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Mains Paper 3: Agriculture | Land reforms in India
From the UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Land holding categorization in India
Mains level: Improving the condition of Small and Marginal farmers
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Operational Land Holding in India
- In Agriculture Census 2015-16, the operational holdings are categorised in five size classes as follows:-
| S. No. | Category | Size-Class |
|
|
Marginal | Below 1.00 hectare |
|
|
Small | 1.00-2.00 hectare |
|
|
Semi- Medium | 2.00-4.00 hectare |
|
|
Medium | 4.00-10.00 hectare |
|
|
Large | 10.00 hectare and above |
- The operational holdings are also classified in three social groups, viz., Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Others.
- The average size holdings is highest in Nagaland (5.06 ha) followed by Punjab (3.62 ha).
- Countrywide the average size is 1.08 ha.
- It has been observed that Small farms are more efficient, especially in cultivating labour-intensive crops or tending livestock, but land holdings are too small to generate sufficient household income.
Refer this image for State-wise average size of operational holdings in the country: