40 LANDUSE AND LANDCOVER CLASSIFICATION

Swati Rajput

LANDUSE AND LANDCOVER CLASSIFICATION

Learning Objectives

1.      To explain the concept of Land use and Land Cover.

2.      To discuss Land Suitability Classification

3.      To examine Land Capability Classification

4.      To discuss the Nine- fold land use classification with reference to India.

5.      To enlist land use and land cover classification based on USGS method.

Introduction: Land is a finite resource put to multiple competing uses. In geographical context land is considered to be a surface of the earth on which man performs various activities which leads to temporal modifications and evolution to its present form. It is not only on the earth’s surface resources but also resources below the surface like minerals etc which are used by man over the period of time. The morphological changes on the surface of the lithosphere are caused both due to nature and human interference. All such changes are major driving forces for moderations in biogeochemical cycles, climate change and food production from regional to global scales. The face of the Earth has been altered by a continuous deformation process. Human alteration of land and its resources is a reflection of his needs and desires.

In India, agriculture began by 9000 B.C as a result of early civilization. Human settlements in the Indus valley knew the art of growing crops and domesticating animals. Wheat and barley were the main crops and the animals predominantly reared were sheep and goat. The evidences show that there were sophisticated irrigation and water storage systems. All these innovations made the lives easier and propounded the growth and prosperity of the settlements. The earlier settlements to the modern ones, there have been a massive change in the land use and land cover of India. Not only natural but human induced factors have also played an evident role in shaping the land.

After industrial revolution and green revolution the land use has increasingly portrayed to be the property of the global village. The needs and demands of people have changed over time. The land use keeps changes as per the market forces of demand and supply. The land is now a days more needed for industries, infrastructure and housing. The forests are depleting and land is undergoing a drastic as well as rapid change since last two decades.

Before discussing the classification it is important to understand the concept of land use and land cover.

Concept: According to Food and Agriculture Organization, Land cover refers to the observed physical and biological cover of the earth’s land. Land is covered by various forms of vegetation, grasslands, scrubs, water bodies, bare soil etc. All the naturally occurring vegetation cover is called land cover. Food and Agricultural Organization, defines land use as “the total of arrangements, activities, and inputs that people undertake in a certain land cover type”. According to Fox, “The land use is the actual and specific use to which a land surface is put in terms of inherent land use characteristics”. Therefore, land cover is a natural vegetation; land use is utilization of land by man as per his needs and choices. In other words, land use in general terms is human modifications of Earth’s terrestrial surface.

Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. Land use is “the total of arrangements, activities, and inputs that people undertake in a certain land cover type” (FAO, 1997a; FAO/UNEP, 1999).

Besides needs and choices, land is also put to its use depending upon its usefulness and capability. The topological variations, soil type, soil’s pH value, soil quality and moisture content also determine its utility. The modern economic men use land by evaluating its economic and social viability. The land utilization is also determined by evaluating the cost-benefit analysis of the economic activity per se.

The term “Land use” is important to city planners and policy makers. The management of land is utmost important task as the process of urbanization is a complex phenomenon, that deals with population pressure and competing land uses. The cities nest multiple economic activities that demand land, like residential and commercial complexes, parks, industrial units, markets, transport and communication etc. Therefore, it becomes the task of the planners to create master plans and choose the optimum land use plan.

In most of the cases the forest land is burned or slashed to transform to a farm or some infrastructure development. This leads to loss in biodiversity, i.e. loss of floral and faunal species. Due to deforestation or removal of forest cover, the impact can also be felt on the adjoining ecosystems that are depended upon it. It also has tremendous impact on the social, economic and cultural units around it. The change in land cover also results in change in the micro- climate of the areas. It effects the albedo i.e. reflection of sunlight from land surface, evapo- transpiration i.e. evaporation from the surface of the leaves and trees and overall precipitation and heat balance.

   Land use and Land Cover change, together alter the atmospheric and hydrological systems of the area. Therefore, it becomes the duty of the policy makers and planners to classify and plan the land use of an area in such a way so that it can support the existing habitats and do not hamper its ecosystem. The land use plans should lead to smart growth and encourage more efficient and desirable land use. In 1992, Agenda 21 recognized the need for integrated planning and management of land resources, stating that it should be a decision making process that “facilitates the allocation of land to the uses that provide the greatest sustainable benefits”. (Agenda 21, paragraph 10.5).

Land Use Information: The Food and Agricultural Organization highlights some relevant and important aspects of Land use information. So why is land use information important? Land use information can provide information regarding

1.      Where: The spatial extent and geographic location

2.      What: The purpose of activity undertaken

3.      When: The temporal changes

4.      How: The technology employed and quantitative measures

5.      Why: The reason for current land use

Its important to note that the national categories of land use differ, but many have been harmonized under the influence of FAO’s periodical World Census of Agriculture. The FAO recognizes 15 categories in all. The table 1 shows such 15 categories and the type of landuse falling in these categories.

