LAND RESOURCES

Land utilisation pattern

Non-viable pattern of lands utilisation in
agriculture

Land is the most important of all natural

resources
Essential for human existence
Required for agriculture & factories
Land endowments vary across the country
India ranks 7th in the world in terms of area &
2nd in terms of population
Total area of 32.9 crore hectares or 329 million
hectares
REPORTING AREA
Not 100% of geographical area
Some areas not easily accessible & their
economic utility is presumed to be limited
BARREN LAND (14 % of Reporting area)
Mountains , deserts etc which cannot be brought
under cultivation
Area under non-agricultural uses land occupied by
buildings, roads, railways, rivers, canals & other lands
put to uses other than agriculture
In 1950-51, area under non-agricultural uses was
ten(10) million hectares (MH) & increased to 26 MH
Cultivable waste land reduced from 23 MH in 1950-
51 to 13 MH in 2011-12
BARREN LAND would increase with an increase in
population & unbanisation
AREA UNDER FORESTS (23 %)
All land classified as forests by law or
administered as forests (state owned or private)
& whether wooded or maintained as potential
forest land

National Forest Policy Resolution of 1952

recommended coverage of one third of total
area to maintain ecological balance

Yet to achieve this national objective

PASTURES & GRAZING LAND (3%)

CUTIVABLE WASTE LANDS etc (4%)

Lands available but not cultivated during the
previous 5 or more years
maybe be fallow or covered with scrubs &
jungles
FALLOW LANDS (9%)
Land that remains uncultivated during a given
year or for some period
Current fallows (current year) or other fallows (1
5 years uncultivated) due to poverty,
unremunerative, water shortage etc
AGRICULTURAL LAND
Net area sown is 140 MH or 46% of reporting area
Total cropped area 192 MH in 2009 -10 (by 2020
estimated land required would be 500MH if the present
pattern continues)
Non-Viable Pattern of Land Utilisation
No planning in land utilisation
Land relations have been retrogressive
More area brought under cultivation by
(a) clearing forests
(b) converting grazing lands
(c) bringing cultivable wastelands under farming
(d)Shifting cropping pattern (diverting land under fodder
crops to food crops)
REMEDIES
Intensive cultivation multiple cropping
increase productivity levels
Extending irrigation & rationalize water usage
Thus increasing gross cropped area by
increasing area sown more than once
Develop an integrated land use plan
 References:
Indian Economy: S.K. Mishra & V.K. Puri
Datt & Sundharams Indian Economy: Datt &
Mahajan