Land Resources & Land Use
Land Resources & Land Use in India
India has a total geographic area of about 328.7 million hectares (3,287,263 sq km). Land use patterns reflect the interplay of physical factors (relief, climate, soil) and human factors (population, technology, economy). Sustainable land management is crucial as India supports 18% of the world's population on just 2.4% of global land area.
Key Dates
India's total geographic area: 328.7 million hectares (3,287,263 sq km)
About 140 million hectares — 43% of total area; highest proportion among large countries
About 71.4 million hectares — 21.71% of geographic area (ISFR 2021)
About 55.76 million hectares classified as wasteland (Wasteland Atlas 2019)
Current + other fallow: about 25 million hectares — land temporarily not cultivated
About 30% of India's land area (97.85 million hectares) affected by desertification/degradation
Land ceiling laws limit agricultural land ownership; varies by state and land type
Land Use Classification
India's land use is classified into nine categories (by the Directorate of Economics & Statistics): (1) Forests — about 71.4 million hectares (21.7%); (2) Not available for cultivation — (a) land put to non-agricultural uses (buildings, roads, industries — about 26.3 million hectares), (b) barren and uncultivable land (mountains, deserts, glaciers — about 17.5 million hectares); (3) Other uncultivated land (excluding fallow) — (a) permanent pastures and grazing lands (about 10.3 million hectares — declining), (b) land under miscellaneous tree crops and groves (about 3.4 million hectares), (c) culturable wasteland (about 12.7 million hectares — potential for agriculture); (4) Fallow lands — (a) fallow lands other than current fallows (about 10.2 million hectares), (b) current fallows (about 14.7 million hectares); (5) Net Sown Area — about 140 million hectares (43% of total area — one of the highest globally). Gross Cropped Area (about 198 million hectares) exceeds net sown area due to double/triple cropping. Cropping intensity (GCA/NSA × 100) is about 142%.
Land Degradation & Desertification
Land degradation affects about 30% of India's total geographic area (97.85 million hectares according to SAC-ISRO Desertification Atlas 2016). Types: (1) Soil erosion by water — most widespread; about 68 million hectares affected; ravines (Chambal, Yamuna), sheet erosion, gully erosion; (2) Wind erosion — about 14 million hectares, mainly Rajasthan and Gujarat (Thar Desert); (3) Waterlogging — about 8.5 million hectares; caused by over-irrigation and poor drainage; prevalent in Punjab, Haryana canal-irrigated areas; (4) Salinization/Alkalinization — about 7 million hectares; excess salts in soil from irrigation; creates usar/reh lands in UP, Punjab, Haryana; (5) Deforestation — conversion of forest land for agriculture, mining, urbanization; shifting cultivation in NE; (6) Mining — open-cast mining creates wastelands; Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Goa. India joined the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD, 1994). At COP14 of UNCCD (New Delhi, 2019), India committed to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 and achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN).
Land Reform Measures
Post-Independence land reforms were a priority for reducing inequality: (1) Abolition of Intermediaries — zamindari, jagirdari, inamdari systems abolished by 1956; brought about 20 million cultivators into direct relationship with the state; most successful reform; (2) Tenancy Reforms — regulation of rent (reduced from 50% to 20-25% of produce), security of tenure (protection from arbitrary eviction), conferment of ownership rights on tenants; partially successful — loopholes remained; (3) Land Ceiling — fixed maximum land a person/family can hold; surplus land redistributed to landless; ceiling varies by state and land type (irrigated/non-irrigated); about 7.3 million acres declared surplus, 6.0 million acres redistributed — limited success due to benami transactions (land held in others' names); (4) Consolidation of Holdings — merging fragmented holdings into compact blocks; successful in Punjab, Haryana, western UP; reduces inefficiency of small scattered plots. Challenges: Incomplete implementation, political resistance, legal loopholes, lack of updated land records.
Land Records & Digitization
India's land records system is complex and often outdated. About 70% of court cases in India are related to land/property disputes. Key initiatives for modernization: Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP, merged into SVAMITVA): Objectives: computerization of land records (Record of Rights — RoR), updating of land records, survey/re-survey using modern technology, integration of registration and cadastral records. SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas, 2020): Uses drone technology to survey rural inhabited land; provides "Property Cards" (Record of Rights) to villagers; enables: (a) rural homeowners to use property as collateral for loans, (b) accurate property tax assessment, (c) reduce property disputes. Target: all villages by 2025. Over 1.5 crore property cards distributed. States like Karnataka (Bhoomi), Andhra Pradesh (Mee Bhoomi), and Madhya Pradesh (Bhu-Abhilekh) have advanced land records digitization. National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) standardizes property registration across states. Challenges: inaccurate base records, resistance from vested interests, legacy title issues, coordination between revenue and registration departments.
Sustainable Land Management
Sustainable land management (SLM) aims to maintain or enhance ecosystem services (food production, water supply, carbon storage) while ensuring long-term productivity. Key strategies: (1) Watershed Management — treating catchments as units; includes contour bunding, check dams, farm ponds, afforestation; IWMP (Integrated Watershed Management Programme) now part of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY); (2) Agroforestry — integrating trees with crops and/or livestock; Sub-Mission on Agroforestry promotes this; improves soil health, provides additional income; (3) Wasteland Development — National Wasteland Development Board; Green India Mission targets afforestation/restoration of 10 million hectares; (4) Reclamation — reclaiming alkaline soils (by adding gypsum), acidic soils (by liming), waterlogged areas (drainage improvement), mined areas (restoration with topsoil and plantation); (5) Organic Farming — reduces chemical degradation; Sikkim became India's first fully organic state (2016); Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) promotes organic farming; Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) promoted in Andhra Pradesh based on Subhash Palekar's methods. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) integrates multiple approaches for climate-resilient land management.
Relevant Exams
Land resources is important for both geography and economy sections. UPSC tests land use classification, land reform types, and desertification challenges. SSC/RRB exams ask about net sown area percentage, land degradation types, and first organic state. Current affairs on SVAMITVA, UNCCD commitments, and wasteland development are tested. Land reform history is also important for Indian Economy paper.