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Land Utilization in India
- May 4, 2025
- Posted by: Beauty Kumari
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Introduction
Land is a vital natural resource and a key factor in agriculture, forestry, and development. Efficient land use is essential for ensuring food security, environmental sustainability, and economic growth.
Land Use Classification in India (As per Agricultural Statistics 2022–23)
Land use in India is broadly categorized by the Ministry of Agriculture into the following nine-fold classification:
| Land Use Category | Area (Million Hectares) | Share in Total Reporting Area |
| 1. Forests | ~71 | ~22% |
| 2. Land put to Non-Agricultural Uses | ~28 | ~8.7% |
| 3. Barren and Unculturable Land | ~17 | ~5.3% |
| 4. Permanent Pastures and Grazing Land | ~10 | ~3.1% |
| 5. Miscellaneous Tree Crops and Groves (not included in Net Sown Area) | ~3.2 | ~1% |
| 6. Culturable Waste Land | ~12 | ~3.8% |
| 7. Fallow land other than current fallows | ~9.5 | ~3% |
| 8. Current Fallows | ~14 | ~4.4% |
| 9. Net Sown Area | ~140 | ~43.5% |
| Total Reporting Area | ~325 | 100% |
Key Terms
- Net Sown Area (NSA): Area sown with crops in a year.
- Gross Cropped Area (GCA): Total area sown more than once a year plus net sown area.
- Cropping Intensity: GCA / NSA × 100
- India’s cropping intensity (2021–22): ~145%
Trends in Land Utilization (Post-Independence)
- Forests: Increased from 14% (1950–51) to 22% due to afforestation programs.
- Net Sown Area: Increased initially but has stagnated since 1980s due to urbanization and soil degradation.
- Fallow Land: Remains stable; increases slightly during droughts.
- Land under Non-agricultural Use: Rising due to infrastructure and urban development.
Issues in Land Use Pattern
- Decline in Agricultural Land – Conversion to industrial and residential use.
- Soil Erosion and Degradation – Affects productivity.
- Land Fragmentation – Due to inheritance laws, making farming inefficient.
- Encroachment on Forests – Causes ecological imbalance.
- Regional Disparities – States like Punjab have higher NSA, while NE states have more forest and uncultivable land.
Government Initiatives
- National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP) – Now Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP).
- Soil Health Card Scheme – To improve soil fertility and land productivity.
- Wasteland Reclamation Programs – Under Ministry of Rural Development.
- Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act (CAMPA), 2016 – For forest restoration.
Way Forward
- Promote land consolidation and cooperative farming.
- Increase cropping intensity through better irrigation and inputs.
- Implement sustainable land management to prevent soil erosion.
- Enforce land ceiling laws and digitize land records.
- Promote agroforestry and mixed land use systems.
Conclusion
Land use in India needs strategic and balanced management to meet the growing demand for food, housing, and industry. Rational and sustainable utilization of land will ensure long-term agricultural productivity, environmental sustainability, and rural prosperity.