Land Degradation in India: Linkages with Deforestation, Climate and Agriculture (SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science)

This book discusses land degradation in India using statistical tools such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Regression Analysis (RA), and uses statistical analyses and graphical representations of the causal relationship between land degradation and land productivity to determine linkages with deforestation, climate change and agricultural productivity. While most studies of land degradation in India focus on economic outcomes and physical processes at macro and micro levels, this study addresses land degradation at the meso-level to fill in this gap and provide up-to-date information on often overlooked factors associated with land degradation issues using the latest available data. Districts in the study were selected by land degradation intensity, forming an index of the severity of land degradation in the area, with a focus on gullied lands, soil salinity/alkalinity and open and dense scrubs as indicators. Though the study areas are in India, researchers, policy makers and students around the world will be able to learn from these inputs regarding land degradation to address various challenges associated with sustainable land management and agricultural productivity. Contents 6 Chapter 1: Introduction 9 1.1 Land Degradation: A Concept 10 1.2 Land Degradation Process and Prospect 11 1.3 Land Degradation Status in the World 16 1.4 Land Degradation Status in South Asia 18 References 21 Chapter 2: Land Degradation: Indian Scenario 26 2.1 Introduction 26 2.2 Methodology and Database 27 2.2.1 Statistical Methods 27 2.2.2 Database 28 2.3 Land Degradation in India: Temporal and Spatial Extent 28 2.3.1 Extent of Land Degradation 28 2.4 Land Degradation Index: Regional Approach 44 2.4.1 Land Degradation Index 44 2.4.1.1 Result of Distance from Mean 44 2.4.1.2 Analysis of PCA Result 47 2.5 Conclusion 51 References 51 Chapter 3: Land Degradation in India: Relationship with Deforestation and Population 54 3.1 Introduction 54 3.2 Methodology and Database 55 3.2.1 Statistical Methods 55 3.2.2 Source of Data 56 3.2.3 Indicators and Filtering the Samples 56 3.3 Results and Discussion 56 3.4 Conclusion 62 References 63 Chapter 4: Land Degradation in India and Propinquity with Rainfall 65 4.1 Introduction: Climate and Land Degradation 65 4.2 Methodology and Database 66 4.2.1 Statistical Methods 66 4.2.2 Source of Data 67 4.2.3 Indicators and Filtering the Samples 67 4.3 Climatic Condition in India 67 4.3.1 Winter Season (January and February) 68 4.3.2 Pre-monsoon Season (March, April, and May) 68 4.3.3 Summer Monsoon (June, July, August, and September) 68 4.3.4 Post-monsoon (October, November, and December) 69 4.4 Land Degradation and Rainfall: Indian Status 69 4.4.1 Rainfall in Winter Season 71 4.4.2 Rainfall in Pre-monsoon Season 71 4.4.3 Rainfall in Monsoon Season 71 4.4.4 Rainfall in Post-monsoon Season 75 4.4.5 Annual Average Rainfall 75 4.4.6 Land Degradation in Indian States 79 4.5 Land Degradation and Rainfall 79 4.6 Zone-Wise Analysis of Land Degradation and Rainfall 81 4.6.1 Thar Zone: Land Degradation and Rainfall 81 4.6.2 North Deccan Zone: Land Degradation and Rainfall 83 4.6.3 South Deccan Zone: Land Degradation and Rainfall 85 4.6.4 Northeastern Zone: Land Degradation and Rainfall 87 4.7 Land Degradation: Impact of Rainfall in Different Zone 87 4.8 Conclusion 92 References 96 Chapter 5: Land Degradation and Agricultural Productivity 98 5.1 Introduction 98 5.2 Methodology and Database 99 5.2.1 Statistical Methods 99 5.2.2 Source of Data 100 5.3 Samples for the Study 100 5.4 India: Analysis of Relation Between Land Degradation and Agriculture, 100 5.4.1 India: Implication on Agricultural Productivity 100 5.4.2 Agricultural Productivity in High Land Degraded Districts 102 5.4.2.1 Sampled Districts: Implication on Rice 102 5.4.2.2 Sampled Districts: Implication on Wheat 103 5.5 Conclusion 103 References 104 Chapter 6: Land Degradation: Reclamation and Policy Adaptation 106 6.1 Introduction 106 6.2 Policy Implications 108 6.3 Macro-level Policy Suggestions 109 Index 112