---
title: "Cropping intensity and irrigation intensity"
subject: "Irrigation and Drainage Engineering"
chapter: 1
key: "semester_6/irrigation_and_drainage_engineering:cropping-irrigation-intensity"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/irrigation_and_drainage_engineering/cropping-irrigation-intensity
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Cropping intensity and irrigation intensity

Irrigation and Drainage Engineering · Chapter 1: Introduction

- Asked in: 2071 Bhadra, 2 marks; 2065 Kartik (old course), 2 marks (asked 2 times)
- Video: [5CE4-05, L-5 ,UNIT 2,Intensity of Irrigation, WRE by Pawan Taneja](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLG10ObnlGo) — MITRC LECTURE
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/irrigation_and_drainage_engineering/cropping-irrigation-intensity
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_6/irrigation_and_drainage_engineering/chapter-1

## Question

Define cropping intensity and irrigation intensity.

## Short answer

Cropping intensity is the ratio of gross cropped area to net sown area expressed as a percentage, indicating multi-cropping (e.g., 180% for rice-wheat). Irrigation intensity is the percentage of CCA irrigated in a season or year, which can exceed 100% for multiple seasons.

## Answer

#### Cropping intensity
The ratio of the gross cropped area in a year to the net sown area, expressed as a percentage.

$$
\text{Cropping intensity}=\frac{\text{Gross cropped area}}{\text{Net sown area}}\times 100
$$

Example: 100 ha net sown, with 100 ha rice and 80 ha wheat, gives $\frac{180}{100}\times 100 = 180\%$.

#### Irrigation intensity
The percentage of the culturable command area (CCA) that is irrigated in a given season or year by the project.

$$
\text{Irrigation intensity}=\frac{\text{Area irrigated}}{\text{CCA}}\times 100
$$

Example: wheat irrigated on 3000 ha out of a CCA of 5000 ha gives 60%. Irrigation intensity may be given crop-wise (e.g. 30% wheat, 15% rice) and the sum over a year may exceed 100%.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Cropping intensity is defined as:
   A. Net sown area / gross cropped area x 100
   B. Area irrigated / CCA x 100
   C. CCA / GCA x 100
   D. Gross cropped area / net sown area x 100
   Answer: D. It is the percentage ratio of gross cropped area to net sown area in a year. (Key point: Cropping intensity formula)

2. 100 ha net sown with 100 ha rice and 80 ha wheat has what cropping intensity?
   A. 180%
   B. 80%
   C. 100%
   D. 125%
   Answer: A. (100+80)/100 x 100 = 180%. (Key point: Irrigation intensity)

3. Wheat irrigated on 3000 ha out of a CCA of 5000 ha gives what irrigation intensity?
   A. 40%
   B. 60%
   C. 166%
   D. 30%
   Answer: B. 3000/5000 x 100 = 60%. (Key point: Irrigation intensity calc)

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