LAND RSOURCES OF INDIA

INTODUCTION

 Land - crucial resource that plays a significant role in the

economy, society, and environment of a country.
 India-vital component of the rural economy -60% of the
population engaged in agriculture and allied activities.
LAND RESOURCES IN INDIA

Land area of around 3.28 million sq km.

 The land resources –categories

 agricultural land-54%

 forest land-21%

 Wasteland-8%

 other land-17%
AGRICULTURAL LAND

The land is used for growing various crops like rice,
wheat, sugarcane, cotton, and jute.
Challenges:
 low productivity,

 water scarcity

 climate change.
FOREST LAND

The forest resources provide wood, fuel, and other forest
products, besides being a habitat for various flora and
fauna.
 Threats

deforestation(cutting of trees in large area/conversion of

FL-other purposes)
encroachment
forest degradation(complete destruction-forest fires,pest
infestation,disease)
WASTELAND

Wasteland refers to the land that is barren and not fit for
cultivation.
The wasteland reclamation:
 Afforestation(conversion of abandoned and degraded
agricultural lands into forests)
 soil conservation-measures taken to protect soil

 land development programs-measures taken to protect

soil and water
OTHER LAND

The other land category includes urban areas, water bodies, and
other land uses.
 The rapid urbanization and industrialization have led to the
conversion of agricultural land and forests into urban areas,
posing a threat to the environment and food security.
LAND UTILISATION
 Land use pattern refers to the arrangement or layout of
the uses of land which may be used for pasture,
agriculture, construction
THE LAND-USE CATEGORIES AS MAINTAINED IN THE LAND REVENUE RECORDS
ARE AS FOLLOWS

• Area under forest

Forest

• cities, highways, railways, or land under water, such as

Area under Non- rivers, lakes, canals, tanks, ponds, and other bodies of
water
agricultural Uses

• All barren and uncultivated lands on steep and hill

Barren and slopes, deserts, and rocky places are classified as barren
land
Wastelands • Bears high input costs-reclamation/low returns
 Area under Permanent Pastures and • Land kept for grazing both owned by govt and private
Grazing Lands • Significantly low compared to cattle population

Area under Miscellaneous Tree • The land under orchards and fruit trees
Crops and Groves (Not included
in Net sown Area)

Net Area Sown • The physical extent of land on which crops are sown and harvested
is known as net sown area.
 • This is the land which is left without cultivation for one or
Current Fallow less than one agricultural year.
• Natural process done –regain the lost fertiilty of soil

Fallow other • BETWEEN THE BOTH

than Current • 2-5 YRS
Fallow

• Any land which is left fallow (uncultivated) for more than

Culturable five years
• Can be brought under cultivation after improving it
Waste-Land through reclamation practices
 net sown area -44%.
 If we include fallow (4%) +current fallow (7%)---54% of the
land being used for agricultural or associated activities.
 Wasteland is too low in quality to be transformed into cultivable
land
 land covered by forest -23% <<<<< 33% (national forest policy’s
target of (1952))

 Illegal deforestation, road and building development, human

population pressure, and other factors all contribute to this.
141mha
195 mha
 Net Area Sown: The physical extent of land on which
crops are sown and harvested is known as net sown area.
GCA/NSA
 Gross Cropped Area (GCA) is the total area sown once
as well as more than once in a particular year.
>Net Sown Area (NSA) is the area sown with crops only
once.
 Which one will be higher now???????
Lowest NSA
 The share of NSA is much lesser than the national average
in states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya,
Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim and Arunachal
Pradesh.
Reasons:
 physical disabilities -undulating terrain due to hilly
topography,
 limiting the availability of plain land and fertile soils,

Highest NSA
Northern states like Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Uttar
Pradesh, have a higher proportional share of NSA than the
national average.