropped area
It is main food crop in semi-arid areas of central and southern India
Maharashtra alone produces more than half of the total jowar production of the
country
Other leading producer states of jowar are Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana
Bajra
Bajra is sown in hot and dry climatic conditions in northwestern and western parts of
the country
It is a hardy crop which resists frequent dry spells and drought in this region
It is cultivated alone as well as part of mixed cropping
This coarse cereal occupies about 5.2% of total cropped area in the country
Leading producers of bajra are the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan. and Haryana
Yield of this crop has increased during recent years in Haryana and Gujarat due to
introduction of drought resistant varieties and expansion of irrigation under it
Maize
Maize is a food as well as fodder crop grown under semi-arid climatic conditions and
over inferior soils
This crop occupies only about 3.6% of total cropped areaThe leading producers of
maize are the states of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka,
Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh
Pulses
Pulses are a very important ingredient of vegetarian food as these are rich sources of
proteins
These are legume crops which increase the natural fertility of soils through nitrogen
fixation
India is a leading producer of pulses and accounts for about one-fifth of the total
production of pulses in the world
The cultivation of pulses in the country is largely concentrated in the drylands of
Deccan and central plateaus and northwestern parts of the country
Pulses occupy about 11% of the total cropped area in the country
Gram and tur are the main pulses cultivated in India
Gram
Gram is cultivated in subtropical areas
It is mostly a rainfed crop cultivated during rabid season in central, western and
northwestern parts of the country
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and
Rajasthan are the main producers of this pulse crop
Tur(Arhar)
Tur is the second important pulse crop in the country. It is also known as red gram or
pigeon pea
It is cultivated over marginal lands and under rainfed conditions in the dry areas of
central and southern states of the country
Maharashtra alone contributes about one-third of the total production of tur
Other leading producer states are Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya
Pradesh
Oilseeds
The oilseeds are produced for extracting edible oils
Drylands of Malwa plateau, Marathwada, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana, Rayalseema
region of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka plateau are oilseeds growing regions of
India
These crops together occupy about 14% of total cropped area in the country
Groundnut, rapeseed and mustard, soybean and sunflower are the main oilseed crops
grown in India
Groundnut
India produces about 19% of the total groundnut production in the world (2008-09).
It is largely a rainfed kharif crop of drylands
In southern India, it is cultivated during rabi season as well
It covers about 4% of total cropped area in the country
Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra are the
leading producers
Its yield is low in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
Rapeseed and Mustard
Rapeseed and mustard comprise several oilseeds as rai, sarson, toria and taramira
These are subtropical crops cultivated during rabi season in north-western and
central parts of India
These oilseeds together occupy only 2.5 % of total cropped area in the country
Rajasthan contributes about one-third production while other leading producers are
Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh
Other Oilseeds
Soyabean and sunflower are other important oilseeds grown in India
Soyabean is mostly grown in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra
Sunflower cultivation is concentrated in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and
adjoining areas of Maharashtra
Fibre Crops
These crops provide us fibre for preparing cloth, bags, sacks and a number of other
items
Cotton and jute are two main fibre crops grown in India
Cotton
Cotton is a tropical crop grown in kharif season in semi-arid areas of the country
India grows both short staple (Indian) cotton as well as long staple (American) cotton
called ‘narma’ in north-western parts of the country
Cotton requires clear sky during flowering stage
India ranks fourth in the world in the production of cotton after China, U.S.A. and
Pakistan and accounts for about 8.3% of production of cotton in the world
Cotton occupies about 5% of total cropped area in the country
There are three cotton growing areas, i.e. parts of Punjab, Haryana and northern
Rajasthan in north-west, Gujarat and Maharashtra in the west and plateaus of Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka in south
Leading producers of this crop are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab
and Haryana and Tamil Nadu
Jute
Jute is used for making coarse cloth, bags, sacks and decorative items
It is a cash crop in West Bengal and adjoining eastern parts of the country
West Bengal accounts for about three-fourth of the production in the country
Bihar and Assam are other jute growing areas
Sugarcane
Sugarcane is a crop of tropical areas
Under rainfed conditions, it is cultivated in sub-humid and humid climates
In Indo-Gangetic plain, it's cultivation is largely concentrated in Uttar Pradesh
Sugarcane growing area in western India is spread over Maharashtra and Gujarat
In southern India, it is cultivated in irrigated tracts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
India was the second largest producer of sugarcane after Brazil in 2008-09
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are other
leading producers of this crop
Tea
Tea is a plantation crop used as beverage
It is an indigenous crop of hills in northern China
It is grown over undulating topography of hilly areas and well-drained soils in humid
and sub-humid tropics and sub-tropics
In India, tea plantation started in 1840s in Brahmaputra valley of Assam which still is
a major tea growing area in the country
Later on, its plantation was introduced in the sub-Himalayan region of West Bengal
(Darjiling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Bihar districts)
Tea is also cultivated on the lower slopes of Nilgiri and Cardamom hills in Western
Ghats
India is a leading producer of tea and accounts for about 28% of total production in
the world
Assam accounts for about 53% of the total cropped area and contributes more than
half of total production of tea in the country
. West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are the other leading producers of tea
Coffee
Coffee is a tropical plantation crop
Its seeds are roasted, ground and are used for preparing a beverage
There are three varieties of coffee i.e. arabica, robusta and liberica
India mostly grows superior quality coffee, arabica, which is in great demand in
International market
Coffee is cultivated in the highlands of Western Ghats in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil
Nadu
Strategy of agricultural development in India
After Independence, the immediate goal of the Government was to increase food
grains production by
switching over from cash crops to food crops
intensification of cropping over already cultivated land
increasing cultivated area by bringing cultivable and fallow land under plough
To overcome this problem, Intensive Agricultural District Programme (IADP) and
Intensive Agricultural Area Programme (IAAP) were launched
The Green Revolution in India refers to a period of time when agriculture in India
changed to an industrial system due to the adoption of modern methods and
technology such as high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, tractors, pump sets, etc.
