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India reports 97.85 mn hectares of land under degradation
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Monday, 17 August, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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India has reported a total of 97.85 million hectares of land under degradation across States and Union Territories, with Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat accounting for the largest areas, according to the Government.
However, the Government has not undertaken any assessment of agricultural land affected by degradation or its specific impact on crop productivity. As per the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India (2021), published by the Space Applications Centre (ISRO), around 6.38 lakh hectares of land was classified as manmade desertification and land degradation in the country as of 2018–19.
Rajasthan has the largest area under land degradation at 21.24 million hectares, followed by Maharashtra at 14.31 million hectares and Gujarat at 10.25 million hectares. Other States and regions with substantial degraded areas include Ladakh (7.11 million hectares), Karnataka (6.96 million hectares), Jharkhand (5.48 million hectares), Odisha (5.36 million hectares), Madhya Pradesh (3.86 million hectares), Telangana (3.64 million hectares), Himachal Pradesh (2.40 million hectares), Andhra Pradesh (2.38 million hectares) and Chhattisgarh (2.31 million hectares).
Among the northeastern States, Assam has 834,530 hectares under land degradation, followed by Nagaland with 828,943 hectares, Manipur with 612,566 hectares, Meghalaya with 557,576 hectares, Tripura with 447,378 hectares, Mizoram with 275,827 hectares, Arunachal Pradesh with 200,683 hectares and Sikkim with 84,610 hectares.
Other States include Tamil Nadu (1.60 million hectares), Uttar Pradesh (1.55 million hectares), West Bengal (1.78 million hectares), Jammu and Kashmir (1.13 million hectares), Bihar (746,586 hectares), Uttarakhand (673,894 hectares), Kerala (422,299 hectares), Haryana (364,154 hectares), Goa (194,877 hectares), Punjab (167,989 hectares) and Delhi (91,543 hectares).
The Government said it has undertaken a range of measures aimed at soil restoration, sustainable land management, water conservation and climate-resilient agriculture. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed and recommended location-specific practices such as contour cultivation, intercropping, crop rotation, conservation agriculture, mulching, green manuring, reduced tillage and agroforestry.
For salt-affected soils, ICAR recommends measures including gypsum application, bio-drainage, subsurface drainage, salt-tolerant crop varieties and bio-reclamation using salt-tolerant grasses. It has also developed General Fertiliser Recommendations and Soil Test Crop Response-based recommendations to promote balanced, soil test-based nutrient application, improve soil fertility, enhance soil organic carbon and increase nutrient-use efficiency.
For water conservation, ICAR promotes integrated watershed management through measures such as contour and graded bunds, stone bunds, contour and staggered trenches, bench terraces, check dams and farm and community ponds.
The Government is also implementing the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) through ICAR across 651 districts. The initiative assesses the impact of climate change on agriculture and conducts district-level risk and vulnerability assessments. Of the 310 districts identified as vulnerable to climate change, 201 have been classified as highly vulnerable and 109 as very highly vulnerable.
District Agriculture Contingency Plans have been prepared for all 651 districts to address weather aberrations and recommend location-specific climate-resilient crops, varieties and management practices. Climate-resilient technologies such as the System of Rice Intensification, aerobic rice, direct-seeded rice and in-situ crop residue management are also being demonstrated.
Under NICRA, such technologies are being demonstrated in 448 Climate Resilient Villages across 151 vulnerable districts in 28 States and Union Territories. The programme also supports village-level seed banks and community nurseries, while Village Climate Risk Management Committees provide technical assistance to small and marginal farmers.
The Government further highlighted that ICAR has released 2,900 crop varieties between 2014 and 2024, of which 2,661 are tolerant to one or more biotic and/or abiotic stresses.
Several flagship programmes are also being implemented to promote sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture. These include Per Drop More Crop, which promotes micro-irrigation through drip and sprinkler systems; the Rainfed Area Development scheme for integrated farming systems; and the Soil Health and Fertility scheme for integrated nutrient management.
The Government is also promoting organic farming through Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, natural farming through the National Mission on Natural Farming, and crop diversification through the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, National Mission on Edible Oils–Oilseeds and National Food Security and Nutrition Mission. The Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, Agroforestry and the National Bamboo Mission are also aimed at strengthening climate resilience.
Crop losses arising from natural calamities and climate-related risks are addressed through the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and the weather index-based Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme.
Water conservation is also being prioritised under the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission–Gramin (VB-G RAM-G) through Natural Resource Management works. The Government said 110 of the 318 permissible works under the programme relate to water conservation and improving water security.
Meanwhile, the Watershed Management Division of the Department of Land Resources is implementing the Watershed Development Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) for the development of rainfed and degraded lands. Activities include ridge-area treatment, drainage-line treatment, soil and moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting, nursery development, pasture development and livelihood support.
Despite the challenges posed by biotic and abiotic stresses, the Government said agricultural productivity and overall production have continued to grow. Foodgrain production increased from 252.03 million tonnes in 2014–15 to a record 357.73 million tonnes in 2024–25, while horticulture production rose from 280.98 million tonnes to 370.73 million tonnes during the same period.
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