• Desertification is the continuous degradation of land under the influence of natural and anthropological causes in arid, semi-arid and dry-sub humid conditions. Desertification affects two third countries of the world and one third of the earth’s surface, on which one billion people live (one sixth of world’s population). The processes of desertification and land degradation are observed to have accelerated during recent years.
• As per United Nations Convention for Combating Desertification (UNCCD), Desertification is defined as “land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities” (UNCCD, 1994). Here ‘‘land’’ means the terrestrial bio-productive system’’ and “land degradation” means “reduction or loss of biological or economic productivity and complexity of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland, or range, pasture, forest and woodlands resulting from land uses or from a process or combination of processes, including processes arising from human activities and habitation patterns, such as:
  • Soil erosion caused by wind and/or water;
  • Deterioration of the physical, chemical and biological or economic properties of soil; and
  • Long term loss of natural vegetation (UNCCD, 1994)

Desertification Status in India

According to ‘Desertification and Land Degradation of Selected Districts of India’, an atlas published in 2021 by the ISRO’s Space Application Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad:

• 96.40 million ha, or about 29.32% of the Total Geographic Area (TGA) of the country is undergoing degradation.
• Around 23.95% of desertification/land degradation is contributed nine states: Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
• Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat and Goa have more than 50% area under desertification/land degradation.
• Kerala, Assam, Mizoram, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh had less than 10% area under desertification/land degradation.

Steps taken by India to control Desertification

India is a signatory to the UNCCD, which was adopted on June 17, 1994. The Government is implementing several schemes/programmes to combat desertification, which include, inter –alia:

• National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board (NAEB) is implementing National Afforestation Programme (NAP) for ecological restoration of degraded forests and adjoining areas through people’s participation.The scheme is implemented through 3 tier institutional set up of State Forest Development Agency (SFDA) at State level, Forest Development agency (FDA) at Forest Division Level and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at village level.
• National Mission for Green India (GIM) aims at protecting, restoring and enhancing India’s forest cover by means of plantation activities in forest and non-forest areas.
• Demand driven action oriented research work is carried out through projects under National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS). Certain projects include the development of models for land reclamation, soil conservation and watershed management, etc.
• Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) is implemented under Watershed Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna, with objective to develop rainfed and degraded lands. The activities undertaken include , inter-alia, ridge area treatment, drainage line treatment, soil and moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting, nursery raising, pasture development, livelihoods, etc through interventions to ensure sustainable development and improved natural resource management with better resilience to climate change.