SHILADITYA

SWARNAKAR

2017053

RUSIE ASSIGNMENT-3

WHAT DO THE DIFFERENCES IN LAND HOLDING PATTERNS IN BETWEEN IRRIGATED

AND SEMI IRRIGATED AREAS INDICATE? DISCUSS

The agricultural holdings in India are small, fragmented and are found in tiny plots scattered all over the
village. Growing population break down of joint family system, sub division of property among joint
owners, each of whom wants a share in each plot of the ancestral land. Such a process of sub division
and fragmentation may continue to such an extent that every plot may become extremely tiny.

As per the land use statistics 2013-14, the total geographical area of India was 328.7 million hectares, of
which 141.4 million hectares is the reported net sown area and 200.9 million hectares is the gross
cropped area with a cropping intensity of 142 %. [1]

The net sown area works out to be 43% of the total geographical area. The net irrigated area is 68.2
million hectares. [2]

Indian Agriculture is traditionally a system of Rainfed agriculture. Out of 141.4 million hectares of net
cropped area, about 72% is Rainfed production about 45% of food grains and 75 - 80% of pulses and oil
– seeds. [3]

· The average size of the holding has been estimated as 1.15 hectare which has shown a steady
declining trend over various Agriculture Censuses since, 1970-71.

· The nine States, viz., Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and West Bengal together account for about 78 per cent of
the Gross Cropped Area in the country.

· Out of the total 68.2-million-hectare Net Irrigated Area, 48.16 percent is accounted by Small
and Marginal holdings, 43.77 percent by Semi-medium & Medium holdings and 8.07 percent by
Large holdings.

· For 96.95 per cent of operational holdings, entire operated area was located within the village
of residence.


Mainly three types of sources are used for irrigation purposes in India: Wells (including tube wells),
Tanks and Canals.

The average sizes of land holding are too small no scientific cultivation, difficulty in proper utilization of
irrigation facilities. Most of our land remains underutilized unirrigated single cropped and low yielding.

Cultivation is almost impossible without water. There is a need to bring more cropped area under
assured irrigation, improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce water wastage to increase agriculture
productivity and production. Irrigation changes the growing pattern of crops and cropping intensity was
found to be more in the irrigated farming areas than that of semi irrigated and rain fed areas.

Excessive irrigation and poor water management are the chief causes of water logging and salt build-up.
An accumulation of salts in soils leads to unfavorable soil-water- air relationships and decreases crop
production. Gradually, the land goes out of cultivation, unless remedial measures are under taken.

In view of the decreasing water table in the country, the Government introduced a new scheme in 2014-
15 called the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) to ensure assured irrigation to every field.
The focus is to ensure end-to-end solutions in the irrigation supply chain, from source to-field
application with the vision of “har khet ko pani” and “more crop per drop”.

Total Words: 498

References:

[1] http://eands.dacnet.nic.in/LUS_1999_2004.htm

[2]. Annual report 2016-17 http://www.agricoop.nic.in/

[3] http://www.agriinfo.in/default.aspx?page=topic&superid=1&topicid=421