Environment minister Prakash Javadekar says the government is working on a plan to `stop and reverse’ the serious threat With India’s food security under threat, with nearly 81 million hectares facing desertification, environment minister Prakash Javadekar said that the government was working on a plan to “stop and reverse” the “serious threat”. The minister said that India would become “land degradation neutral” by 2030 if all critical stakeholders — ministries of environment, agriculture, water resources and land resources — worked together on a common implementation strategy. Desertification refers to the process of land degradation by which fertile land, especially dry regions, become increasingly arid, losing water bodies, vegetation and wildlife. Deforestation, drought and improper or inappropriate agriculture are typically considered to be the main causes of such land degradation. India has about 105 million hectares of land classified as dry land. The objective of achieving land degradation neutrality is to maintain or improve the condition of land resources through the sustainable management of soil, water and biodiversity, the minister told a meeting on the occasion of the World Day to Combat Desertification organised by the environment ministry and the Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education. In India, 69% of the land is dry land and 32% of the land is undergoing desertification.

Click Here To Read More