Land Resources and Agriculture

Learning Outcomes:

1. Understand the categories of land use and their implications.
2. Examine land-use changes in India from 1950 to the present.
3. Explore challenges in agriculture and land management.
4. Discuss different types of farming and their relevance to Indian agriculture.
5. Analyze the impacts of cropping seasons and technologies on agricultural productivity.

Land Use Categories

Land is a resource with diverse uses. Different types of land are categorized based on how they are utilized for various human and natural activities. The land revenue department maintains records of land-use categories, contributing to the reporting area, slightly different from the geographical area measured by the Survey of India. These categories are defined as follows:

1. Forests: This refers to land marked by the government for forest growth. However, the actual forest cover may differ from this classification.
2. Barren and Wastelands: Lands unsuitable for agriculture due to conditions like hilly terrains, deserts, or ravines.
3. Land Put to Non-agricultural Uses: This includes land used for settlements, infrastructure, industries, and services.
4. Area under Permanent Pastures and Grazing Lands: Mostly under government or Panchayat ownership, providing grazing resources.
5. Miscellaneous Tree Crops and Groves: Includes privately-owned orchards and fruit trees.
6. Culturable Wasteland: Land uncultivated for over five years, reclaimable for future cultivation.
7. Current Fallow: Land left fallow for less than a year, allowing natural processes to restore fertility.
8. Fallow Other Than Current Fallow: Land left uncultivated for more than one year but less than five years.
9. Net Area Sown: The area where crops are sown and harvested each year.

Land-Use Changes in India

Land use evolves based on economic activities. With population growth, technological advances, and changing income levels, land-use patterns transform. India, over time, has undergone substantial land-use changes influenced by these factors:

1. The size of the economy grows, and land comes under increased pressure.
2. The economy’s composition changes, with secondary and tertiary sectors expanding faster than agriculture, shifting land from agricultural to non-agricultural uses.
3. Despite declining agricultural contributions to GDP, land pressure remains high due to slow population shifts from agriculture and rising food demands.

Important Note:

Land pressure increases as non-agricultural uses expand at the cost of agricultural land, especially near urban centers.

Land-use Changes: 1950-51 and 2014-15

Significant changes occurred between 1950-51 and 2014-15. While some categories increased, others declined:

1. Increases:

• Non-agricultural land rose due to industrial expansion.
• Forest areas expanded, but this reflects more demarcated forest land rather than actual forest cover.
• Current fallow fluctuates due to rainfall variability.
• Net area sown increased, utilizing former wastelands for cultivation.

1. Declines:

• Barren and wasteland and culturable wasteland declined due to agricultural expansion.
• Pasture lands saw a reduction because of encroachment for cultivation.
• Tree crops and groves reduced as more land came under non-agricultural uses.

Common Property Resources (CPRs)

Land ownership can be classified into private land and Common Property Resources (CPRs). CPRs, owned by the state, provide critical resources like fodder, fuel, and other forest products. In rural areas, CPRs are crucial for the livelihoods of landless and marginal farmers. CPRs also have particular importance for women as they collect most of the fuel and fodder.

Agricultural Land Use in India

Agriculture is a land-based activity that has a direct impact on poverty in rural areas. The quality of land affects productivity in agriculture, unlike secondary and tertiary sectors. Land ownership holds social and economic significance, providing security and increasing social status. However, the total stock of cultivable land has shown a slight decline, highlighting the need for land-saving technologies.

Cropping Seasons in India

India experiences three distinct cropping seasons:

1. Kharif: Cultivation during the Southwest Monsoon allows for crops like rice, cotton, and jowar.
2. Rabi: Starting in October-November, this season includes crops like wheat, gram, and mustard.
3. Zaid: A short summer season after rabi, used for growing vegetables and fodder.

Types of Farming

Farming in India is classified by the source of moisture:

1. Irrigated Farming: Can be protective or productive, with protective irrigation acting as a supplement to rainfall and productive irrigation designed for high soil moisture throughout the cropping season.
2. Rainfed Farming: Further divided into dryland (less than 75 cm of rainfall) and wetland (excess rainfall) farming. Dryland farming relies on drought-resistant crops like ragi and bajra, while wetland farming faces flood risks and focuses on water-intensive crops like rice.

Important Note:

Rainfed areas face significant vulnerability to drought and flooding, while dryland areas specialize in drought-resistant crops.

Foodgrains in India

Foodgrains dominate Indian agriculture, occupying about two-thirds of the total cropped area. They are classified as:

1. Cereals: These make up about 54% of the total cropped area. Important cereals include:

• Rice: A staple, grown in various regions and accounting for 21.6% of global production.
• Wheat: Primarily a rabi crop, grown under irrigated conditions, with high yields in Punjab and Haryana.
• Jowar: A coarse cereal grown in semi-arid regions, especially in Maharashtra.
• Bajra: Grown in hot, dry conditions, with Rajasthan and Gujarat leading production.
• Maize: Cultivated for both food and fodder, with high yields in southern states.

1. Pulses: India is a leading producer of pulses, which are critical for nitrogen fixation. Major pulses include gram and tur, grown primarily in drylands under rainfed conditions.

Oilseeds

Oilseeds account for about 14% of the total cropped area. Major oilseeds include:

1. Groundnut: A rainfed crop, mostly grown in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
2. Rapeseed and Mustard: Subtropical crops cultivated during rabi season, with improved yields in Haryana and Rajasthan.
3. Soybean and Sunflower: Concentrated in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

Fibre Crops

Two primary fibre crops dominate:

1. Cotton: Grown primarily in Gujarat and Maharashtra, it has high yields in irrigated areas but lower yields in rainfed regions.
2. Jute: Cultivated in West Bengal, it remains a vital cash crop for coarse cloth and sacks production.

Other Crops

1. Sugarcane: India ranks second globally in sugarcane production, with Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra being the leading producers.
2. Tea: Grown in Assam and the Nilgiri Hills, India is a significant tea producer globally.
3. Coffee: Cultivated in the Western Ghats, Karnataka accounts for the majority of India’s coffee production.

Agricultural Development in India

Agriculture before Independence was primarily subsistence. After Independence, efforts to improve food production were made through strategies like:

1. Switching from cash crops to food crops.
2. Intensifying cropping on cultivated land.
3. Expanding cultivated areas to include fallow lands.

The Green Revolution in the 1960s introduced High Yielding Varieties (HYVs), significantly increasing the productivity of wheat and **

rice**, particularly in *Punjab*, *Haryana*, and *Western Uttar Pradesh*.

Important Note:

Green Revolution, while successful, initially caused regional disparities, favoring irrigated areas.

Challenges Facing Indian Agriculture

1. Dependence on Erratic Monsoon: Only one-third of cultivated land is irrigated, making the rest dependent on rainfall.
2. Low Productivity: Per hectare yields of crops like rice and wheat are much lower than global standards.
3. Financial Constraints: Modern inputs are expensive, leading to indebtedness among farmers.
4. Lack of Land Reforms: Unequal land distribution persists due to ineffective implementation of land reforms.
5. Small Farm Size and Fragmentation: Fragmented landholdings make farming uneconomical.
6. Underemployment: Many agricultural workers are seasonally unemployed, particularly in rainfed areas.

MCQ:
Which crop is predominantly grown in the kharif season?
a) Wheat
b) Cotton
c) Mustard
d) Sugarcane
Answer: b) Cotton