Barren and wasteland in India decreased by 12.01% to 8.61% between 1960-61 and 2008-09. This was caused due to massive efforts by the government of India. They have introduced new farming techniques and irrigation like the introduction of HIV seeds, use of tractors and ploughing machines to harvest crops and other such technologies to increase the rate of income of farmers. Other methods include the use of wastelands for agricultural activities to increase net sown areas, the uncertainty of current fallow techniques which depend on rainfall and sowing of regular crops, encroachment of rural and urban settlements which place undue pressure on wastelands.