Maarg Manthan · Topic 11.1

Land Use and Land Capability Classification

Geography › Agriculture and Crop Geography · Topic 11.1

Land use is the classification of land by the purpose it serves. In India the land utilisation statistics use a nine-fold classification: forests; area under non-agricultural uses; barren and unculturable land; permanent pastures and grazing land; land under miscellaneous tree crops; culturable waste; fallow land other than current fallows; current fallows; and net sown area. About 46 per cent of the reporting area is net sown. Land capability classification grades land by its limits for use, from Class I, the best arable land, to Class VIII, which is fit only for wildlife, recreation or water supply.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Agriculture and Crop Geography

At a Glance

Land use classes Nine in India’s statistics
Net sown area About 46 per cent of reporting area
Forests About 23 per cent
Capability classes I to VIII (USDA system)
Cropping intensity Gross cropped area divided by net sown area
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Agriculture and Crop Geography

Where Does It Fit?

This is the first topic of the macro on agriculture and crop geography. It describes how land is classified for use and for capability, before the topics on degradation, management and farming, and it builds on the earlier topic on land-use change. Previous topic: Classification of Cities: Hierarchical and Morphological. Next topic: Causes and Impact of Land Degradation and Steps Taken by the Government of India.

What Is the Land Use Classification of India?

Category	Meaning
Forests	Area classed as forest in revenue records, regardless of tree cover; about 23 per cent of the reporting area
Non-agricultural uses	Land under buildings, roads, railways, industry, water bodies
Barren and unculturable land	Mountains, deserts and rocky land that cannot be cultivated
Permanent pastures and grazing land	Land under grass for grazing
Miscellaneous tree crops and groves	Orchards, bamboo, fuel trees not included in net sown area
Culturable waste	Land that is fit for cultivation but not cultivated for five years or more
Fallow land other than current fallows	Land left uncultivated for one to five years to recover fertility
Current fallows	Land left uncultivated for less than one year
Net sown area	Area sown with crops and orchards, counted once

The reporting area is the area for which land use records are available, about 93 per cent of the total geographical area of 328.7 million hectares. The net sown area has remained at about 140 million hectares for decades, so growth in output has come from raising the yield and the number of crops grown per year. Gross cropped area is the total area sown, counting areas sown more than once, and the cropping intensity is the ratio of gross cropped area to net sown area, which is around 150 per cent. The latest values are in the annual land use statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and should be checked.

What Is Land Capability Classification?

Land capability classification, devised by the United States Department of Agriculture, sorts land into eight classes by the limits that soil, slope, erosion, wetness and climate put on its use.

Class	Suitability	Limits and use
I	Arable, very good	Few limits; level, deep, well drained; any crops
II	Arable, good	Moderate limits; some conservation practices
III	Arable, moderate	Severe limits; special conservation needed
IV	Arable, marginal	Very severe limits; occasional cultivation
V	Non-arable	Wet or stony but little erosion hazard; pasture, forest
VI	Non-arable	Severe limits; pasture and forest
VII	Non-arable	Very severe limits; grazing, forestry, wildlife
VIII	Non-arable	Not suited to production; recreation, wildlife, water supply

Sub-classes show the main hazard: e for erosion, w for wetness, s for soil limits and c for climate. India uses this system and the FAO’s land suitability evaluation in soil surveys by the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning.

Why Do These Classifications Matter?

Planning: they show where land can be farmed safely and where it should stay under forest, grass or water. Class IV to VIII land under cultivation is a main cause of erosion.
Policy: land use plans decide how much farmland can be given to industry, housing and roads, as in Changes in Land Use and Land Cover.
Pressure on land: population growth and urban expansion reduce farmland per person; the average landholding fell from about 2.3 hectares in 1970-71 to about 1.1 hectares in recent surveys. The land reform side is in Land Use Pattern in India and Land Reform (Institutional Factors).
Productivity: yield gaps are greatest on marginal and rainfed lands, which form about half of the cropped area.

As an analytical point, India cannot expand its farmland much more, so land use must become more efficient through irrigation, higher yields, crop choice suited to capability and sustainable management, as in Sustainable Land Management. The degradation of land is in Causes and Impact of Land Degradation and Steps Taken by the Government of India.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Facts Nine-fold list and shares
Concept Capability classes
Policy Land planning

What Came Next?

The next topic describes the causes and impact of land degradation and the steps taken by the Government of India. Next topic: Causes and Impact of Land Degradation and Steps Taken by the Government of India.

Key People and Terms

Net sown area Area under crops, counted once
Gross cropped area Total area sown, counting repeats
Cropping intensity Gross cropped over net sown
Culturable waste Unused land fit for farming
Current fallow Left uncultivated under one year
Land capability Grade of land for use

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Nine-fold classification; net sown area is the farmed land.
Net sown area is about 140 million hectares.
Classes I to IV are arable; V to VIII are not.
Fallow over one year: other fallow; under one: current fallow.
Cropping intensity is about 150 per cent.

Do Not Confuse With

Net sown area and gross cropped area Counted once versus counted each time sown
Current fallow and other fallow Under one year versus one to five years
Land use and land capability Present use versus suitability

Memory Hook

Net is once, gross is each; fallow rests, waste can reach; eight classes, four to plough.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about land use trends and pressure on land. These points add depth.

Pattern Stable net sown area
Pressure Smaller holdings, urban demand
Planning Match use to capability

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Describe the land use pattern of India and explain how land capability classification helps in planning land use.”

How to Answer

Classes Nine-fold list.
Trend Net sown area stable.
Capability Classes I to VIII.
Planning Matching use to land.

GS Relevance

Prelims: nine-fold land use classification, net sown area, capability classes. GS Paper 1 and 3: land resources and agriculture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is net sown area?

Net sown area is the area of land on which crops and orchards are sown, counted only once even if more than one crop is grown on it in the same year. In India it is about 46 per cent of the reporting area, or about 140 million hectares, and has been almost stable for decades.

What is the difference between net sown area and gross cropped area?

Net sown area counts each piece of land once, while gross cropped area counts the land each time it is sown in a year. The ratio of gross cropped area to net sown area is the cropping intensity, which is around 150 per cent in India, showing that many fields yield two crops.

How does the land use classification of India work?

India's land use statistics divide the reporting area into nine categories: forests, area under non-agricultural uses, barren and unculturable land, permanent pastures, miscellaneous tree crops, culturable waste, other fallow land, current fallows and net sown area. The information comes from revenue records.

What is the difference between fallow land and culturable waste?

Fallow land is cultivable land left uncultivated for a period of up to five years to recover fertility, with current fallow being for less than a year. Culturable waste is land fit for cultivation that has been left uncultivated for more than five years, usually because of poor soil or lack of water.

What is land capability classification?

Land capability classification grades land into eight classes by the limits that soil, slope, erosion, wetness and climate impose on its use. Classes I to IV are suited to cultivation, with Class I having the fewest limits, while Classes V to VIII are suited only for pasture, forest, wildlife and recreation.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Net sown area counts land sown more than once multiple times.

False

Gross cropped area does that.

2 Land capability Classes I to IV are suitable for arable farming.

True

Classes V to VIII are not.

3 Culturable waste is land fit for cultivation but left unused for five or more years.