Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 3 ( Land Resouces and Agriculture ): CBSE Class 12 Geography Notes are essential for students studying Social Science, as Geography is a crucial sub-subject that requires properly written answers.
These notes, made by subject experts, make it easier for students to learn about how societies work and why people do what they do.
By reading these notes, students can get a better grasp of how societies are organized and why people act the way they do. They're especially useful for class 12 students who want to learn more about the land.
Land Use Categories
The Land Revenue Department manages land categorization and record-keeping, including reporting area details. Land use categories in land revenue records include:
- Forest
- Non-agricultural land use
- Barren and Wastelands
- Permanent pastures and grazing lands
- Miscellaneous tree crops and groves
- Culturable wastelands
- Current fallow
- Net sown area
Land-use Changes in India
The way land is used in a region is heavily influenced by the economic activities taking place there. As the economy grows, driven by factors like population increase, changing technology, and income levels, the demand for land also rises.
- This puts pressure on land, leading to the utilisation of marginal areas. Moreover, there is a shift in the economy's composition over time, with the secondary and tertiary sectors growing faster than the primary sectors, especially agriculture.
- This transition often results in a gradual conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural uses, particularly noticeable around large urban areas where land is used for construction.
- Despite the decreasing contribution of agriculture to the economy, the demand for agricultural land remains high due to slow declines in the agricultural workforce and the increasing population needing food.
- India has experienced significant economic changes over the past few decades, influencing land use patterns.
- The percentages in the figure are based on the reporting area, which has remained relatively constant over the years. Thus, a decline in one category often corresponds to an increase in another category.
- Among the land-use categories, four have seen an increase, while four have experienced a decline.
The area under forest, non-agricultural uses, current fallow lands, and net area sown have shown an increase. Here are some observations about these increases:
(i) The highest rate of increase is seen in the area under non-agricultural uses. This is mainly due to the changing structure of the Indian economy, which increasingly relies on contributions from industrial and service sectors. The expansion of urban and rural settlements has contributed to this increase, leading to a rise in non-agricultural land at the expense of wastelands and agricultural areas.
(ii) The increase in forest area is primarily due to the expansion of demarcated forest areas rather than an actual increase in forest cover across the country.
(iii) The increase in current fallow lands cannot be solely explained by the available data. The trend of current fallow lands fluctuates significantly over the years, influenced by factors like rainfall variability and cropping cycles.
(iv) The recent increase in net area sown is attributed to the utilization of culturable wasteland for agricultural purposes. Previously, there was a slow decrease in net area sown, largely due to the expansion of non-agricultural uses, including building activities on agricultural land.
On the other hand, four categories have registered a decline: barren and wasteland, culturable wasteland, area under pastures and tree crops, and fallow lands. Here are some explanations for these declining trends:
(i) The decline in wastelands and culturable wastelands can be attributed to increased pressure from both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors over time.
(ii) The decrease in land under pastures and grazing lands is mainly due to encroachment from agricultural activities. Illegal expansion of cultivation onto common pasture lands has significantly contributed to this decline.
Common Property Resources
Land ownership can be broadly divided into two categories: private land and common property resources (CPRs).
- Private land is owned by individuals or groups, whereas CPRs are owned by the state and intended for community use.
- CPRs play a crucial role in rural areas, providing fodder for livestock, fuel for households, and other minor forest products like fruits, nuts, and medicinal plants.
- These resources are especially important for landless and marginal farmers, as well as other vulnerable groups who rely on income from their livestock due to limited access to land.
- Women, in particular, depend on CPRs for fodder and fuel collection, often spending long hours gathering these resources from degraded areas.
- CPRs are community-owned natural resources, where every member has the right of access and usage, along with specified obligations, without individual property rights.
- Examples of CPRs include community forests, pasture lands, village water bodies, and other public spaces managed by a group larger than a household or family unit.
Agricultural Land Use in India
For many Indians, agriculture is their primary source of livelihood, either directly by working on the land or indirectly through related activities. Unlike the secondary and tertiary sectors, which are more diverse, agriculture is a land-based activity.
- The quality of land plays a crucial role in agriculture, as fertile land tends to yield higher output or production.
- In rural areas, land ownership is often viewed as a reflection of social status and provides security for obtaining credit, mitigating natural hazards, or dealing with unforeseen circumstances.
- To assess the total resources available for agricultural use, we consider the net sown area along with all fallow lands and culturable wastelands.
- Cropping Intensity (CI) is a key measure used in agriculture, calculated by dividing the Gross Cropped Area (GCA) by the Net Sown Area (NSA) and multiplying by 100 to get the percentage.
Cropping Seasons in India
In the northern and interior regions of the country, there are three main crop seasons: kharif, rabi, and zaid. The Kharif season typically aligns with the Southwest Monsoon, allowing for the cultivation of tropical crops like rice, cotton, jute, jowar, bajra, and tur.
- Following kharif, the rabi season spans from October-November to March-April, benefiting from lower temperatures suitable for temperate and subtropical crops such as wheat, gram, and mustard.
- Zaid, a short summer cropping season, occurs after the rabi harvest, focusing on crops like watermelons, cucumbers, vegetables, and fodder, primarily on irrigated lands.
- However, such distinct cropping seasons are not observed in the country's southern parts. There, the consistently high temperatures support the growth of tropical crops throughout the year, provided there is sufficient soil moisture.
- This allows for the cultivation of the same crops up to three times annually, depending on the availability of soil moisture.
