Why is the land use pattern changing in India?

Land use in a region, to a large extent, is influenced by the nature of economic activities carried out in that region. The types of changes that an economy undergoes, which affect land use are:

• The size of the economy (measured in terms of value for all the goods and services produced in the economy) grows over time as a result of increasing population, change in income levels, available technology and associated factors. As a result, the pressure on land will increase with time and marginal lands would come underuse.
• The composition of the economy would undergo a change over time. In other words, the secondary and the tertiary sectors usually grow much faster than the primary sector, specifically the agricultural sector. This type of change is common in developing countries like India. This process would result in a gradual shift of land from agricultural uses to non-agricultural uses.
• In developing countries like India, the share of the population dependent on agriculture usually declines much more slowly compared to the decline in the sector’s share in GDP.

Further Reading:

• Geography Notes
• Geography Questions and Answers for UPSC