Land degradation and its impact on agricultural productivity: The case of India

Abstract

AbstractLand degradation has emerged as one of the pivotal concerns for Indian agriculture in the 21st century. With rapid modernization and intensification of agricultural operations, land degradation has also increased simultaneously. This study estimates the losses accruing to agriculture from land degradation. On an average, land degradation results in losses in agriculture productivity amounting to INR 3654 per hectare annually (at 2011–12 prices). Further, a reduction in land degradation by 10% would reduce direct economic losses accruing from land degradation to INR 3145 per hectare to INR 3654 per hectare. Examination of state‐level cross section reveals that annual losses accruing from land degradation vary considerably across states. A vulnerability matrix is formulated using four parameters to place the states (sub‐national agricultural units) in the order of vulnerability to land degradation. Further, we estimate that an increase in land degradation by 1% could lead to loss of agricultural productivity by INR 104 per hectare on average (2004–05 prices). The findings of the study indicate that the adoption of land and water conservation measures stands to increase the gross value added to agriculture by reducing economic losses accruing from land.