{"id":41601,"date":"2024-05-10T08:04:23","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T08:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/?p=41601"},"modified":"2024-05-10T08:04:24","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T08:04:24","slug":"land-degradation-is-a-threat-to-productivity-and-sustainable-resource-management-explain-with-suitable-examples-from-india-upsc-geography-optional-mains-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/land-degradation-is-a-threat-to-productivity-and-sustainable-resource-management-explain-with-suitable-examples-from-india-upsc-geography-optional-mains-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Land degradation is a threat to productivity and sustainable resource management.&#8221; Explain with suitable examples from India. UPSC Geography Optional Mains &#8211; 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/upsc\/upsc-prelims-support-program-with-test-series?type=classroom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/GS-Foundation-Course-for-UPSC-1280-x-300-px-1-1024x300.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46623\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Land degradation affects about 33% of the Earth&#8217;s land surface. It leads to the reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity of land, impacting nearly 2 billion people worldwide with threatened food security and biodiversity, also exacerbates climate change by reducing the land&#8217;s ability to sequester carbon.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"611\" height=\"222\" data-src=\"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-151.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41602 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-151.png 611w, https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-151-585x213.png 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 611px) 100vw, 611px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 611px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 611\/222;\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69d4e7cf430ac\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69d4e7cf430ac\"  \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/land-degradation-is-a-threat-to-productivity-and-sustainable-resource-management-explain-with-suitable-examples-from-india-upsc-geography-optional-mains-2020\/#Land_Degradation_in_India\" title=\"Land Degradation in India\">Land Degradation in India<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/land-degradation-is-a-threat-to-productivity-and-sustainable-resource-management-explain-with-suitable-examples-from-india-upsc-geography-optional-mains-2020\/#Examples_of_Land_Degradation_in_India\" title=\"Examples of Land Degradation in India\">Examples of Land Degradation in India<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/land-degradation-is-a-threat-to-productivity-and-sustainable-resource-management-explain-with-suitable-examples-from-india-upsc-geography-optional-mains-2020\/#In_case_you_still_have_your_doubts_contact_us_on_9811333901\" title=\"In case you still have your doubts, contact us on 9811333901.&nbsp;\">In case you still have your doubts, contact us on 9811333901.&nbsp;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/land-degradation-is-a-threat-to-productivity-and-sustainable-resource-management-explain-with-suitable-examples-from-india-upsc-geography-optional-mains-2020\/#Visit_our_YouTube_Channel_%E2%80%93_here\" title=\"Visit our YouTube Channel &#8211;&nbsp;here\">Visit our YouTube Channel &#8211;&nbsp;here<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Land_Degradation_in_India\"><\/span>Land Degradation in India<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>A 2023 report by Down To Earth states that nearly 97 million hectares of land in India are degraded, representing around 29% of the total geographical area. This degradation manifests in various forms, including soil erosion, waterlogging, chemical contamination, and desertification, severely impacting the productivity and sustainability of its resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Examples_of_Land_Degradation_in_India\"><\/span><strong>Examples of Land Degradation in India<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Soil Erosion by Water and Wind<\/strong><ul><li>Most common forms of land degradation in India.<\/li><li>According to studies, water erosion affects 80% of the degraded unirrigated farmland.<\/li><li>This type of erosion is prevalent in the rainfed areas of the country, which are crucial for India&#8217;s food security.<\/li><li>The northeastern states, known for their biodiversity, have recorded the most rapid increases in land degradation due to these processes.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Desertification<\/strong><ul><li>The expansion of desert areas, particularly in states like Rajasthan, is a significant example of land degradation.<\/li><li>Rajasthan accounts for almost 22% of the degraded land in India.<\/li><li>Desertification results from natural factors like low rainfall and human activities such as unsustainable agricultural practices and overgrazing.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Chemical Degradation<\/strong><ul><li>Excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture has led to the degradation of land quality in India.<\/li><li>These chemicals can kill beneficial soil microorganisms, reduce soil fertility, and lead to the buildup of harmful salts and minerals in the soil.<\/li><li>This is particularly evident in the states that were the focus of the Green Revolution, where intensive agriculture has degraded the soil.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Waterlogging<\/strong><ul><li>Irrigation without adequate drainage leads to waterlogging, which is another significant cause of land degradation in India.<\/li><li>Waterlogging not only affects the growth of crops by depriving roots of oxygen but also leads to salinization of the soil surface, making the land unfit for agricultural use.<\/li><li>For example, waterlogging problem in Punjab and rising soil alkalinisation.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas, Integrated Watershed Management Program, National Afforestation Program (NAP), National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) are some of the important programs by the Indian government to curb land degradation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/upsc\/upsc-essay?utm_source=Blog&amp;utm_medium=Banner&amp;utm_campaign=Essay\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/UPSC-Essay-Course-1280\u00d7300-1-3.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42688 lazyload\" width=\"781\" height=\"182\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 781px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 781\/182;\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-c6ab63ae-7083-4831-b519-cb89dacafb18\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_case_you_still_have_your_doubts_contact_us_on_9811333901\"><\/span><strong>In case you still have your doubts, contact us on 9811333901.<\/strong>&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-52c5a91b-6ed6-46e3-b781-7cc0c63a0b76\">For UPSC Prelims Resources,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/upsc-cse-prelims-resource-centre\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-d014fe86-d628-49d8-82ce-6c60dc6e7a73\">For Daily Updates and Study Material:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-38177954-e668-4d8d-b250-d0fbd5a09390\">Join our Telegram Channel &#8211;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/WithEdukemy4IAS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Edukemy for IAS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" id=\"block-49ca2fe3-109f-4a88-b72e-9df49c3d328e\"><li>1. 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Mains Answer Writing Practice &#8211;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3mZuVxl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-43ccddc1-5348-445f-ab6b-7baaf29fe58d\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Visit_our_YouTube_Channel_%E2%80%93_here\"><\/span>Visit our YouTube Channel &#8211;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@EduKemyforIAS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Land degradation affects about 33% of the Earth&#8217;s land surface. It leads to the reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity of land, impacting nearly 2 billion people&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":41603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3330],"tags":[232,706,140],"class_list":["post-41601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-upsc-geography-optional-mains-solved-paper-2020","tag-upsc","tag-upsc-geogrpahy","tag-upsc_preparation_strategy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41601"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41604,"href":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41601\/revisions\/41604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edukemy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}