According to the vision of the Land Use Policy Planning Department, the country's land resources should be managed optimally and permanently, and land, which is a limited resource, should be distributed more rationally with good discipline according to human needs. Some problematic natures are observed in considering the optimal use and management conditions of land. Land should be allocated for agriculture, residence, industry, tourism as well as environmental balance through more planned and scientific approaches, and the necessary guidance will be provided by the Department of Land Use Policy Planning.
Among the existing problems related to land use in Sri Lanka, it can be seen that there is underutilized land. In view of the current shortage of good agro-industrial land, the shifting of agro-industrial land to other uses, the degradation of agro-industrial land, it is an urgent need to bring the underutilized land to optimum use. Also, the country's food security will be ensured by increasing the productivity of such underutilized agro-industrial lands.
Accordingly, it is necessary to establish and maintain a numbered data system of underutilized land by collecting information on underutilized land throughout Sri Lanka at the local level and mapping their location, and bringing those lands to optimal use. Establishing a data system that includes the necessary information and providing relevant information to various other stakeholder organizations related to land management, providing a basis for the task of properly managing the country's land resources as a department that has the leading role in planning, is the primary objective of establishing the national level numbered data system on underutilized land.
The data collection methodology includes the analysis of Google satellite images, the use of up-to-date numerical data on land use and field inspections, as well as the support of local level officials and their own information, as well as information provided by the community.
Underutilized land identified in the data system generated using the Geographic Information System includes the following information.
• District where the land is located
• Divisional Secretariat Division
• Grama Niladhari Division
• Name of underutilized land
• Ownership / enjoyment of land
• Existing land use
• Nature of underutilization (this can be identified through several aspects)
Totally underutilized land
Rarely cultivated land
Part of the land is cultivated
Low crop density
Land with less than expected yield
• Key factor for underutilization (identified through several sections)
Technical/ physical factors
Socio economic factors
Physical and socioeconomic factors
Other factors
Physical and other factors
Socio economic and other factors
Physical, socioeconomic and other factors
Reasons for underutilization are identified under each of the above factors.
o Technical/ physical factors
Slope of land
Land degradation
Lack of adequate water supply
Poor drainage
Rockiness of surface
Natural hazards
o Socio economic factors
Shortage of capital
Labor shortage
Land ownership/entitlement based issues
Lack of knowledge about land management methods
High production cost
Absence of access roads to the land
Fragmentation of land
Owner residency related issues
o other factors
Wildlife hazards
• Coordinate values of the location of the land
• Size of land (hectares)
While a formal data system will be established using the Geographical Information System under the above mentioned headings. That way, relevant information will be available at the ward level, at the village officer division level, at the divisional secretariat division level, at the district and provincial level.
Using this data system, it will be possible to prepare data query tables (Data Query Tables) according to the requirement. Some such query tables are given below.
• Amounts of underutilized land (in hectares) by Districts, Divisional Secretariat Divisions, Grama Niladhari Divisions
• Amounts of underutilized land in terms of land ownership / usufruct
• Amounts of land by nature of underutilization (eg, how much land is underutilized in Sri Lanka due to low crop density?)
• Due to physical factors, the amount of underutilized land, etc., query tables can be prepared according to the needs of the organization where the relevant data is used.
Once the data system is complete, such query tables can present relevant quantitative information.