The collective efforts of global powers are unable to slow down climate change or make much of a difference to degradation of the environment. This is where experimentation can play a pivotal role in battling these issues

India has immense intellectual capital. This has been proven innumerable times given the tremendous amount of research put in by our brilliant scientists. The global forum is replete with Indian scholars and research scientists who have always given their best and ensured that the world is made aware of interesting discoveries in almost every arena.

Not surprisingly, the world academia as well as intellectual stalwarts have always respected and welcomed Indian minds at global research platforms. The quality of Indian exploration work has made lives easier in more ways than we can fathom. However, the environment is still one area which remains neglected and needs urgent attention of scientists.

The environment, climate change and deterioration of ecological habitats are major areas of concern for the global citizen. No matter what country you belong to and where you reside, climate change is touching your life in some way or the other. For instance, every country now has to bear the economic impact unleashed by climate change as agricultural incomes fall victim to the vagaries of the weather. Additionally, the rapid rise in extreme weather events has played spoilsport for businesses across the world, causing millions of dollars worth of damages.

These developments once considered an aberration are now, routine. The collective efforts of global powers are unable to slow climate change or make much of a difference to degradation of the environment. This is where experimentation can play a pivotal role.

The eminence of advance study in environmental conservation was also recognised at the opening day of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 14th Conference of Parties (COP 14) on September 2, 2019. The UNCCD agreed that research could hold the key for global land restoration provided there’s a concerted effort and collaboration among scientists, governments and farming communities of the world. This collaboration, if ensured, can change the face of humanity’s battle with climate change.

The experts at UNCCD cited the example of Africa, where adding analysis to farmer-led initiatives have contributed to adoptable innovations in Ethiopia’s Amhara region. According to a statement by International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), these innovations aided in the development of physical and biological barriers, which controlled extreme events upstream and run-offs downstream. The structures also opened new avenues for farming and restored degraded lands in the region.

These innovations were put to use on a trial basis at various levels with assistance and collaboration with local and nomadic communities. For the first time, these communities were producing food crops and fodder. A long-standing problem was not only managed but also taken advantage of.

In India, development and management of watersheds helped reclaim degraded lands. The Parasai-Sindh watershed in Uttar Pradesh (UP) developed by ICRISAT and partners from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), reportedly helped increase area under cultivation, crop and milk yields and triple farm household incomes in Jhansi.

Integrated watershed development, involving agro-forestry also helped to control erosion and enable farmers to achieve food and economic security. It is important in the context of increasing dependence of Indian agriculture on groundwater. For all these efforts and subjects, analysis plays an important and critical role. Additionally, in order to achieve the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 15.3) of restoring degraded land and soil by 2030, there is a need for synergy between scientists, farming communities and their institutions that are land users and managers. Research can help restoration initiatives to scale up globally but only if farmers, their livelihoods and communities are at the heart of such initiatives. This is what India must become an expert at. If India can accomplish the art of collaboration, it can become a global coordinator of talent and expertise. This in turn will help shed light on donor priority for land restoration, land management strategies in the backdrop of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) framework, the role of policy and governance in land regeneration and role of nations in a region’s land restoration agenda.

India is currently facing the spectre of desertification and land degradation that are major threats to agricultural productivity. According to the State of India’s Environment 2017 In Figures, a book by the Centre for Science and Environment, desertification plagues 90 per cent of Indian States.

Out of the total 328.72 million hectares (MHA) of India’s geographical area, 96.4 MHA is threatened by desertification. In the last 10 years, 26 of 29 Indian States have reported an increase in the area undergoing desertification. Around 40 to 70 per cent of the land has undergone desertification in Rajasthan, Delhi, Goa, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh.

With such high stakes, India cannot afford to lose more to environmental degradation and climate change. This downward spiral must be arrested with research. Given the rich pool of excellent talent the country has, India must set up a global club of researchers, who can help the global community bring about the much-required difference in the battle against climate change. This in turn will also make India the epicenter for environmental research.

(The writer is an environmental journalist)