Combat Desertification in India: Causes, Challenges and Policy Measures
Desertification refers to the process of land degradation occurring in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid regions due to multiple factors, including climatic variations and human activities. It is a serious environmental challenge affecting land productivity, biodiversity, and sustainable development.
Background
- The Global Driver: The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), established in 1994, is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.
- The Domestic Anchor: India became a proud signatory to the UNCCD in 1994 and ratified it in 1996. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) acts as the nodal ministry for implementing the Desertification Control Programme in India.
- The Institutional Pivot: The Programme to Combat Desertification UPSC modules highlight aims to align national actions with global targets to balance land loss with aggressive reclamation.
Core Definitions
- Land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities.
Structural Causes of Desertification
The process of land degradation is driven by a complex interaction between natural vulnerabilities and unsustainable human practices:
- Soil Degradation via Water Erosion: Heavy rainfall on exposed, deforested slopes washes away fertile topsoil, leading to sheet and gully erosion.
- Vegetation Loss and Deforestation: Clearing native forests for agriculture or infrastructure destroys root systems that bind the soil, leaving it vulnerable to wind and water erosion.
- Unsustainable Agriculture: Intensive cultivation, excessive overgrazing by livestock, and poor irrigation practices cause severe waterlogging and salinization, turning fertile fields into unproductive, alkaline expanses.
- Climate Change and Desertification: Rising global temperatures increase evapotranspiration rates, disrupt monsoon cycles, and intensify the frequency of prolonged droughts, accelerating land degradation.
Status of Desertification in India
The geographic scale of drought and desertification across the country is systematically mapped by the Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO, which publishes the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India
Total Geographical Area of India: ~328.7 Million Hectares
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Land Undergoing Degradation/Desertification: ~29.7% (97.85 mha)
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Top Impacted States: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir
Water erosion remains the leading driver of degradation nationwide, followed by wind erosion and vegetation loss, emphasizing the need for targeted ecological restoration.
Major Government Initiatives and India's Global Role
To reverse land degradation, the government implements the Combat Desertification Programme through several interconnected environmental initiatives:
- Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP): Now part of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), this initiative focuses on restoring ecological balance by harnessing rainwater, conserving soil moisture, and regenerating vegetation cover.
- National Mission for a Green India (GIM): Focuses on enhancing carbon sequestration and restoring degraded forest ecosystems.
- Sub-Mission on Agroforestry: Encourages farmers to plant multipurpose trees alongside traditional crops to promote sustainable agriculture and diversify rural incomes.
India's Leadership on the Global Stage:
During the UNCCD COP-14 held in New Delhi, India demonstrated its strong commitment to environmental leadership. The country elevated its national target, pledging to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. To support this goal, India established a dedicated Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Land Management at the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) in Dehradun to foster international knowledge sharing.
Challenges
Implementing a large-scale Programme to Combat Desertification faces several key administrative and structural hurdles, including competing land demands between industry and forestry, a lack of clear land records at the village level, and limited access to drought-resilient seed varieties for marginal farmers
Way Forward
To achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), India must adopt a decentralized, community-led approach. Integrating real-time satellite monitoring data from ISRO with local village development plans will ensure precise resource allocation.
By scaling up traditional rainwater harvesting techniques, providing financial incentives for eco-friendly farming practices, and encouraging public-private partnerships for wasteland reclamation, India can restore its soil health, strengthen climate resilience, and secure sustainable development for the future.
Conclusion
The Programme to Combat Desertification is central to securing India’s long-term ecological and economic health. Protecting soil quality is essential to sustain agriculture, safeguard biodiversity, and ensure food security for a growing population. By strengthening international partnerships through the UNCCD, synchronizing domestic schemes, and empowering grassroots communities, India can reverse land degradation and build a resilient green economy for future generations.
UPSC Prelims: PYQs & Practice Questions
Previous Year Questions (Prelims)
UPSC CSE Prelims 2016
Q: What is/are the importance/importances of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)?