Table 1: Land-use categories recognized in FAO’s World Census of Agriculture (FAO, 1986, 1995a; FAO/UNEP, 1999).

    Classification of Land use in India:

The land use classification is essential for understanding present system and apprehending the scope for future changes in land use. The land use classification is done by assessing the quality of land for specific purpose. There are several indicators for classifying the land, like: soil quality, soil fertility, productivity, efficiency, physical properties, socio-economic controls and many more. Based on different indicators, the land is classified in various categories. The land can be classified broadly quantitatively and qualitatively.

All India Soil and Land Use Survey Organization, in 1960, gave a land use classification which was revised later in 1970. They classified land on the basis of its suitability. Land use that can be defined on the basis of its fitness to a particular use is called land suitability classification. Broadly the classification in done under two categories i.e

S:   Suitable – Its states that the land under this category is one which sustained use of the kind under consideration is expected to yield benefits which justify the inputs, without unacceptable risk of damage to land resources.

N:  Not suitable- Land which has qualities that appear to preclude sustained use of the kind under consideration.

They categorized India into 8 categories:

Land Suitability Classification:

Class SI: Very Good Cultivable land with no specific difficulty in farming

Class SII: Good cultivable Land which needs protection from erosion or floods, drainage improvement and conservation of irrigation water.

Class SIII: Moderately Good Cultivable Land where special attention has to be paid on to control erosion and floods, conserve irrigation water and intensive drainage.

Class SIV: Fairly Good Land suited for occasional or limited cultivation, needs intensive drainage and very intensive treatment to overcome soil limitations.

Land not Suitable for Cultivation:

Class NV: Very well suited for grazing but not for arable farming, needs protection for gullying.

Class NVI: Well suited for grazing and or forestry, but not for arable farming

Class N VII: Fairly well suited for grazing and forestry but not for arable farming

Class NVIII: Suited only for wildlife, recreational facilities and protection of water supplies

Other way to classify the landuse is on its capability. Capability as such means the ability to do something.

Land Capability Classification:

The land capability classification is based upon the limitations imposed on the sustained use of soils by the basic characteristics of soil in combination with climate, topography, surface drainage, vegetation cover, erodibility and other natural hazards. Based on all these characteristics, the land capability classes are determined from I to VII. They are further subdivided into subclasses and units.

Class I: Very Good soil – The soil of such regions are deep, productive, nearly levelled and easily worked. The soils have no risk of damage. Such soils are very productive and are found in flood-plains of India.

Class II: Soils with moderate limitations – Soils can be cultivated with some applied practices. The land is in an excellent state with some limitations. These soils are subject to moderate risk of damage. These areas are generally the ones with specialized cropping and commercially one of the most suitable parts of the country.

Class III: Moderately good soils– These soils can be used regularly for crops. These areas face some ecological problems like soil erosion and rainfall irregularity. These soils are inherently low in fertility. Such areas require adequate surface drainage and contour tillage.

Class IV: The soils are low in fertility- These soils are prone to severe hazards like water deficiency or water logging, as the case may be. Such areas are demarcated at steep slopes that are prone to soil erosion. People in these areas have small farms and practice mainly subsistence agriculture. They grow coarse grains. These areas are suitable for pastures too.

Class V: The soils with permanent Limitations- These soils are mainly found in foothills or in mountain valley. They are suitable for shrubs, grasses or forestry. Such soils are wet and stoney therefore the cultivation is not possible. They are frequently exposed to wind and water erosion.

Class VI: Soil Unsuitable for cultivation– These soils are generally used for grazing and forestry. They are located in environmentally fragile zones of India. Such areas are prone to severe soil erosion.

Class VII: Soils subject to severe permanent Hazards- These soils are steep, shallow, swampy, marshy and eroded. They are completely unfit for cultivation. They are poor for grazing and forestry too.

Class VIII: Wild life sanctuaries, recreation and water shed uses– These soils have negligible potential for exploitation for living. These areas are not suitable for forestry and grazing they can serve purpose of preserving rare species.

The land capability classification in a way determines the use ceiling for any piece of land and helps to define the conservation problems and their possible remedial treatments. It also highlights ecological problems and economic feasibility of their reclamation. Therefore, finally helps to determine the optimum land use for different areas.

Five Fold Land Utilization Classification:

It was till 1950 that land area in India was classified under 5 classes, namely:

1.      Forest

2.      Area Not Available for Cultivation

3.      Other Uncultivated Land excluding Current Fallows

4.      Fallow Land

5.      Net Sown Area

This was a generalized and simplified categorization for which the data acquired from states was found difficult to compare. Later to make it more compatible the classes were further divided and a nine fold classification was presented by the Technical Committee on Coordination of Agricultural Statistics set up by Ministry of Food and Agriculture in 1948.