This gave fillip to the development of a large number of aro-inputs, agro-processing
industries and small-scale industries
This strategy of agricultural development made the country self-reliant in foodgrain
production
This strategy of agricultural development paid dividends instantly and increased the
food grains production at very fast rate
The Planning Commission of India focused its attention on the problems of
agriculture in rainfed areas in 1980s
It initiated agro-climatic planning in 1988 to induce regionally balanced agricultural
development in the country
It also emphasised the need for diversification of agriculture and harnessing of
resources for development of dairy farming, poultry, horticulture, livestock rearing
and aquaculture
Main reasons which leads to inter-regional and inter-personal disparities in rural
areas are- Lack of development of rural infrastructure, withdrawal of subsidies and
price support, and impediments in availing of the rural credits
Growth of Agricultural Output and Technology
There has been a significant increase in agricultural output and improvement in technology
during the last fifty years. These are-
1. Production and yield of many crops such as rice and wheat has increased at an
impressive rate. Among the other crops, the production of sugarcane, oilseeds and cotton
has also increased appreciably.
2. Expansion of irrigation has played a very crucial role in enhancing agricultural output in
the country. It provided basis for introduction of modern agricultural technology such as
high yielding varieties of seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and farm machinery
3. Modern agricultural technology has diffused very fast in various areas of the country.
Consumption of chemical fertilizers has increased by 15 times since mid-sixties
Problems of Indian Agriculture
1. Dependence on Erratic Monsoon-Irrigation covers only about 33% of the cultivated area
in India. The crop production in rest of the cultivated land directly depends on rainfall.
Poor performance of south-west. Monsoon also adversely affects the supply of canal
water for irrigation. On the other hand, the rainfall in Rajasthan and other drought prone
areas is too meagre and highly unreliable. This makes them vulnerable to both droughts
and floods.
2. Low productivity-The yield of the crops in the country is low in comparison to the
international level. Because of the very high pressure on the land resources, the labour
productivity in Indian agriculture is also very low in comparison to international level.
The vast rainfed areas of the country, particularly drylands which mostly grow coarse
cereals, pulses and oilseeds have very low yields
3. Constraints of Financial Resources and Indebtedness- The inputs of modern agriculture
are very expensive. This resource intensive approach has become unmanageable for
marginal and small farmers as they have very meagre or no saving to invest in
agriculture. To tide over these. difficulties, most of such farmers have resorted to availing
credit from various institutions and money lenders. Crop failures and low return from
agriculture have forced them to fall in the trap of indebtedness
4. Lack of Land Reforms- Indian peasantry had been exploited for a long time as there had
been unequal distribution of land. Among the three revenue systems operational during
British period i.e. Mahalwari, Ryotwari and Zamindari, the last one was most exploitative
for the peasants.
5. Small Farm Size and Fragmentation of Landholdings- There are a large number of
marginal and small farmers in the country. More than 60% of the ownership holdings
have a size smaller than one (ha). The average size of land holding is shrinking further
under increasing population pressure. Furthermore, in India, the land holdings are
mostly fragmented.
6. Lack of Commercialisation- A large number of farmers produce crops for self-
consumption. These farmers do not have enough land resources to produce more than
their requirement. Most of the small and marginal farmers grow foodgrains, which are
meant for their own family consumption.
7. Vast Under-employment- There is a massive under-employment in the agricultural sector
in India, particularly in the un-irrigated tracts. In these areas, there is a seasonal
unemployment ranging from 4 to 8 months. Even in the cropping season work is not
available throughout, as agricultural operations are not labour intensive. Hence, the
people engaged in agriculture do not have the opportunity to work round the year.
8. Degradation of Cultivable Land- One of the serious problems that arises out of faulty
strategy of irrigation and agricultural development is degradation of land resources. This
is serious because it may lead to depletion of soil fertility. The situation is particularly
alarming in irrigated areas. A large tract of agricultural land has lost its fertility due to
alkalisation and salinisation of soils and waterlogging. Excessive use of chemicals such as
insecticides and pesticides has led to their concentration in toxic amounts in the soil
profile.