Types of Farming
In India, farming is categorised based on the moisture available for crops:
Irrigated Farming: This type of farming relies on irrigation methods such as wells and tubewells to provide moisture for crops. It can be further classified into protective and productive farming.
Rainfed Farming (Barani): Rainfed farming depends solely on rainfall for moisture. It includes dryland farming, suitable for regions with less than 75 cm of rainfall, where crops like ragi, bajra, moong, gram, and guar are grown.
Conversely, wetland farming occurs in regions with excess rainfall, leading to potential flood and soil erosion hazards. Such areas cultivate water-intensive crops like rice, jute, and sugarcane.
Cropping Pattern
Food grains: Food grains, which make up about two-thirds of the total cropped area in India, are classified based on grain structure:
Cereals: India ranks third in cereal production globally, covering around 54% of the total cropped area. Major cereals include:
- Rice: An essential crop feeding over half of India's population, with significant production in states like West Bengal, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.
- Wheat: Cultivated mainly in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, Malwa Plateau, and the Himalayas, with major producers being Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana.
Coarse Grains: Grown in approximately 16.50% of the total cropped area, coarse grains include:
- Jowar/Sorghum: Maharashtra is the largest producer of Jowar, with significant cultivation in central and southern states like Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
- Bajra: Major producers include Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.
- Maize: Grown widely across India, except for eastern and northeastern regions, with leading producers including Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
Pulses: Cultivated in about 11% of the total cropped area, pulses are largely grown in dryland regions like the Deccan and Central plateaus, with major varieties including gram and tur (arhar).
Oilseeds: Grown in approximately 14% of the total cropped area, oilseeds include groundnut, rapeseed, mustard, soybean, and sunflower. Leading producers are found in regions like the Malwa Plateau, Maharashtra, and Telangana.
Fibre Crops: These crops provide fibers for cloth-making and include:
- Cotton: India ranks fourth globally in cotton production, with major producers in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh.
- Jute: West Bengal accounts for the majority of India's jute production.
Other Crops:
- Sugarcane: An important cash crop grown primarily in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
- Tea: Assam is the largest producer of tea in India, followed by West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
- Coffee: Karnataka is the largest producer of coffee in India, accounting for over 66% of the country's total coffee production.
Agricultural Development in India
Agriculture remains a vital sector in the Indian economy. As of 2001, approximately 53 per cent of the country's population depended on it for their livelihood.
- This sector's significance is underscored by the allocation of about 57 per cent of India's land for crop cultivation, a substantially higher proportion compared to the global average of around 12 per cent.
- Despite this extensive land use, there exists considerable pressure on agricultural land in India, evident in the country's land-human ratio of only 0.31 hectares, nearly half of the global average of 0.59 hectares.
- Despite numerous challenges, including limited land availability, Indian agriculture has made significant strides forward since gaining independence.
Strategy of Development
Before Independence, Indian agriculture primarily focused on subsistence farming. This era often experienced severe droughts, famines, and food shortages.
About one-third of the irrigated area was allocated to Pakistan after partition. In response, the government implemented several strategies to boost food grain production:
- Shifting from cash crops to food crops.
- Intensifying cropping on existing cultivated land.
- Expanding cultivated area by bringing fallow and cultivable land under cultivation.
Despite these efforts, agricultural progress was limited until the introduction of modern technology. Key advancements included:
- High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds
- Fertilizers
- Mechanization
- Improved irrigation, credit, and marketing facilities
- Intensive Area Development Programme
These initiatives collectively constituted the Green Revolution, which made India self-sufficient in food grain production.
Initially, the Green Revolution was concentrated in irrigated areas, leading to regional disparities in agricultural development until the 1970s.
To address this, the Planning Commission launched plans to tackle agricultural challenges in rainfed areas in the 1980s. In 1988, it introduced agro-climate planning to promote regional balance in agricultural development.
Growth of Agricultural Output and Technology
Since independence, significant advancements in agricultural technologies have led to increased agricultural production in India. As a result, India has become the largest producer of pulses and jute, and the second-largest producer of rice, wheat, groundnut, sugarcane, and vegetables.
New technologies, such as High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds and chemical fertilizers, have played a crucial role in boosting food grain production. For instance, the use of chemical fertilizers has increased fifteenfold since the mid-1960s.
However, Indian agriculture still faces several challenges:
- Dependence on Erratic Monsoon: Only 33% of the cultivated area in India is under irrigation. The unpredictable nature of the South-West monsoon leads to frequent floods and droughts.
- Low Productivity: India lags in terms of per-hectare and per-person production compared to international standards. This low productivity is exacerbated by the high population density, putting immense pressure on available land resources.
- Constraints of Financial Resources and Indebtedness: Limited financial resources pose a major hurdle to agricultural development. Most farmers, especially small and marginal ones, cannot afford expensive inputs to increase their production.
- Lack of Land Reforms: Unequal distribution of land resources due to the absence of effective land reforms has resulted in the plight of poor and marginal farmers, hindering agricultural development.
- Small Farm Size and Fragmentation of Landholdings: Inheritance laws have contributed to small and fragmented farm sizes, making it challenging for farmers to adopt modern agricultural practices.
- Lack of Commercialization: Many farmers practice subsistence agriculture due to their impoverished conditions, limiting the scope for commercialization and income generation.
- Vast Underemployment: Seasonal unemployment is prevalent in the agricultural sector, with farmers facing income uncertainty from ploughing fields to harvesting crops.
- Degradation of Cultivable Land: Despite the Green Revolution's initial success, land degradation has become a growing concern. Excessive use of irrigation and chemical fertilizers has led to waterlogging, soil salinization, and declining soil fertility over time.
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