Barren & uncultivable land has decreased from 17.58 million ha. in 2003-04 to 17.30 million ha. in 2007-08.

The Government of India, is implementing various Watershed Development Programmes, namely; National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA), Soil Conservation in the Catchments of River Valley Project and Flood Prone River (RVP & FPR), Reclamation and Development of Alkali and Acid Soils (RADAS) and Watershed Devleopment Project in Shifting Cultivation Areas (WDPSCA) across the country.

Definition: Those ecosystems in which less than one third of the area has vegetation or other cover. In general, Barren Land has thin soil, sand, or rocks. Barren lands include deserts, dry salt flats, beaches, sand dunes, exposed rock, strip mines, quaries, and gravel pits.