In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) "agricultural land" means the land which is used or is capable of being used for the agriculture and allied activities including fallow land;
(b) "Agricultural Year" means the year commencing on the 1 August and ending on the 31 July, or such other year as specified by the State Government, by notification published in the Official Gazette;
(c) "agriculture and allied activities" means raising of crops including food and non-food crops, fodder or grass, fruits and vegetables, flowers, any other horticultural crops and plantation, animal husbandry and dairy, poultry farming, stock breeding, fishery, agro forestry, agro-processing and other related activities by farmers and farmer groups;
(d) "Competent Authority" means the Tahsildar or such revenue officer of equal rank, as may be notified by the State Government under section 8;
(e) "farmer" means a person who owns and cultivates land himself or herself and includes a person who may or may not own land but cultivates land by leasing in from others;
(f) "farmer groups" includes self-help groups, joint liability groups, Farm Producers Organizations (F.P.O.s) and the like;
(g) "Government" means the Government of Maharashtra;
(h) "lease" means a contract between the Land Owner - Lessor and the Lessee Cultivator by which the Land Owner - Lessor conveys use of his agricultural land to the Lessee Cultivator for agriculture and allied activities for a specified period for a consideration, based on an agreement with terms and conditions mutually agreed upon by the Land Owner - Lessor and the Lessee Cultivator;
(i) "Leasing in" means the use of agricultural land by a Lessee Cultivator under lease for a consideration which could be in cash or kind or share of produce;
(j) "Leasing out" means transfer of land under lease by a Land Owner - Lessor to a Lessee Cultivator for an agreed lease period for a consideration which could be in cash or kind or share of produce;
(k) "Lessee Cultivator" means a person who leases in agricultural land for the purpose of agriculture and allied activities against a consideration in cash or kind or a share of produce, payable to the Land Owner - Lessor as per the lease agreement;
(l) "Land Owner - Lessor" means a person who owns agricultural land and has leased out such land to a Lessee Cultivator, under mutually agreed terms and conditions;
(m) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act.