Agricultural land use, seasons and farming types

In rural India, lack of land is closely linked to poverty; owning land also gives security and social status.

Total cultivable land = net sown area + all fallows + culturable wasteland: about 57.7 per cent of the reporting area.

Cropping intensity = gross cropped area ÷ net sown area × 100. It shows how many times the same land is used in a year. A high intensity suits India, which has plenty of labour.

Cropping seasons:

• Kharif: June to September, with the south-west monsoon.
• Rabi: October to March, in winter.
• Zaid: April to June, a short summer season after the rabi harvest.

In southern India, temperatures stay high, so crops can be grown all year and the seasons are not sharply separated.

Types of farming by water source:

• Irrigated farming: protective (to protect crops from drought) or productive (to raise yields).
• Rainfed farming: dryland (in areas with less than 75 cm of rain) or wetland (in rainy areas).