Saving the arable land

A meaningful legal framework for transfer of land, and reorientation of the acquisition process towards uncultivable areas are necessary to preserve arable plots

- KDP RAO

The declining contribution of agriculture to the GDP is said to be a characteristic of economic growth, termed as 'structural transformation of the economy. The predominance of agriculture in the Indian economy is vouched by the fact that around 51 per cent of India's geographical area is under cultivation, compared to the global average of only 11 per cent. The health of the sector is crucial for 'agriculture labour productivity', rise in household incomes and savings, and food security for the future. But ironically, though India made remarkable progress in food production over the last decade, labour productivity in agriculture grew relatively at a much lower rate vis-à-vis the average labour productivity in various other sectors of the economy. The decrease in agricultural labour and continuous increase in migration of agricultural workers to urban areas for non-farm employment indicate that the structural transformation of the economy hasn't been smooth, unlike in the OECD countries. It has come with certain costs i.e., agrarian unrest, increasing rural poverty, and food insecurity for future. Out of numerous issues in agriculture, three require immediate attention as they pose imminent threat to the future of agriculture; they are: a) shrinkage of average farm size, b) depletion of arable land, and c) degradation of soil. The focal point of all the three issues is land which is the basic factor in agriculture.