Causes and Impact of Land Degradation and Steps Taken by the Government of India
Geography › Agriculture and Crop Geography · Topic 11.2
Land degradation is the decline in the productive capacity of land. Natural causes include rainfall, slopes, floods and drought. Human causes include deforestation, overgrazing, unsuitable farming, overuse of irrigation and fertiliser, mining, urban sprawl and industrial pollution. Its impacts are falling yields, loss of income and food security, poverty and migration, loss of biodiversity, silted reservoirs and greater floods. India has degraded land equal to nearly a third of its area. Government steps include watershed programmes, soil health cards, afforestation, the Bonn Challenge pledge of 26 million hectares and a Delhi declaration at the UNCCD conference in 2019.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Agriculture and Crop Geography
At a Glance
- Extent in India Nearly 30 per cent of area (2018 to 2019)
- Causes Erosion, deforestation, overgrazing, salinity
- Impact Lower yields, poverty, floods
- Global treaty UNCCD (1994)
- India’s pledge Restore 26 million hectares by 2030
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Agriculture and Crop Geography
Where Does It Fit?
This topic follows the account of land use and capability and takes up the loss of land quality. It complements the topic on soil degradation in the physical geography of India, with a focus here on causes, impacts and national action. Previous topic: Land Use and Land Capability Classification. Next topic: Sustainable Land Management.
What Are the Causes of Land Degradation?
| Type | Causes |
|---|---|
| Natural | Steep slopes and heavy rain, floods, drought, wind, landslides, rising sea level and salt-rich parent material |
| Land-use change | Deforestation, conversion of grassland and wetland, urban sprawl, mining and quarrying |
| Farming practices | Continuous cropping without rest, up and down the slope ploughing, burning of crop residue, overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, shifting cultivation with short fallow |
| Water management | Canal irrigation without drainage causing waterlogging and salinity; over-extraction of groundwater |
| Grazing | Overgrazing and trampling by livestock, especially on commons |
| Social and economic | Population pressure, small holdings, poverty, insecure land rights and weak enforcement |
| Climate change | More extreme rain and drought, rising temperature and spread of desertification |
The physical processes and the soil types affected are in Soil Degradation and Erosion in India and Conservation Measures and regur) Acidic leached soil Laterite Desert soil Arid soil, sandy Classification…">Types, Textures and Distribution of Soils in India.
What Are the Impacts?
- Productivity and food security: yields fall as topsoil, organic matter and nutrients are lost. The loss of farm output is reflected in a cost of land degradation that studies estimate at a few per cent of the gross domestic product of India each year.
- Rural poverty and migration: farmers on degraded land earn less, take on debt and migrate to cities, as in Urbanization Challenges: Rural-Urban Migration, Emergence of Slums, Informal Settlements.
- Water: reduced infiltration, more runoff and floods; siltation shortens reservoir lives; groundwater recharge falls.
- Environment and climate: loss of soil carbon and biodiversity, dust storms and the spread of desert conditions.
- Social conflict: disputes over land, water and pasture.
What Steps Has the Government of India Taken?
