·
Land is the fundamental basis for most of the human or natural
activities and is one of the major natural resources on earth.
Primary production of minerals and agricultural products depends
entirely on the availability and use of suitable land.
·
In a state like Punjab where agriculture is the major occupation of
majority of population, soils form the basis of economy.
· The
land of Punjab is primarily formed of the alluvium deposited by rivers of
Indus system. Activities like agriculture, water resources, forests,
living spaces, industrial and commercial purpose, transportation, pastures
etc share land in Punjab.
· About
83.13% area of total geographical area of Punjab is under agriculture, out
of which some part has been utilized in developing canal and drainage
irrigation system, 5.96% under forests, 9.97% not available for
cultivation, 0.74% under fallow land and 0.20% falls under culturable
waste land.
· The total cropped area of
Punjab has
increased from 5678 thousand ha. to 7941 thousand ha. from 1970 to 2001.
While during 2004 to 2007, records indicated the gradual decrease in the
total cropped area from 7932 thousand ha. to 7861 thousand ha.
· The
state land is poor in mineral resources. As a consequence of diversity in
the natural environment, the land of Punjab vary widely and show
difference in their nature, properties and profile development.
·
Man above all, influences soils and their fertility through his
activities. The improper land use or management by man is responsible for
land degradation in the state.
· The
land degradation refers to deterioration and loss of productive capacity
of the soil for present and future use. It is due to various causes, but
those of most immediate concern in state, are erosion, salinisation, water
logging and soil pollution.
· The
Degradation of the soil is an important problem connected with land use
and environment. It affects, apart from many other or indirect
implications, the productivity and fertility of soils which is factor of
great agricultural importance, and its more so for an agricultural
dependent state like Punjab.
· There
is urgent need to take various measures like afforestation, check on
overgrazing, better water management, rotation of crops, keeping the land
under vegetation cover, adoption of dry farming, construction of wind
brakes, extension of irrigation facilities, etc by the government and
people of the state to over come the problem of land degradation.
References
