Page 124 - Haryana Water Resources Atlas 2025

Cropping Intensity (2023)

N

aryana is the second-largest contributor to food grain production in India. W E
The dominant cropping systems in Haryana are Rice-Wheat and Cotton-
HWheat rotations. This high level of food grain production is achieved by S
cultivating multiple crops within the limited sown area. The cropping intensity, which
represents the number of crops grown in a given agricultural year, determines the Scale
Kms
extent of crop diversification. A higher cropping intensity indicates that a larger 0 12.5 25 50 75 100
portion of the sown area is used for multiple crop cycles.
For the year 2023 the cropping intensity data has been incorporated in Figure 82. The
majority of districts in the northern region of Haryana falls under the cropping
intensity value of 100-250 or even >250. This implies that the crops here are grown in
both the Rabi and kharif seasons in addition to zaid crops. These regions benefit from
better water resources and agricultural infrastructure. Palwal district in the
southeast, situated along the banks of the Yamuna River, also falls into the category of
cropping intensity > 250. In contrast, the majority of southern, southwestern, and
some central districts have cropping intensity <200, indicating underutilization of the
sown area for cultivation in both seasons. A significant portion of Hisar and Bhiwani
districts in the western region has cropping intensity near to or below 100 due to a
severe lack of water resources and challenging climatic conditions, making it difficult
for farmers to cultivate the land more than once a year for resource-intensive crops.
Jhajjar and Rewari districts also have a noteworthy amount of land with cropping
intensity near or below 100. Some of this can be attributed to waterlogging in Jhajjar
district while others may be due to less intensive farming practices in these regions.
District-wise cropping intensity data is tabulated in Table 61.
Figure 83 (a, b, c) illustrates the changes in cropping intensity over the past 20 years
showing data for 2003, 2013, and 2023. It is evident that improved irrigation facilities
and the adoption of modern agricultural technologies have significantly increased
cropping intensity throughout Haryana during this period. The intensification of
cropping can also be attributed to the use of High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds and
fertilizers. From 2003 to 2013, there was a substantial increase in cropping intensity in
the central regions of Haryana, while the southern, southwestern, and northwestern
regions experienced minimal change. This can be attributed to efforts to improve
water availability for irrigation in the central region through the distribution of water
resources from the Yamuna and Ghaggar drainage systems during that decade. From
2013 to 2023, there was a remarkable increase in cropping intensity in the southern,
southwestern, and northwestern regions, indicating how enhanced agricultural
infrastructure has increased cropping intensity in regions with limited resources and
dry and warm climatic conditions.
Although variations in cropping intensity can be influenced by factors such as rainfall,
irrigation facilities, environmental conditions, soil types, agro-climatic differences,
and the adoption of modern agricultural techniques, irrigation facilities have been
found to have a significant impact on cropping intensity across districts. Therefore,
irrigation availability is a reliable indicator of cropping intensity. Higher cropping
intensity indirectly indicates better irrigation water availability, whether from
rainfall, canals, or Ground Water sources.

Figure 82. Cropping Intensity (2023)
Data Source-HARSAC
Haryana Water Resources Atlas 106|