| Step | Content |
|---|---|
| National Action Programme to Combat Desertification (2001) | Prepared under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD, 1994), to which India is a party |
| Watershed development (PMKSY-WDC and earlier schemes) | Treatment of rainfed catchments with soil and water conservation, with village participation |
| National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (2014) | Soil health management, water use efficiency and climate-resilient farming |
| Soil Health Card (2015) and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana | Balanced fertiliser use and organic farming |
| National Mission for a Green India and the National Afforestation Programme | Tree cover and forest restoration |
| Reclamation of saline and alkaline soils | Drainage and gypsum, with the research of the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal |
| Bonn Challenge and UNCCD COP14 (New Delhi, September 2019) | India raised its target to restore degraded land to 26 million hectares by 2030; the Delhi Declaration called for land degradation neutrality |
| Monitoring by ISRO | Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas from satellite data |
Land degradation neutrality, a target under Sustainable Development Goal 15.3, means that the amount of healthy land stays stable or grows, by balancing losses with restoration. As an analytical point, success has been limited by weak coordination among departments, short project periods and poor involvement of the land users, which is why the approach of the next topic stresses community management. The management practices are in Sustainable Land Management. Degradation also differs by region: water erosion and ravines dominate the northern and central uplands, salinity and waterlogging the canal-irrigated north-west and coasts, wind erosion the Thar margins, and loss of vegetation the hills of the Himalaya and the Western Ghats. In the Northeast the main issue is shifting cultivation on steep slopes. Because causes differ, remedies must be local, and one national scheme cannot fit all. Also, the social side matters: women often manage the commons and the household fuel supply, so their involvement in restoration is important. Satellite monitoring now allows yearly tracking of change, so that the results of programmes can be checked, and independent audits of the watershed and afforestation spending have pointed to the need for better maintenance after the first years.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Treaty UNCCD and COP14
- Programmes Watershed and missions
- Link Poverty and food
What Came Next?
The next topic describes sustainable land management. Next topic: Sustainable Land Management.
Key People and Terms
- Land degradation Loss of land’s productive capacity
- Desertification Degradation in dry areas
- UNCCD UN Convention to Combat Desertification
- LDN Land degradation neutrality
- Watershed Catchment treated as a unit
- Waterlogging Saturation by a rising water table
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- UNCCD was adopted in 1994.
- COP14 was held in New Delhi in 2019.
- India’s target: 26 million hectares by 2030.
- LDN is part of SDG 15.3.
- NAP to Combat Desertification: 2001.
Do Not Confuse With
- Land degradation and desertification General loss versus loss in dry areas
- Erosion and salinisation Physical removal versus accumulation of salts
- UNCCD and UNFCCC Desertification treaty versus climate treaty
Memory Hook
Rain washes, plough peels, salt creeps in; watershed, card and pledge begin to win.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about the impacts of degradation and policy measures. These points add depth.
- Causes Natural and human
- Impact Food, poverty, water
- Response Programmes and treaties
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Discuss the causes and impacts of land degradation in India and critically assess the steps taken by the government to address it.”
How to Answer
- Causes Natural and human.
- Impacts Productivity and poverty.
- Steps Watershed to UNCCD.
- Gaps Coordination and community.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is land degradation?
Land degradation is the decline in the productive capacity and ecological health of land because of natural processes and human activity. It includes soil erosion, salinity, waterlogging, loss of vegetation and nutrients, and desertification. About 30 per cent of India's geographical area is estimated to be degraded.
What are the main impacts of land degradation?
Land degradation lowers crop yields and farm incomes, threatens food security, raises poverty and migration, increases floods and siltation of reservoirs, reduces groundwater recharge, and causes loss of biodiversity and soil carbon. Studies suggest that its annual economic cost is several per cent of India's gross domestic product.
What is the UNCCD and what was decided at COP14?
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, adopted in 1994, is the international treaty to address land degradation in dry areas. Its 14th Conference of Parties was held in New Delhi in September 2019, where India announced a target to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
What is land degradation neutrality?
Land degradation neutrality is a goal under Sustainable Development Goal 15.3 in which the amount and quality of healthy land stays stable or increases, by balancing the unavoidable loss of land with restoration elsewhere. It encourages avoiding, reducing and reversing land degradation.
What government programmes address land degradation in India?
Programmes include watershed development under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, Soil Health Cards, the National Afforestation Programme and the Green India Mission, reclamation of saline soils, and the National Action Programme to Combat Desertification prepared under the UNCCD.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The UNCCD conference of 2019 was held in New Delhi.
It was COP14.
2 Land degradation affects only dry areas.
It occurs in all climates; desertification is for dry areas.
3 India has pledged to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
Under the Bonn Challenge and UNCCD.
4 Land degradation neutrality is part of SDG 15.3.
It balances loss and restoration.
Past Mains Questions on This Topic
This topic comes under Agriculture and Crop Geography. UPSC Mains questions asked on the matching syllabus topic, year-wise with marks:
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