Nine fold classification of land use: Statistics on land use are collected at present, in the form of a nine-fold classification on a yearly basis. Out of a geographical area of 329 million hectares (reporting area) statistics are available only from 305 million hectares (non-reporting area), which makes some areas to the extent of 7% still not covered or classifiable under the nine-fold classification . The reporting area is classified into the following nine categories:

1. Forests
2. Area under Non-agricultural Uses
3. Barren and Un-culturable Land:
4. Permanent Pastures and other Grazing Lands:
5. Land under Miscellaneous Tree Crops,
6. Culturable Waste Land:
7. Fallow Lands other than Current Fallows:
8. Current Fallows:
9. Net area Sown:

The figure 1 shows Landuse statistics of India shows that nearly 46.2 percent of the area is Net Sown Area, 22.8 percent is under forest 8.6 is under non- agricultural uses, nearly 5.6 percent is under permanent pastures.

Fig. I

01 Forest: This includes all lands classed as forest under any legal enactment dealing with forests or administered as forests, whether state-owned or private, and whether wooded or maintained as potential forest land. The area of crops raised in the forest and grazing lands or areas open for grazing within the forests should remain included under the forest area.The Figure 2 shows the data regarding all lands classed as forests under any legal enactment dealing with Forests or administered as forests. According to Agricultural Statistics at Glance 2011, the forest land has increased from 40.48 to 69.63 million hectare.

Fig.2

According to Forest Research Institute, Dehradun further increase of forest cover is predicted; this has been done by planting trees outside the forests near highways or in agro-forestry sector. This accounts to be nearly 22.8 percent of the total area of the country. Madhya Pradesh, Andhara Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chattisgarh have more than 5 million hectare of their land under forest. Dense forest cover is found in north eastern states and parts of western ghats. These areas receive very high rainfall which is required for plant growth.

02 Land put to non-agricultural uses: This category includes all lands occupied by buildings, roads and railways or under water, e.g. river, and canals and other lands used for non –agriculture purpose. The figure 3 shows that the land under this category has increased from 9.36 to26.31 million hectare. The increase is resulted due to increasing urbanization and developmental activities especially in towns and cities.

   3 Barren and un-culturable land: It includes all barren and un-cultivable land like mountains, desert etc. This category of landuse is shrinking over the years. As compare to 38.16 million hectare in 1951 it has reduced to 17.02 million hectare. This shrink is due to increase in economic and developmental activities and expanding tourism in such areas.

Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra have more than 3 million hectare land not available for cultivation. In Delhi it is around 64 percent of its total land area. All the states where developmental activities and urbanization are high the land under this category is also very high.

04 Permanent pastures and other grazing lands: It includes all grazing Lands where there are permanent pastures and meadows. Village common grazing land is also included under this category. The data shows that there is an increase in permanent pasture and other grazing land from 6.68 million hectare in 1951to 10.34 million hectare in 2009. This is not a significant increase in seven decades.

05 Miscellaneous tree crops & other groves, not included in net area sown: This includes all cultivable land, which is not included in ‘Net Area Sown’ but is put to some agricultural uses. Lands under Casuarina trees, thatching grasses, bamboo bushes, and other groves for fuel, etc which are not included under ‘Orchards’ are classified under this category. The data shows that the land under this category has decreased rapidly and only a very small portion of land is under this category. The land under miscellaneous tree crop has decreased from 19.83 million hectare in 1951 to 3.40 million hectare in 2009.This can be justified as the land from this category must have been utilized to build roads, infrastructure, and other developmental activities.

06 Culturable waste: This includes lands available for cultivation. Such lands may be either fallow or covered with shrubs or jungles, which are not put to any use. Land once cultivated but not cultivated for five years in succession should be included in this category at the end of the five years. The figure 4 shows that the land under this category has decreased from 22.94 million hectare to 12.76 million hectare. This is because now the land is intensively cultivated and not kept fallow for too long. Moreover the land is put to non- agricultural activities.

Rajasthan, Maharshtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have more than 3 million hectare of their land under uncultivated land excluding fallow land.

Fig. 4

07 Fallow land other than current fallow: This includes all lands, which were taken up for cultivation but are temporarily out of cultivation for a period of not less than one year and not more than five years. The figure 5 shows decline in the land under this category from 17.45 million hectare in 1951 to 10.32 million hectare in 2009. It contributes to the fact that land is intensively cultivated and chemicals and other techniques are used for the soil to regain its fertility.

08 Current Fallow: This category represents cropped area, which are kept fallow during the current year. For example, if any seeding area is not cropped in the same year again, it may be treated as current fallows. The land kept fallow in the same year has though declined but the decline is not very significant. The land has declined from 14 million hectare in 1951 to nearly 10 million hectare in 2009. Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Kerala have more than 3 million hectare of their land as fallow land. These are the states where farmers are depended upon rain fed agriculture and farmers are poor and have small land size holdings.

