AGRICULTURAL YIELD LOSSES DUE TO HUMAN-INDUCED LAND DEGRADATION

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare AGRICULTURAL YIELD LOSSES DUE TO HUMAN-INDUCED LAND DEGRADATION प्रव तथ: 07 AUG 2026 6:13PM by PIB Delhi Government has not undertaken any assessment on agricultural land affected by degradation and its impact on crop productivity. However, as per Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India (2021) published by the Space Applications Centre (ISRO), an area of 6.38 lakh ha is manmade desertification and land degradation in the country as on 2018–19. The State wise details, including the State of Maharashtra, are given in Annexure.

The Government has taken various measures to promote soil restoration, sustainable land management, water conservation and climate resilient agriculture to improve agricultural productivity, as given below:

i. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) reported that, to promote soil restoration and sustainable land management, it has developed and recommended location-specific technologies such as contour cultivation, intercropping, crop rotation, conservation agriculture, mulching, green manuring, reduced tillage, agroforestry etc. For the management of salt-affected soils, ICAR recommends gypsum application, bio-drainage, subsurface drainage, salt-tolerant crop varieties and bio-reclamation measures, including salt-tolerant grasses. ICAR has also developed General Fertilizer Recommendations (GFR) and Soil Test Crop Response (STCR)-based recommendations, which have been shared with the States to promote soil test-based balanced nutrient application, improve soil fertility, enhance soil organic carbon and increase nutrient-use efficiency. For water conservation, ICAR promotes integrated watershed management through bio-engineering measures, contour and graded bunds, stone bunds, contour and staggered trenches, bench terraces, check dams and water harvesting structures such as farm ponds and community ponds.

ii. Further, The Government through, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is implementing a project- National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) in 651 districts that studies the impact of climate change on agriculture and conducts district level risk & vulnerability assessment due to climate change. Out of the 310 districts identified as vulnerable to climate change, 201 have been categorized as 'High' climate-vulnerable and 109 as 'Very High' climate- vulnerable. District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs) for these 651 districts have also been prepared to address weather aberrations and recommending location specific climate resilient crops and varieties and management practices. To enhance resilience to climate variability, location- specific climate-resilient technologies, including the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), aerobic rice, direct-seeded rice and in-situ crop residue management, are being demonstrated for adoption by farmers. Under NICRA, climate-resilient technologies are being demonstrated in 448 Climate Resilient Villages across 151 vulnerable districts in 28 States/UTs, supported by village-level seed banks and community nurseries to enhance farmers' resilience and ensure timely availability of quality seeds. Technical assistance is provided to small and marginal farmers through Village Climate Risk Management Committees (VCRMCs), while training programmes are conducted under the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA). Further, ICAR has released 2900varieties during last 10 years (2014-2024), out of which 2661 varieties are tolerant to one or more biotic and/or abiotic stresses.

iii. The Government is implementing various programmes to promote sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices to reverse yield losses and improve agricultural productivity. Per Drop More Crop scheme is implemented to promote water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation technologies i.e. drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. Rainfed Area Development scheme is implemented to promote Integrated Farming System for enhancing productivity and minimizing risks associated with climatic variability. The Soil Health and Fertility scheme assists states in promoting Integrated Nutrient Management through judicious use of fertilizers. The Government is also promoting organic farming through Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and natural farming through National Mission on Natural Farming scheme. “Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses”, National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds, and National Food Security & Nutrition Mission promotes crop diversification. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, Agroforestry & National Bamboo Mission also promote climate resilience in agriculture. Further, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana along with weather index based Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme provides a comprehensive insurance cover against failure of the crops, thereby helping compensate farmers for losses caused by natural calamities and climate-related risks.

iv. Under Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin (VB-G RAM-G), water conservation activities are prioritised through Natural Resource Management (NRM) works.

These constitutes 110 works out of 318 permissible works under the programme that improves water security and conservation. Further, the Watershed Management (WM) Division of the Department of Land Resources (DoLR) implements the Watershed Development Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) for the development of rainfed and degraded lands across the country. The activities undertaken, inter alia, include ridge area treatment, drainage line treatment, soil and moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting, nursery raising, pasture development, and livelihood support for asset-less persons. Through these interventions, WDC-PMKSY seeks to promote sustainable development by improving natural resource management and enhancing the resilience of farmers to climate change.

Despite the challenges posed by biotic and abiotic stresses, the agriculture sector has recorded sustained growth in crop productivity and overall agricultural production over the last decade. Food grain production has increased from 252.03 million tonnes in 2014–15 to a record 357.73 million tonnes in 2024–25, while horticulture production has increased from 280.98 million tonnes in 2014–15 to 370.73 million tonnes in 2024–25, reflecting the resilience and steady growth of agricultural production across the country.

Annexure State wise Status of Desertification and Land Degradation Sl. State/UT Total Area under land Degradation (in ha) No.

1 Andhra Pradesh 2,378,042 2 Arunachal Pradesh 200,683 3 Assam 834,5304 Bihar 746,586 5 Chhattisgarh 2,306,531 6 Delhi 91,543 7 Goa 194,877 8 Gujarat 10,248,057 9 Haryana 364,154 10 Himachal Pradesh 2,400,300 11 Jammu & Kashmir 1,129,503 12 Jharkhand 5,482,260 13 Karnataka 6,959,847 14 Kerala 422,299 15 Ladakh 7,111,968 16 Madhya Pradesh 3,859,735 17 Maharashtra 14,306,029 18 Manipur 612,566 19 Meghalaya 557,576 20 Mizoram 275,827 21 Nagaland 828,943 22 Odisha 5,359,014 23 Punjab 167,989 24 Rajasthan 21,237,669 25 Sikkim 84,61026 Tamil Nadu 1,599,981 27 Telangana 3,638,508 28 Tripura 447,378 29 Uttar Pradesh 1,549,608 30 Uttarakhand 673,894 31 West Bengal 1,784,345 Total 97,854,851 This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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