You must have observed that the land around you is put to different uses. Some land is occupied by rivers, some may have trees, and on some parts roads and buildings have been built. Different types of lands are suited to different uses. Human beings thus, use land as a resource for production as well as residence and recreation. Thus, the building of your school, roads on which you travel, parks in which you play, fields in which crops are grown, and the pastures where animals graze represent different uses to which land is put.

Land-use records are maintained by land revenue departments. The land use categories add up to reporting area, which is somewhat different from the geographical area. The Survey of India is responsible for measuring the geographical area of administrative units in India. Have you ever used a map prepared by the Survey of India? The difference between the two concepts is that while the former changes somewhat depending on the estimates of the land revenue records, the latter does not change and stays fixed as per Survey of India measurements. You may be familiar with land use categories as they are also included in your Social Science textbook of Class X.

(i) Forests: It is important to note that area under actual forest cover is different from area classified as forest. The latter is the area which the Government has identified and demarcated for forest growth. (ii) Barren and Wastelands: The land which may be classified as wasteland, such as barren hilly terrains, desert lands, ravines, etc., normally cannot be brought under cultivation with the available technology. (iii) Land put to Non-agricultural Uses: Land under settlements (rural and urban), infrastructure (roads, canals, etc.), industries, and shops, are included in this category. (iv) Area under Permanent Pastures and Grazing Lands: Most of this type of land is owned by the village 'Panchayat' or the Government. (v) Area under Miscellaneous Tree Crops and Groves: The land under orchards and fruit trees are included in this category. (vi) Culturable Wasteland: Any land which is left fallow (uncultivated) for more than five years is included in this category. (vii) Current Fallow: This is the land which is left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year. (viii) Fallow other than Current Fallow: This is also cultivable land which is left uncultivated for more than a year but less than five years. (ix) Net Area Sown: The physical extent of land on which crops are sown and harvested is known as net sown area.

Land-use in a region, to a large extent, is influenced by the nature of economic activities carried out in that region. However, while economic activities change over time, land, like many other natural resources, is fixed in terms of its area. At this stage, one needs to appreciate three types of changes that an economy undergoes, which affect land-use: (i) The size of the economy grows over time due to increasing population and changes in income levels. As a result, pressure on land increases. (ii) The composition of the economy changes over time. Secondary and tertiary sectors usually grow much faster than the primary sector. (iii) There’s an increasing pressure on land for agricultural activities despite the declining share of agriculture in the economy.

(i) Culturable waste land is land that needs improvement to become productive again, and (ii) Current fallow refers to agricultural land left uncultivated for a short time to recover. Understanding the distinction between these types of land helps manage agricultural practices effectively.

India has undergone major changes within the economy over the past four or five decades, influencing land-use changes. The changes between 1950-51 and 2014-15 show four categories that have increased: area under forest, area under non-agricultural uses, current fallow lands, and net area sown.