09 Net Area Sown: This represents the total area sown with crops and orchards. Area sown more than once in the same year is counted only once.

The figure 6 shows an increase from 1951-1971. This was because of encouraging policies and focus on agriculture. In late 70’s due to green revolution the yield of the crop was increased tremendously and therefore, this led to almost negligible change in Net Sown Area. The stability in this category also shows that agriculture is still a backbone of Indian economy.

Fig.6

Identifying the land use under each category, it can be seen that forest land is nearly 22 percent and Net Sown Area is 46.2 percent of the total geographical area of India. Fallow land occupies nearly 8 percent and land put to non -agricultural uses is around 9 percent of the total land of India. Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh has more than 10 million hectare of their land under Net Sown Area. Punjab has the highest percentage of Net Irrigated area to NSA i.e 8 million hectare followed by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The reason to this is that in early 70’s green revolution was introduced in these areas which led to increase in NSA in these states.

Agricultural Land use in India: India is a country of various seasons and crops. Various cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits and cash crops are grown here. Due to its topographical and climatic variations it is home to several crops and their different varieties. Rice is the most popular crop followed by wheat. Nearly 22 percent of the Gross cropped area is devoted to rice cultivation and 15 percent to wheat. Besides rice and wheat other crops grown are oil seeds, coarse cereals, cotton, sugarcane, vegetables etc.

Rice is majorly grown in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhara Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. West Bengal accounts for nearly 15 percent of the total rice production of India. Four main wheat producing states of India are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. Infact, Uttar Pradesh alone produces nearly 32 percent of total wheat produce in India. The average wheat yield of the country is around 1200 kg per hectare. Cotton is leading fiber crop of India. It is grown mainly in Punjab, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Black soil areas are conducive to grow cotton.

Fig.7

Landuse and Land Cover Classification by United States Geological Survey (USGS)

The United States has already achieved reasonably effective, though not perfect, standardization in some instances, as evidenced by present programs in soil surveys, topographic mapping, collection of weather information, and inventory of forest resources. Recent developments in data processing and remote sensing technology make the need for similar cooperation in land use inventories even more evident and more pressing. Development and acceptance of a system for classifying land use data obtained primarily by use of remote sensing techniques, but reasonably compatible with existing classification systems, are the urgently needed first steps (James., et.al, 1976).

For the standardization in inventory and to address various environmental problems associated with land use and land cover change an interagency Steering Committee on Land Use information and Classification early in 1971. The committee was composed of representatives from the Geological Survey of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Soil Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Association of American Geographers, and the International Geographical Union, has been supported by NASA and the Department of the Interior and coordinated by the U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.).

      The main objective of the committee was the development of a national classification system that would be receptive to inputs of data from both conventional sources and remote sensors on high-altitude aircraft and satellite platforms, and that would at the same time form the framework into which the categories of more detailed land use studies by regional, State, and local agencies could be fitted and aggregated upward from Level IV toward Level I for more generalized smaller scale use at the national level (James., et.al, 1976).

A land use and land cover classification system which can effectively employ orbital and high-altitude remote sensor data should meet the following criteria (Anderson, 1971):

1.   The minimum level of interpretation accuracy in the identification of land use and land cover categories from remote sensor data should be at least 85 percent.

2.  The accuracy of interpretation for the several categories should be about equal.

3.   Repeatable or repetitive results should be obtainable from one interpreter to another and from one time of sensing to another.

4.  The classification system should be applicable over extensive areas.

5.   The categorization should permit vegetation and other types of land cover to be used as surrogates for activity.

6.   The classification system should be suitable for use with remote sensor data obtained at different times of the year.

7.  Effective use of subcategories that can be obtained from ground surveys or from the use of larger scale or enhanced remote sensor data should be possible.

8.  Aggregation of categories must be possible.

9.  Comparison with future land use data should be possible.

10.  Multiple uses of land should be recognized when possible.

Classification Level

Typical Data Characteristics

I LANDSAT (formerly ERTS) type of data

II High-altitude data at 40,000 ft (12,400 m) or above (less than l:8O,OOO scale)

III Medium-altitude data taken between 10,000 and 40,000 ft (3,100 and 12,400 m) (1:20,000 to 1:80,000 scale)

IV Low-altitude data taken below 10,000 ft (3,100 m) (more than 1:20,000 scale) Land use and land cover classification system for use with remote sensor data

    The chapter has summarised the concept of land use and land cover in general. It also highlighted the need of identifying categorise and need for land use classification. Various techniques to identify land use is land suitability classification, land capability classification, nine fold land use classification and USGS land use land cover classification. The chapter also gave the detail idea about land use land cover classes in India and give an insight into the percentage of land under each category.