Context:  

This editorial is based on the news “An expansive land management policy is overdue” which was published in the Hindu. A comprehensive land management policy is the need of the hour. There is a need to devise appropriate policies for long-term sustainability by involving all actors across the scale, both horizontal and vertical.

Definition of Land Management

It is the process by which the resources of land are allocated effectively across different types of land use. 

• It covers all activities concerned with the management of land as a resource both from an environmental and from an economic perspective.
• It can include farming, mineral extraction, property and estate management, and the physical planning of towns and the countryside 

Land Management Challenges in India

Here are some of the major challenges to land management in India;

• Proportion of Degraded Land: 

• • In India, arable land: around 55% of total geographical area 
  • forest cover: 22% and the  rest is desert, mountains, etc. 
  • Around 30% of total geographical area is degraded land in India.

• Unprecedented Pressures on Land: 

• • In Rapid population growth, increasing agricultural demands, infrastructure necessities, swift urbanisation, and the intersection of social, cultural, and environmental factors are amplifying the stress on land resources.

• Dilemma of Land Use: 

• • The competition for land use, particularly between agriculture and other sectors, is intensifying. 
  • Leads to increased competition among farmers, conflicts in land use, rising land prices, and alterations in land rights.

• Fragmented Approach: 

• • Sectors work in silos – housing, farming, environment etc without coordination leading to suboptimal land use. 
  • Ex- Farm land allocation done near the forest lands without Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) can lead to biodiversity threats due to encroachment and pesticide use.

• Weak Regulations: 

• • Poor enforcement of laws on land conversion, coastal regulation zone violations, forest diversions etc. 

• Data Gaps: 

• • Lack of updated spatial information on land characteristics for scientific planning. Ex- Due to lack of updated socio economic data on livelihood dependence and tribal rights, there is a conflict between tribal rights and development.

• Climate Risks: 

• • Lack of risk assessment and climate-smart objectives while allocating land for settlements, roads near vulnerable ecosystems. 
  • Ex- Construction of settlements, roads on steep slopes of Himalayan ecosystem without proper risk analysis is leading to subsidence and landslides during extreme rainfall events. 

• Legacy Issues: 

• • Land acquisitions, ownership conflicts, tenancy issues create bottlenecks in smooth land utilisation. 
  • Ex- differential compensation rates across states often act as a hindrance in the completion of the projects.

Solutions to Land Management in India

• Landscape approach: Holistic district-level planning assessing interlinkages across sectors based on land characteristics. 
  • Ex – The Pench Landscape in Madhya Pradesh takes a consolidated view of land use spanning forest areas, villages and agricultural areas.
• Climate-smart objectives: Land use alignment with climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience especially strengthening eco-buffers. 
  • Ex – Odisha’s Climate Resilient Agriculture program analyses vulnerabilities across agro-climatic zones .
• Rural livelihood focus:  States like Telangana, Jharkhand using Land Pooling policy for urban expansion wherein farmers cooperatively transfer land for city infrastructure development in return for a share of residential plots and annuity payments securing livelihoods
• Conservation of biodiversity: Protect and restore habitat connectivity for long term ecological stability. 
  • Ex – Manipur’s efforts to rehabilitate Loktak lake habitats by removing encroachments, maintaining water line integrity, clearing phumdis to restore connectivity between peripheral wetlands and main water body helping flora-fauna thrive.