Regional Disparities In Agricultural Land Use, Cropping Intensity And Irrigation Development In Rajasthan
Main Article Content
Abstract
There are high regional disparities in agricultural development in Rajasthan, with regional differences in the use of land, the supply of irrigation and physical geography. The four indicators used in this study on regional differences in agriculture in Rajasthan are the percentage of land that is actually farmed compared to the total area, the percentage of that land that is farmed twice a year, the percentage of irrigated land compared to the total farmed land compared to the total area farmed. The results indicate a three-fold regional division, with higher agrarian development in the east and south-east (districts of Kota, Baran, Alwar and Bharatpur) due to rich agricultural soils and large-scale regulated irrigation; intermediate advancement in districts in the centre (such as Ajmer, Jaipur and Nagaur) with a transitional character; and lower development in west desert districts (Barmer, Jaisalmer and Churu) and south hilly/tribal districts (Udaipur, Pratapgarh and Sirohi).
The analysis finds that the main factor causing differences in agricultural development is irrigation, with the canal-irrigated northwestern districts (Hanumangarh, Ganganagar) showing how human efforts can overcome environmental challenges. Cropping intensity and irrigation efficiencies are seen to be best in the eastern plains and very vast areas in the western and southern Rajasthan still depend on rainfall variability and subsistence agriculture.
The paper highlights the relevance of locally based agricultural policies: irrigation in the arid areas, watersheds in tribal regions, and diversification in the well-developed agricultural regions to make it sustainable. The implications of these disparities are wider in terms of rural livelihoods, food security, and balanced socioeconomic development in the state than being limited to agriculture. A future study could be designed to incorporate changes over time, climate Analyse the effects of socio-economic factors, enhanced by GIS and first-hand surveys, to develop a comprehensive outlook on fair and sustainable agricultural development in Rajasthan.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
Baig, I. A., & Salam, M. A. (2019). Regional disparities in agricultural development: An analysis of micro level. International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews, 6(1), 1154-1160.
Banerjee, A., & Kuri, P. K. (2014). Agricultural growth and regional disparity in India: A convergence analysis. Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics, 16, 61-77.
Bhati, K. T., Kumar, S., Haileslassie, A., & Whitbread, A. M. (2017). Assessment of agricultural technologies for Dryland systems in South Asia: a case study of Western Rajasthan, India.
Birkenholtz, T. (2009). Irrigated landscapes, produced scarcity, and adaptive social institutions in Rajasthan, India. Annals of the association of American geographers, 99(1), 118-137.
Chadha, D., Meena, G., & Sharma, V. (2019). Spatial and temporal analysis of fertilizer consumption in Rajasthan. Indian Journal of Economics and Development, 7(5), 1-7.
Chauhan, a., & thakur, a. K. (2022). Regional disparity in levels of agricultural development in rajasthan: a district level analysis. Annals of the National Association of Geographers, India, 42(1).
Das, P. (2006). Cropping pattern (agricultural and horticultural) in different zones, their average yields in comparison to national average/critical gaps/reasons identified and yield potential. New Delhi: IASRI, Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, 33-47.
Jangid, M. K., Sharma, L., & Singh, H. (2018). Changes in land use pattern, crop diversification and resource use efficiency of major crops in humid south-eastern plains of Rajasthan, India. Journal of Agricultural Development and Policy, 28(1), 25-35.
Jangid, M. K., Sharma, L., Burark, S. S., Jain, H. K., & Meena, G. L. (2018). Land use pattern, cropping pattern and resource use efficiency in arid western plain zone of Rajasthan. Ind. J. Ext. Educ. RD, 26.
Kiran, R., & Punia, M. (2025). Land Use Pattern, Crop Diversification and Crop Combination Regions: A District-level Study in Rajasthan. Journal of Land and Rural Studies, 23210249251328842.
Kumar, A., & Jain, R. (2013). Growth and instability in agricultural productivity: A district level analysis. Agricultural Economics Research Review, 26, 31-42.
Meena, P. C. An Econometric Analysis Of Growth, Instability And Crop Diversification In Semi-Arid Eastern Plain Zone (Zone-Iii A) Of Rajasthan. Archers & Elevators Publishing House.
Mishra, L. R., Singh, P. K., Kothari, M., Bhakar, S. R., Yadav, K. K., & Meena, S. S. (2023). Appraisal of irrigation land suitability of semi-arid climatic zone of Rajasthan, India. Water Supply, 23(11), 4800-4814.
Newar, S., & Sharma, N. A District wise Analysis of Land Use Pattern and Land Use Changes in Rajasthan. RAJASTHAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, 92.
Panchal, M. (2024). An Analysis of Development of Irrigation Facilities in Rajasthan. SGSH Publications.
Sen, A. K., & Gupta, K. N. (1982). Agro-ecological regions of western Rajasthan. Journal of Arid Environments, 5(3), 221-234.
Sharma, H., Burark, S. S., & Meena, G. L. (2015). Land degradation and sustainable agriculture in Rajasthan, India. J Indus Pollut Control, 31(1), 7-11.
Singh, J., Singh, A., Singh, N., Tomer, T. S., & Sachdeva, H. (2018). Growth trajectory and Inter-Regional agricultural disparity a study of Madhya Pradesh. Indian journal of economics and development, 14(3), 464-472.
Singh, U., & Aneja, R. (2025). Regional Convergence in Agricultural Sector Growth in North-eastern Rajasthan. Arthaniti: Journal of Economic Theory and Practice, 24(1), 7-39.
Tiwari, M., & Mathur, M. K. (2010). Study on Inter-Regional Economic Disparities in Rajasthan. Shiv Charan Mathur Social Policy Research Institute, Pg, 1-64.
Vijayshankar, P. S. (2017). India’s Agricultural Development. Political Economy of Contemporary India, 125.
Yadav, J. P. S. (1965). Crop Land Use Pattern in Rajasthan. Bombay Geographical Magazine, 13, 97.