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Agriculture in India
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AGRICULTURE
Agriculture includes raising of crops from the land, animal husbandry, agro forestry and pisciculture. India is
pre-eminently an agricultural country. Agriculture and allied sectors contribute about 20% of our GDP. Agri-
exports contribute only about 10% of Indias total exports.

SALIENT FEATURES OF INDIAN AGRICULTURE
1. Subsistence nature, i.e. farming on small piece of land by family members themselves.
2. Increasing pressure of population on agriculture.
3. Major role played by the animals used in various operations like ploughing, irrigation, threshing,
transportation, etc.
4. Dependence upon Monsoons which are very uncertain, unreliable and irregular.
5. Variety of Crops due to varied types of relief, climate and soil conditions.
6. Predominance of food crops which are covering two- third of the total cropped area.
7. Insignificant place given to fodder crops despite of India being home to to the largest population of
livestock.
8. Seasonal pattern: India has three major crop seasons
(a) Kharif season starts with the onset of monsoons and continues till the beginning of winter. Rice,
maize, jowar, bajra, cotton, sesamum, groundnut are important crops of this season.
(b) Rabi season starts at the beginning of winter and continues till the beginning of summers. Major
crops of this season are wheat, barley, jowar, gram and oilseeds.
(c) Zaid is the cropping season in which crops like rice, maize, groundnut, vegetables and fruits are
grown.

Crops native to India
Rice, sesame, cotton, safflower, cucumber, eggplant, banana, Mango, pepper, tea, cardamom and citrus fruits

Crops, which were introduced into India
Wheat, maize, grams, jute, potato, carrot, cabbage, spinach, soyabeans, watermelon, tobacco, mustard,
cashew, coffee, rubber, sapota, guava, custard apple, walnut, papaya, apple, pear, pomegranate, litchi,
coconut and cinnamon.

PROBLEMS OF INDIAN AGRICULTURE
1. Small and fragmented holdings: This problem is more acute in densely populated and intensively
cultivated states like Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Main reason behind this is
our inheritance laws.
2. Seeds: Good quality seeds are out of reach of majority of our farmers, especially small and marginal
farmers.
3. Manures, Fertilizers and Biocides: Overuse of these materials in order to increase the production
leads to many side- effects.
4. Irrigation: Indian agriculture is monsoon dependent, which is very uncertain and unreliable. Moreover,
there is lack of irrigational facilities.
5. Lack of Mechanisation: Most of agricultural operations in larger parts are carried on by human hand
using simple and conventional tools. This results in low yields per capita labour force.
6. Soil erosion: due to unscientific and irrational agricultural practices.
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OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATIONS ABOUT AGRICULTURE
Our Net Sown area is about 145 million hectares.
All India average consumption of fertilizers per hectare is 96.6kg.
India is the THIRD largest producer and consumer of fertilizers in the world after China and USA.
India ranks first in milk production and fifth in egg production in the world.
Canal irrigation area is about 29% of the total irrigated area in the country.
Uttar Pradesh is the leading state in canal irrigation followed by Andhra Pradesh.
Ragi is also known as Buck Wheat.
66% of the worlds total jute production comes from India.
India is the second largest producer of sugarcane in the world, after Brazil.
India is the third largest producer of natural rubber next only to Thailand and Indonesia.
India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables.
India is the largest producer and consumer of Tea in the world.
In onion production, Gujarat ranks first followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The highest yield of wheat comes from Punjab, followed by Haryana.

GREEN REVOLUTION
The term Green Revolution is applied to the period from 1967 to 1978. It generally refers to successful
agricultural experiments in many Third World countries. There were three basic elements in the method of
Green Revolution:
1. Continued expansion of farming areas,
2. Double-cropping existing farmland,
3. Using seeds with improved genetics.

Components of Green Revolution
Following are the 12 components of the Green Revolution:
1. High yielding Varieties of Seeds
2. Irrigation
3. Use of Fertilizers
4. Command Area Development
5. Land Reforms
6. Rural electrification
7. Improved Farm Mechanism
8. Use of Insecticides and Pesticides
9. Consolidation of Holdings
10. Supply of Agricultural Credit
11. Rural Roads and Marketing
12. Agricultural Universities

The complementary nature of these components turned the Green Revolution into a PACKAGE REFORM.

