Cropping Intensity, Meaning, Factors Affecting, Spatial Pattern

Cropping Intensity refers to the practice of raising more than one crop on the same plot of land within a single agricultural year. It essentially measures how efficiently a piece of land is being used for cultivation. Higher Cropping Intensity means farmers are producing more from the same field by taking multiple crops in different seasons. This concept is especially useful in assessing how factors like irrigation facilities or short-duration rainfall influence the ability to grow additional crops.

Cropping Intensity

Cropping Intensity simply means growing more than one crop from the same field within a single agricultural year. It is calculated using the formula:

Cropping Intensity = (Gross Cropped Area ÷ Net Sown Area) × 100

Here, the Gross Cropped Area refers to the total land sown with crops during a year, including fields cultivated more than once. For example, if a farmer owns 100 hectares of land and cultivates 90 hectares in the Kharif season, 40 hectares in Rabi, and 20 hectares in Zaid, the gross cropped area becomes 150 hectares. This shows that the farmer has used the land 1.5 times, giving a Cropping Intensity of 150%.

Although India has one of the largest areas under cultivation in the world, there is limited scope to expand cultivable land further. With rising demand for food grains and industrial crops, the only sustainable way to meet this need is by increasing Cropping Intensity.

Factors Affecting Cropping Intensity in India

The level of Cropping Intensity in a region depends on several factors, which can be explained as follows:

• Use of modern inputs and technology: Areas that adopt advanced tools, fertilizers, irrigation methods, and machinery usually record higher Cropping Intensity.
• Labour availability: Regions with abundant labour, particularly where farming is labour-intensive, tend to have higher intensity. For instance, West Bengal and Bihar show high cropping intensities because surplus labour finds work in agriculture for livelihood.
• Subsistence farming practices: In areas dominated by subsistence farming, crop diversity and intensity are both higher. Examples include Northern Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and the Malabar coast.
• Climatic conditions and soil quality: Humid and wet regions often report higher intensity since water availability supports multiple crop cycles. Similarly, fertile alluvial soils in river valleys and deltas promote intensive farming due to reliable soil fertility and water supply.
• Population and land ratio: Densely populated regions usually have higher Cropping Intensity as more people depend on agriculture. On the other hand, areas with a high land-man ratio tend to show lower intensity.
• Government policies: Subsidies, irrigation infrastructure, and agricultural support schemes also play a direct role in improving Cropping Intensity across different regions.

‹ ›

Methods to Increase Cropping Intensity

Several Methods to Increase Cropping Intensity of a region. These include:

• Improved irrigation facilities: Reliable access to water allows multiple crop cycles within the same year.
• High-Yielding Varieties (HYV): Short-duration, high-yield crops make it possible to grow more than one crop in a season.
• Efficient cropping methods: Practices like relay cropping, mixed farming, and strip cropping help in better land use.
• Use of modern farm inputs: Fertilisers, pesticides, and weedicides increase productivity and reduce crop losses.
• Farm mechanisation: Machines save time and effort, allowing quicker sowing and harvesting, which supports multiple cropping.
• Conservation practices: Soil and water conservation measures improve long-term fertility and sustainability of farming.
• Commercialisation of agriculture: Trade opportunities and capital-intensive farming encourage farmers to increase output.

Spatial Pattern of Cropping Intensity

Region I: This region records the highest Cropping Intensity, covering Punjab, Haryana, and West Bengal. The plains of Punjab and Haryana are sub-humid alluvial tracts with fertile soils and high land capability. Following the Green Revolution, irrigation facilities, modern inputs, and advanced technology transformed agriculture here.

Well-developed rural infrastructure, command area projects, government incentives, mechanisation, and larger landholdings encouraged capital-intensive farming. The region has moved beyond wheat monoculture to a more diversified pattern that now includes rice, cotton, sugarcane, oilseeds, and pulses. Productivity, per-hectare yields, and farm incomes are among the highest in the country.

Region II: This zone also shows high Cropping Intensity, though slightly lower than Region I. It includes Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. These areas have humid climates, fertile soils, and fall under land class I, which means land can be cultivated up to three times a year without losing fertility.

Abundant water and annual soil renewal sustain agriculture throughout the year. Partial use of modern technology and mechanisation keeps farming viable, though productivity lags behind Punjab and Tamil Nadu due to social factors like dense population, low land–man ratio, and reliance on subsistence farming. The region grows rice, wheat, pulses, oilseeds, and maize, with greater crop diversity owing to its subsistence-oriented character.

Region III: This region has moderate Cropping Intensity, covering Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. The climate ranges from sub-humid to semi-arid, and soils have moderate capability. Irrigation improves yields, but the overall carrying capacity of land is limited.

The land-man ratio is relatively high, creating scope for expansion of dryland farming. Major crops include millets, groundnut, tobacco, and oilseeds. In well-irrigated tracts such as the Krishna-Godavari delta, the Kaveri basin, and tube-well irrigated areas of Maharashtra, Cropping Intensity reaches around 190%.

Region IV: This region shows low Cropping Intensity, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and most of the North Eastern states. Physiographic and climatic limitations restrict agricultural productivity here.

Frequent hazards like landslides, cloudbursts, excessive rainfall, and tribal subsistence economies further constrain development. Cropping patterns are highly diverse but generally low yielding. Both per-capita agricultural output and farm incomes remain low, with per-hectare yields ranging from moderate to poor.