The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare provided data on agricultural land degradation and government mitigation measures in response to a parliamentary query. According to the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India (2021) published by the Space Applications Centre (ISRO), India had 97.85 million hectares of total land degradation as of 2018–19, including 6.38 lakh hectares specifically attributed to human-induced desertification.
State-wise degradation data shows Rajasthan with the highest area affected at 21.24 million hectares, followed by Maharashtra (14.31 million hectares), Gujarat (10.25 million hectares), Jammu & Kashmir (1.13 million hectares), and Karnataka (6.96 million hectares). The complete state-wise breakdown includes Andhra Pradesh (2.38M ha), Arunachal Pradesh (200,683 ha), Assam (834,530 ha), Bihar (746,586 ha), Chhattisgarh (2.31M ha), Delhi (91,543 ha), Goa (194,877 ha), Haryana (364,154 ha), Himachal Pradesh (2.40M ha), Jharkhand (5.48M ha), Kerala (422,299 ha), Ladakh (7.11M ha), Madhya Pradesh (3.86M ha), Manipur (612,566 ha), Meghalaya (557,576 ha), Mizoram (275,827 ha), Nagaland (828,943 ha), Odisha (5.36M ha), Punjab (167,989 ha), Sikkim (84,610 ha), Tamil Nadu (1.60M ha), Telangana (3.64M ha), Tripura (447,378 ha), Uttar Pradesh (1.55M ha), Uttarakhand (673,894 ha), and West Bengal (1.78M ha).
The government has implemented multiple measures through the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) including location-specific technologies such as contour cultivation, intercropping, crop rotation, conservation agriculture, mulching, green manuring, reduced tillage, and agroforestry. For salt-affected soils, ICAR recommends gypsum application, bio-drainage, subsurface drainage, salt-tolerant crop varieties, and bio-reclamation measures. ICAR has developed General Fertilizer Recommendations and Soil Test Crop Response-based recommendations shared with states.
ICAR is implementing the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project across 651 districts, identifying 310 districts as vulnerable to climate change—201 categorized as 'High' and 109 as 'Very High' climate-vulnerable. District Agriculture Contingency Plans have been prepared for all 651 districts, and climate-resilient technologies are demonstrated in 448 Climate Resilient Villages across 151 vulnerable districts in 28 States/UTs. ICAR has released 2,900 varieties during 2014–2024, with 2,661 varieties tolerant to biotic and/or abiotic stresses.
Government schemes include Per Drop More Crop for micro irrigation, Rainfed Area Development for Integrated Farming System, Soil Health and Fertility for Integrated Nutrient Management, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana for organic farming, and National Mission on Natural Farming. Additional missions include Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds, National Food Security & Nutrition Mission, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, Agroforestry, and National Bamboo Mission. Insurance coverage is provided through Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme.
Under Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin, water conservation is prioritized through 110 Natural Resource Management works out of 318 permissible works. The Watershed Management Division implements the Watershed Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana for developing rainfed and degraded lands through ridge area treatment, drainage line treatment, soil and moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting, nursery raising, pasture development, and livelihood support.
Despite these challenges, agriculture has recorded sustained growth with food grain production increasing from 252.03 million tonnes in 2014–15 to 357.73 million tonnes in 2024–25, and horticulture production increasing from 280.98 million tonnes to 370.73 million tonnes during the same period.