Impact of Green Revolution
Green Revolution has influenced the economy and way of life in India to a great extent. Following are its
major impacts:
1. Increase in agricultural production
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2. Prosperity of farmers
3. Reduction in import of food grains
4. Capitalistic farming
5. Ploughing back of profit
6. Industrial growth
7. Rural employment

Demerits of Green Revolution
1. Inter-crop imbalances
2. Regional disparities
3. Increase in inter-Personal Inequalities
4. Unemployment

MAJOR CROPS OF INDIA AND THEIR NATURE
Food Crops: Rice, Wheat, Maize, Jowar (Sorghum), Ragi (Finger Millet or Buck Wheat), Barley, Pulses
(Gram, Tur or Arhar)
Cash Crops: Cotton, Jute, Sugarcane, Tobacco, Oilseeds, Groundnut, Linseed, Castor seed.
Plantation Crops: Tea, Coffee, Rubber, Spices (Pepper, Cardamom, Chillies, Ginger, Turmeric).

Irrigation in India
India is an agricultural country. About seventy per cent of its people depend on agriculture. Watering is
essential for the crops. Agriculture is not possible without water. We have to depend on rains for water for our
fields, but we do not get rains throughout the year. India gets almost all of its rainfall during the rainy season
from June to September. The rainfall is not uniform. Some parts get heavy rainfall. The rivers get flooded and
damage the life, property and crops. Some parts get moderate rainfall and some parts are left without rainfall.
The rainfall also varies from year to year. In some years we get heavy rainfall, while in some other we do not
get sufficient rainfall.
We need regular watering for our crops. The watering of crops is known as irrigation. There are various
means of irrigation used in our country.

Means of Irrigation
1. Tanks:
Rain water collects in the low lands in the form of tanks and ponds. This is perhaps the oldest means of
irrigation in India. This means of irrigation is used in the Deccan Plateau and in the States of Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The land is uneven and rocky. It can store water for irrigation. Huge tanks have
been constructed for irrigating the land. About 12% of the agricultural land is being irrigated by tanks in India.

2. Wells:
Most of the rain water flows down the rivers and streams. Some of the water gets soaked by the soil. It goes
on collecting on the hard rocky bed under the soil. This underground water is brought to the surface by wells
and tube-wells. A large and deep hole is made in the earth's surface up to the water level. These are known
as artesian wells. The water collects in the wells.

This water is used for drinking as well as for irrigating the land. This water is drawn out of the well by means of
a pulley, wheel or lever. Various names have been given to the wells with these devices. Persian wheel was
used for irrigating the fields for a long time. It is an old device now.
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3. Tube-wells:
This is the means of irrigation of about 40% land in the plain areas. A deep bore is made in the earth's surface
up to the water table. A pipe or a tube is fixed in this bore. An electric pump-set or a diesel pump-set is used
to pump out water through this tube or pipe. It is known as a tube-well. This is the most commonly used
means of irrigation in the Gangetic Plain or the Northern Fertile Plain. The underground water is available
there because the land is even and soft. A bore hole can be made easily and electricity is available. Tube-
wells are mostly used for irrigation in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.

4. Canals:
Canals are a means of irrigation of almost 40% of agricultural land in India. The rivers in the Northern parts of
India flow down the Himalayas and have water throughout the year. This water is taken through canals to
irrigate the land in far away areas. Canals are used for irrigating the land in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar and Northern - Rajasthan.

5. Dams:
Dams are huge and high walls, which are built across the rivers to hold water. The water of the river collects in
the form of a lake, it is taken through canals to irrigate the fields when required. Such dams have been built
across many of the rivers in Northern as well as Southern parts of India. The water in these dams is used to
generate electricity. This electricity is then supplied to nearby places. Electricity generated from water is called
Hydro-electricity.

Multipurpose Power Projects
There are some 600 projects big and small in India. Some of these projects serve more than one purpose.
They control floods, store water for irrigation and generate hydro-electric power. The water of the dam forms a
lake, where fish is reared. It is developed as a tourist resort and boating is done. Since they serve a number of
purposes, they are known as the Multipurpose Power Projects. Some of the most important multipurpose
projects are the Bhakra Nangal Project, Damodar Valley project, Hirakud Dam, Nagarjuna Sagar Dam,
Krishna Sagar Dam, Farakka Barrage, Pong Dam, Thein Dam, Tungbhadra Project, Kosi Project, Sone Canal
Project and the Rajasthan Canal Project.

Bhakra Nangal project
This is the biggest multipurpose river valley project in India. It has been built across the river Sutlej at a place
called Bhakra in Himachal Pradesh.
It is a joint project of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan costing about 175 crores. It is the
highest dam in Asia and the second highest in the world. It is 226 metres high. The dam forms a huge lake
called the Gobind Sagar behind it. It is the biggest man made lake in the world. Some power houses have
been built on both sides of the dam which produce electricity.
At Nangal which is about 13 km. downstream from Bhakra Dam, a 29 metre high barrage has been built. It is
called the Nangal Dam. It supplies water to Bhakra Canal, which carries water to Punjab, Haryana and
Rajasthan. This canal is about 1100 km. long and the length of its distributaries is about 3000 km.

Hirakud Dam
This dam has been built across the river Mahanadi. It is the longest dam in the world. It has been built for the
prosperity of Orissa. It controls floods, supplies water for irrigation and generates hydro-electric power.
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Damodar Valley Project
Damodar was the most turbulent river in Bihar. It caused great havoc through floods in Bihar. A number of
dams have been built across the tributaries of this river which control floods, produce electricity and supply
water for irrigation to Bihar and West Bengal.

Tungbhadra Project
Tungbhadra is a tributary of river Krishna. A dam has been built across Tungbhadra. It produces electricity
and stores water for irrigation of land in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Kosi Project
River Kosi is a tributary of the Ganga. The Kosi Project across the river Kosi, benefits Nepal and Bihar. Some
environmental scientists and social workers are protesting against the construction of new dams. They fear
that the construction of dams will disturb the environmental balance. A large area of the land under the forests
and a large tract of fertile land along with villages and towns will be submerged in water. This will add to the
miseries of the people living in those areas. Activists like Sunderlal Bahuguna and Medha Patekar are
protesting against the construction of Tehri Dam and Narmada Project.

Animal husbandry in India
A large number of farmers in India depend on animal husbandry for their livelihood. In addition to supplying
milk, meat, eggs, and hides, animals, mainly bullocks, are the major source of power for both farmers and
drayers. Thus, animal husbandry plays an important role in the rural economy.

Production
India has approximately 25 percent of the world's cattle. Today, India has the world's largest dairy herd
(composed of cows and buffaloes), at over 304 million strong, and stands first in milk production, with 112.5
million tonnes of milk produced in 2009-2010. India is also the third largest egg-producer in the world, at over
180 million eggs being produced every day or 65.7 billion eggs for the year 2011-12, and the worlds sixth
largest producer of poultry meat. While the majority of Indias animal products are consumed domestically,
exports are growing.
The National Dairy Development Board was established in 1965 under the auspices of Operation Flood at
Anand, in Gujarat, to promote, plan, and organize dairy development through cooperatives.

Operation Flood
Operation Flood, the world's largest integrated dairy development program, attempted to establish linkages
between rural milk producers and urban consumers by organizing farmer-owned and -managed dairy
cooperative societies. In the early 1990s, the program was in its third phase and was receiving financial
assistance from the World Bank and commodity assistance from the European Economic Community. At that
time, India had more than 64,000 dairy cooperative societies, with close to 7.7 million members. These
cooperatives established a daily processing capacity of 15.5 million liters of whole milk and 727 tons of milk
powder.

Fishing in India
Fishing in India is a major industry in its coastal states, employing over 14 million people. Fish production in
India has increased more than tenfold since its independence in 1947. According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, fish output in India doubled between 1990 and 2010.

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India has 8118 kilometers of marine coastline, 3827 fishing villages, and 1914 traditional fish landing centers.
India's fresh water resources consist of 195,210 kilometers of rivers and canals, 2.9 million hectares of minor
and major reservoirs, 2.4 million hectares of ponds and lakes, and about 0.8 million hectares of flood plain
wetlands and water bodies. As of 2010, the marine and freshwater resources offered a combined sustainable
catch fishing potential of over 4 million metric tonnes of fish. In addition, India's water and natural resources
offer a 10 fold growth potential in aquaculture (farm fishing) from 2010 harvest levels of 3.9 million metric
tonnes of fish, if India were to adopt fishing knowledge, regulatory reforms and sustainability policies adopted
by China over the last two decades.

The marine fish harvested in India consist of about 65 commercially important species/groups. Pelagic and
mid water species contributed about 52% of the total marine fish in 2004.

India is a major supplier of fish in the world. In 2006, the country exported over 600,000 metric tonnes of fish,
to some 90 countries, earning over US$1.8 billion. Shrimps are one of the major varieties exported. Giant tiger
prawn (Penaeus monodon) is the dominant species cultured followed by Indian white prawn (Penaeus
indicus). Shrimp production from coastal aquaculture during 2004 stood at approximately 120,000 tonnes.
Farmed shrimp accounted for about 60% of shrimp exported from the country.