1. It aims to promote effective action through innovative national programmes and supportive international partnerships.
2. It has a special focus on South Asia and North Africa regions, and its Secretariat coordinates the allocation of a major portion of financial resources to these regions.
3. It is committed to a bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating desertification.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Explanation:
Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The UNCCD promotes effective national action through supportive international partnerships and follows a bottom-up approach by encouraging participation of local farming and pastoral communities. Statement 2 is incorrect because the convention does not focus exclusively on South Asia and North Africa; it covers global dryland ecosystems and does not directly allocate major financial funds itself, relying instead on mechanisms such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
UPSC CSE Prelims 2012
Q: Consider the following statement: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) acts as the nodal agency for which of the following international conventions?
1. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
2. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
3. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation:
The MoEFCC is the designated central nodal ministry in India responsible for implementing the country’s domestic obligations under all three major Rio Earth Summit conventions: UNFCCC, CBD, and UNCCD.
Practice Questions
Q: In the context of the Desertification Control Programme in India, consider the following statements:
1. The Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO, is the scientific body that prepares the comprehensive Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India.
2. As per India's commitments under the UNCCD Delhi Declaration (COP-14), the nation has pledged to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
Both statements are correct. SAC-ISRO uses high-resolution satellite imagery to map the geographical scale of soil degradation and desertification across India. During COP-14 held in New Delhi, India formally raised its land restoration target from 21 million hectares to 26 million hectares by 2030.
Q: Which of the following ecological degradation processes constitutes the largest single driver of desertification in India, affecting close to 11% of the country's total geographical area?
(a) Wind Erosion
(b) Salinization due to over-irrigation
(c) Water Erosion
(d) Vegetation degradation via shifting cultivation
Answer: (c) Water Erosion
Explanation:
According to the official ISRO Land Degradation Atlas, Water Erosion is the most dominant cause of desertification in India, followed by vegetation degradation and wind erosion. It removes valuable topsoil, reduces fertility, and structurally weakens agricultural land.
UPSC Mains – Previous Year & Practice Questions
Mains Previous Year Questions
Mains 2023
Question: What are the major factors responsible for the degradation of soil and land resources in the arid zones of India? Discuss the strategies for sustainable soil management.
Directly maps to the goals of the Combat Desertification Programme.
Mains 2021
Question: Discuss the impacts of global warming and climate change on the frequency and intensity of severe droughts in India. How can watershed management build community resilience?
Mains 2019
Question: Assess the scope and significance of agroforestry in mitigating climate change impacts and enhancing farmers' incomes in drought-prone areas.
Agroforestry is a core tool for land restoration.
Mains 2016
Question: The traditional water harvesting systems in India are a time-tested remedy for combating drought and desertification. Discuss with examples from Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Mains 2013
Question: What do you understand by the concept of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)? Discuss its relevance for a country like India which has a high population density.
Mains Practice Questions
[15 Marks | 250 Words]
Question: Analyze how Climate Change and Desertification create a feedback loop that worsens rural poverty and fractures food security systems across India's dryland zones.
[15 Marks | 250 Words]
Question: The Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) is crucial for halting soil degradation. However, its field execution often suffers from weak community participation and fragmented local governance. Critically evaluate.
[10 Marks | 150 Words]
Question: India's global target to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 requires moving away from simple tree-planting drives toward an integrated framework of sustainable agriculture. Elaborate.
Combat Desertification-FAQs
What is desertification?
Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas due to climatic variations and human activities. It reduces soil fertility, vegetation cover and land productivity.
What is the Programme to Combat Desertification in India?
The Programme to Combat Desertification refers to India’s efforts to prevent land degradation, restore degraded lands, improve soil health and align national actions with the UNCCD goals.
What are the main causes of desertification in India?
The major causes include water erosion, wind erosion, deforestation, overgrazing, unsustainable agriculture, poor irrigation practices, salinization and climate change.
Which states are most affected by desertification in India?
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir are among the major regions affected by land degradation and desertification in India.
