Land-use changes in India
Topic: Land Use, Farming Systems and Cropping Seasons in India · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "Land Resources and Agriculture"
Meaning
Land-use changes in India are the shifts in how land is shared among the nine land-use categories over time. Land is fixed, but the economy changes. It grows in size, it moves towards industry and services, and it still needs land to feed more people. Between 1950-51 and 2019-20, five categories rose: forests, non-agricultural uses, permanent pastures, current fallow and net sown area. Four fell: barren land, culturable wasteland, tree crops and groves, and other fallows.
Example
Land under non-agricultural uses had the highest rate of increase, as cities, roads and industries spread. Forest share also rose, but mainly because more land was marked out as forest, not because more trees grew. Net sown area rose recently after culturable wasteland was reclaimed.
Don't confuse with
- Actual increase vs rate of increase: actual increase is the later value minus the earlier value. Rate of increase is that difference divided by the base-year value, times 100. A small category can have a high rate of increase.