Marine and freshwater catch fishing combined with aquaculture fish farming is a rapidly growing industry in
India. In 2008, India was the sixth largest producer of marine and freshwater capture fisheries, and the second
largest aquaculture farmed fish producer in the world. Fish as food - both from fish farms and catch fisheries -
offers India one of the easiest and fastest way to address malnutrition and food security.

Despite rapid growth in total fish production, a fish farmers average annual production in India is only 2 metric
tonnes per person, compared to 172 tonnes in Norway, 72 tonnes in Chile, and 6 tonnes per fisherman in
China. Higher productivity, knowledge transfer for sustainable fishing, continued growth in fish production with
increase in fish exports have the potential for increasing the living standards of Indian fishermen.
As of 2010, fish harvest distribution was difficult within India because of poor rural road infrastructure, lack of
cold storage and absence of organized retail in most parts of the country.

Growth
It rose from only 800,000 tons in FY 1950 to 4.1 million tons in the early 1990s. From 1990 through 2010,
Indian fish industry growth has accelerated, reaching a total marine and freshwater fish production to about 8
million metric tons. Special efforts have been made to promote extensive and intensive inland fish farming,
modernize coastal fisheries, and encourage deep-sea fishing through joint ventures. These efforts led to a
more than fourfold increase in coastal fish production from 520,000 tons in FY 1950 to 2.4 million tons in FY
1990. The increase in inland fish production was even more dramatic, increasing almost eightfold from
218,000 tons in FY 1950 to 1.7 million tons in FY 1990. The value of fish and processed fish exports
increased from less than 1 percent of the total value of exports in FY 1960 to 3.6 percent in FY 1993.
Between 1990 and 2007, fish production in India has grown at a higher rate than food grains, milk, eggs and
other food items.
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Economic benefits
Fishing in India contributed over 1 percent of India's annual gross domestic product in 2008.
Catch fishing in India employs about 14.5 million people. The country's rich marine and inland water
resources, fisheries and aquaculture offer an attractive and promising sector for employment, livelihood and
food security. Fish products from India are well received by almost half of world's countries, creating export
driven employment opportunity in India and greater food security for the world. During the past decades the
Indian fisheries and aquaculture has witnessed improvements in craft, tackle and farming methods. Creation
of required harvest and post-harvest infrastructure has been receiving due attention of the central and state
governments. All this has been inducing a steady growth.

To harvest the economic benefits from fishing, India is adopting exclusive economic zone, stretching 200
nautical miles (370 km) into the Indian Ocean, encompasses more than 2 million square kilometers. In the
mid-1980s, only about 33 percent of that area was being exploited. The potential annual catch from the area
has been estimated at 4.5 million tons. In addition to this marine zone, India has about 14,000 km of brackish
water available for aquaculture, of which only 600 km were being farmed in the early 1990s; about
16,000 km of freshwater lakes, ponds, and swamps; and nearly 64,000 kilometers of rivers and streams.
In 1990, there were 1.7 million full-time fishermen, 1.3 million part-time fishermen, and 2.3 million occasional
fishermen, many of whom worked as salt makers, ferrymen, or seamen, or operated boats for hire. In the early
1990s, the fishing fleet consisted of 180,000 traditional craft powered by sails or oars, 26,000 motorized
traditional craft, and some 34,000 mechanized boats.

Aquaculture
India laid the foundation for scientific carp farming in the country between 1970 and 1980, by demonstrating
high production levels of 8 to 10 tonnes/hectare/year in an incubation center. The late 1980s saw the dawn of
aquaculture in India and transformed fish culture into a more modern enterprise. With economic liberalization
of early 1990s, fishing industry got a major investment boost.

India's breeding and culture technologies include primarily different species of carp; other species such as
catfish, murrels and prawns are recent additions.

