Developing a policy framework for culturable wastelands

Abstract

The iproblem iof ifalling iland-to-person iratio iin iIndia iis iexacerbated iby ithe irising iprevalence iof iculturable iwastelands. iNature iand iman-made iforces iare iboth iat iwork iin idisplacing imore iand imore icultivable iland ifrom iusage ifor iagricultural ioutput, ifood isupply, iand irural iwell-being. iInadequate iproperty irights, iparticularly iaccess ito iland; ipoverty; ipopulation iexplosion iand ia idiminishing iland-man iratio; iineffective igovernment ipolicies; iand ian iinadequate iaccess ito imarkets, icredit, iand itechnology isuitable ifor isustainable iagricultural igrowth, ito iname ia ifew. iThe irural ipoor ihave ia inatural iinclination ito ioverexploit ifarmland. iOvergrazing, ideforestation, iand iunsanitary ifarming imethods iare icommon iexamples. iInappropriate icultivation itechniques, ifor iexample, ican iexpose isoil ito iwater iand iwind ierosion, iwaterlogging, isalinization ior ialkalinization, irepeated itillage iunder ieconomic istress ican iweaken isoil istructure, iinsufficient ior iimbalanced iuse iof ipesticides iand ifertilizers ican iremove isoil inutrients iand idamage iland's iyield raising icapability, iand isoion. Agriculture and related industries are the backbone of the Indian economy, as well as the economy of the state, Odisha. Agriculture and related activities provide a living for about 60% of the population. Growth in this sector is critical for guaranteeing food security as well as the general socio-economic development of the state's farming community. Due to urbanisation and more land being allocated to non-agricultural use, the State's operating area decreased from 48.52 lakh ha in 2011-12 to 46.19 lakh ha in 2015-16. As a result, the average size of land holdings in the State has shrunk to 0.95 ha across all social classes. Therefore, it is evident that the availability of land for agriculture could determine the future pattern of India's rural development, most significantly the farm-nonfarm links, rural-urban migration, the incidence of rural-urban poverty, and so on. As per a report published by Financial Express Bureau on 21st January 2022, it has been mentioned that because of low / meagre income in primary sector, even after having ample fertile land parcels, rural people are emigrating to other rural or urban areas for better employment opportunities or improved standard of living; or are shifting their occupation to non-agricultural sectors, thereby leaving the agricultural Developing a Policy Framework for Culturable Wastelands: Case study of Boriguma, Koraput, Odisha land as fallow. This results in several potentially cultivable land remaining unattended for years, or conversion of Landuse. So, the study will focus on these concerns and will provide an understanding on what are culturable wastelands? How are they formed? How they could be utilized? It will also generate a sense of responsibility that we need to look on land as a very crucial resource and utilize it efficiently and to the fullest. The policy framed could, not only help in reviving the agricultural aspect, but also be linked to other aspects like economy to better counter the situation.