Sensing the dynamic nature of fragmented croplands in India through earth observation: a comprehensive review

Fragmentation or the breakdown of landholdings to smaller parcels has an adverse impact on crop yields and productivity because of its uneconomic operational sizes. This comprehensive review reflects the insights into the complex dynamics of small landholding (SLs) in India by leveraging earth observation (EO) based sensing technology through synthesizing existing literature, methodologies and outcomes, and technological advancements along with its challenges and limitations. This study aims to summarize the current state-of-the problems, management, and utilization of EO technology for mapping, monitoring, and parametric assessment of...  more

Fragmentation or the breakdown of landholdings to smaller parcels has an adverse impact on crop yields and productivity because of its uneconomic operational sizes. This comprehensive review reflects the insights into the complex dynamics of small landholding (SLs) in India by leveraging earth observation (EO) based sensing technology through synthesizing existing literature, methodologies and outcomes, and technological advancements along with its challenges and limitations. This study aims to summarize the current state-of-the problems, management, and utilization of EO technology for mapping, monitoring, and parametric assessment of small-scale agricultural land holdings in India. The review also discussed about different sensing platforms, and how to utilize their varied spectrums for identifying and characterizing SLs at different geographies of India. India, with its deeply rooted agricultural tradition dating back thousands of years, has agriculture as the primary occupation for a significant portion of its 1.4 billion population. However, a significant issue in Indian agriculture is the fragmentation of croplands into small landholdings, which results in the division of agricultural land into smaller and often uneconomical parcels. Therefore, accurate delineation and EO based sensing of SLs in India is highly necessary for precise monitoring of crop health, soil conditions, and water usage and many more, which can significantly improve productivity on small, uneconomical parcels of land to boost nations food security. The Authors believe with the efficient intervention of EO based sensing technology in SLs, farmers can make more informed decisions and maximize their yields by making more effective use of their resources. Furthermore, Earth observation can help prevent crop losses and improve food security in a nation where a large portion of the population is dependent on agriculture by helping with the early detection of pests and diseases. Our study will support the decision-making process and policy formulation in Indian agriculture system by providing comprehensive insights from EO-based sensing perspectives. Finally, this will help to create more productive and sustainable farming methods, which will be advantageous to both farmers and the national economy.