The culture systems adopted in the country vary greatly depending on the input available in any particular
region as well as on the investment capabilities of the farmer. While extensive aquaculture is carried out in
comparatively large water bodies with stocking of the fish seed as the only input beyond utilising natural
productivity, elements of fertilisation and feeding have been introduced into semi-intensive culture. The
different culture systems in Indian practice include:
Intensive pond culture with supplementary feeding and aeration (1015 tonnes/ha/yr)
Composite carp culture (46 tonnes/ha/yr)
Weed-based carp polyculture (34 tonnes/ha/yr)
Integrated fish farming with poultry, pigs, ducks, horticulture, etc. (35 tonnes/ha/yr)
Pen culture (35 tonnes/ha/yr)
Cage culture (1015 kg/m/yr)
Running-water fish culture (2050 kg/m/yr)

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Aquaculture resources in India include 2.36 million hectares of ponds and tanks, 1.07 million hectares of
beels, jheels and derelict waters plus in addition 0.12 million kilometers of canals, 3.15 million hectares of
reservoirs and 0.72 million hectares of upland lakes that could be utilised for aquaculture purposes. Ponds
and tanks are the prime resources for freshwater aquaculture in India. However, less than 10 percent of
India's natural potential is used for aquaculture currently.

The FAO of the United Nations estimates that about 1.2 million hectares of potential brackishwater area
available in India is suitable for farming, in addition to this, around 8.5 million hectares of salt affected areas
are also available, of which about 2.6 million hectares could be exclusively utilised for aquaculture due to the
unsuitability of these resources for other agriculture based activities. However, just like India's fresh water
resources, the total brackishwater area under cultivation is only just over 13 percent of the potential water
area available. India offers opportunities for highly productive farming of shrimp in its brackishwater resources.
Carp hatcheries in both the public and private sectors have contributed towards the increase in seed
production from 6321 million fry in 19851986 to over 18500 million fry in 2007. There are 35 freshwater
prawn hatcheries in the coastal states producing over 200 million seed per annum. Furthermore, the 237
shrimp hatcheries with a production capacity of approximately 11.425 billion post larvae per year are meeting
the seed requirement of the brackish water shrimp farming sector.

Freshwater aquaculture activity is prominent in the eastern part of the country, particularly the states of West
Bengal, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh with new areas coming under culture in the states of Punjab, Haryana,
Assam and Tripura. Brackishwater aquaculture is mainly concentrated on the coasts of Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu, Orissa and West Bengal. With regards to the market, while the main areas of consumption for
freshwater fish are in West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and north-eastern India, cultured brackishwater shrimps
supply India's fish export industry.

Distribution of fish industry in Indian states
Fishing is a diverse industry in India. The table below presents the top ten fish harvesting states in India, for
the 2007-2008 agriculture year.
Leading fish producing states in India, 20072008
Rank State Total production (metric tonnes)
1 West Bengal 1,447,260
2 Andhra Pradesh 1,010,830
3 Gujarat 721,910
4 Kerala 667,330
5 Tamil Nadu 559,360
6 Maharashtra 556,450
7 Orissa 349,480
8 Uttar Pradesh 325,950
9 Bihar 319,100
10 Karnataka 297,690

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Between 2000 and 2010, the freshwater prawn farming in India has grown rapidly. The state of Andhra
Pradesh dominates the sector with over 86 percent of the total production in India with approximately 60
percent of the total water area dedicated to prawn farming, followed by West Bengal. Mixed farming of
freshwater prawn along with carp is also very much accepted as a technologically sound culture practice and
a viable option for enhancing farm income. Thirty five freshwater prawn hatcheries, at present producing
about 200 million seed per annum, cater for the requirements of the country.

Major harbours
Apart from four main fishing harbours--Mangalore (Karnataka), Kochi (Kerala), Chennai (Tamil Nadu),
Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), and Roychowk in Kolkata (West Bengal)--twenty-three minor fishing
harbors and ninety-five fish-landing centers are designated to provide landing and berthing facilities to fishing
craft. The harbors at Vishakhapatnam, Kochi, and Roychowk were completed by 1980; the one at Madras
was completed in the 1980s. A major fishing harbor was under construction at Sassoon Dock in Mumbai in
the early 1990s, as were thirteen additional minor fishing harbors and eighteen small landing centers. By early
1990, there were 225 deep-sea fishing vessels operating in India's exclusive economic zone. Of these, 165
were owned by Indian shipping companies, and the rest were chartered foreign fishing vessels.
The government provides subsidies to poor fishermen so that they can motorize their traditional craft to
increase the range and frequency of operation, with a consequent increase in the catch and earnings. A total
of about 26,171 traditional craft had been motorized under the program by 1992.

Land use pattern in India
Land use pattern in India relates to the physical characteristics of land, the institutional and other resources
framework like labour, capital available. All these aspects are associated with the economic development.
India has a total land area of approximately 328 million hectares. Mostly, land utilisation statistics are
obtainable for almost 93 % of the entire area that is around 306 million hectares. It is considerable to note that
every forefather over the past 8,000 years or so have been successful in harbouring nearly 140 million
hectares of land from the natural ecosystem to agriculture. From the time of independence, people have been
successful to add another 22 million hectares. As a result, 162 million hectares of land excels as the net sown
area at present. It forms a stupendous percentage of as high as 51%. No other large country is as fortunate
as India in this regard.

