India

Mythili Gurumurthy

Land degradation is a major problem in India. In 2005, about 120 million hectares of land was considered to be degraded with varying intensities due to soil erosion alone. Land degradation in India may substantially limit future growth in agricultural output and pose risks to human health, for example through increased food insecurity and malnutrition. This study is a systematic attempt to analyze the socio-economic, institutional and other proximate and underlying causes of land degradation in the country. Using household level surveys, representative for major agro-ecologies in the country, and focus group discussions, we econometrically estimate the drivers of land degradation at household and community levels. The household level data on land use change and NDVI-based measures of land degradation hotspots at community levels serve as land degradation indicators. We find that growing population pressures, farm size fragmentation, soil nutrient mining due to intensive farming practices, land tenure insecurity, and market distortions due to subsidies (for electricity and fertilizers) and administered pricing are among the key factors affecting sustainable land management (SLM) in the country. The above analysis also informs us for the subsequent economic modelling of the costs of land degradation and net benefits from SLM actions, including the simulation of SLM-enabling policy and institutional changes. We conclude with institutional and policy recommendations to incentivize sustainable land management in India.

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