Reporting and Non-Reporting Land
The land for which the data on classification of land-use is available is known as Reporting Land. In some
cases the reporting land is that land, where the land use pattern figures are supported on land records and
are based on village records or papers. These records are preserved by village revenue agency and here the
data is completely based on details of entire areas. In cases, where the records are not preserved, the
estimates are mostly based on sample survey. Thus, the statistics of land use pattern are based on these two
methods. On the other hand, the lands where no data is available are known as Non-Reporting Lands.

Uncultivated Land
According to the available land use statistics, there has been a slight increase in the net sown area. Almost 28
million hectares have been added over the passing few decades. Around 1.3 % of the land is under fruit trees.
Nearly 5 % of the land falls in the category of uncultivated land which is cultivated once every 2 to 3 years.
Thus, near about 51% of the whole area, on an average, is cultivated once a year. The uncultivated lands are
subsidiary lands and are kept so to re-establish their richness. Its use depends upon high-quality and timely
rains also.
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Pastures and other Grazing Lands
The area separated as cultivable waste, has remained stationary at around 6.4 % for several decades. The
land under permanent pastures is despondently low and suggests a remarkable population pressure on the
land. Also, credit must be confirmed on the farmers that with so modest land under pastures, they have the
biggest number of cattle. They are nurtured mainly on husk, grain chaff, farm waste and few fodder crops.
This is definitely the most economical way to have a larger number of drought animals and bovine cattle.
Areas that have been classed under forests are also used for cattle grazing.

Forested land in India is far less in scientific norm. For a self-sufficient economy and accurate ecological
steadiness, at least one third of the total land area must be kept under forests and natural vegetation. In India,
it is as low as 19.27%. Photographic proof, gained from satellites has confirmed that only about 46 million
hectares come under real forests, as opposed to the estimated 63 million hectares, according to the figures of
land use pattern. However, this outline establishes a tiny rise from 40 million hectares.

Forest Lands
It is important for the populace to ensure that they increase the area under forests for reasons more than one.
A bigger area under forests is an obligation, to maintain the ecological balance and for absorption of carbon
dioxide, the assemblage of which is likely to heighten the green house effect. This in turn would raise
atmospheric temperature at the global stage. It may lead to thawing of ice caps and equivalent rise in sea
level, jeopardising low-lying densely populated parts of the world. Forests supply home to wildlife and help
their continuation. They help in enhancing the level of rainfall, minimising cases of famine. Forested lands also
help in permeation of rainwater in the subsoil and modulating the flow of river waters in both rainy and dry
seasons. Forests safeguard not only water but soil as well. They, thus, help in plunging the volume of
floodwaters and their ferocity.

Wasteland
A part of the land that is not utilised for the moment is classified as wasteland. This embraces the baked and
rocky deserts. High mountainous and uneven lands also fall into this category. At times humankind has also
been responsible to add to such areas by deforestation and overgrazing.

Measures for proper Land Use
The mounting population and advanced standards of living have resulted in an ever increasing demand for
residential land, both in villages and towns. Cities and towns are obligated to grow vertically rather than
horizontally. Land is needed to develop industry, commerce, transport and recreational facilities. In view of
mounting pressure on land for numerous purposes, it is customary to plan appropriate use of all the
obtainable land. This may be done by following fitting measures to control soil erosion, desertification etc.
which turns cultivatable land into wildernesses. In addition, some of the barrens may be brought around for
different uses. Likewise, with the help of up-to-date and scientific methods of farming, productivity of land can
also be amplified. All endeavours should be made to strike a balance amongst diverse use of land.

In India the capacity for expansion of cultivation to further new areas is very restricted. As of now, 49% of the
entire reporting land is cultured. Fallow and other waste lands, including grazing pastures, which are not
currently cultivated, is presumed around 42 million hectares, and further expansion of cultivation to such lands
would be expensive as improvements should be made on irrigation and water and soil conservation.

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In the dynamic context, keeping in view the natural endowments and the recent advances in technology, the
overall interests of a country may dictate a certain modification of or a change in the existing land-use pattern
of a region. A proper study of the present land-use patterns and the developing trends will help to suggest the
scope for planned shifts in the patterns in India.

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