{"id":55395,"date":"2025-09-27T20:38:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T15:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=55395"},"modified":"2025-10-03T12:00:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T06:30:11","slug":"desertification-india-and-farming-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-09-2025\/desertification-india-and-farming-technology","title":{"rendered":"Desertification in India &amp; Farming Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, researchers from the Central University of Rajasthan (CUoR) have successfully <strong>grown wheat on desert land<\/strong> using an <strong>innovative \u2018soilification technology\u2019<\/strong> powered by an <strong>indigenous bioformulation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Desertification<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Desertification <\/strong>is defined as land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas due to various factors including climatic variations and human activities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to the <strong>Space Applications Centre of ISRO, <\/strong>about <strong>30% of India\u2019s total geographical area<\/strong> suffers from <strong>degradation<\/strong>, with nearly <strong>25% affected by desertification<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Extent of the Problem<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nearly <strong>96.40 million hectares<\/strong> of land in India are degraded (<em>Space Applications Centre, ISRO, 2021<\/em>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drylands in Rajasthan contribute to over <strong>23% of desertified areas<\/strong>, making it a hotspot for urgent interventions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India aims to restore <strong>26 million hectares of degraded land<\/strong> by 2030 (India\u2019s National Action Programme to Combat Desertification, MoEFCC).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Breakthroughs in Farming Technology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Soilification Technology in Rajasthan:<\/strong> It lies in <strong>modifying desert sand into fertile soil<\/strong> using <strong>polymers and bioformulations.<\/strong> It involves:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>cross-linking desert sand particles using eco-friendly polymers;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>enhancing water retention capacity of sandy soil;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>stimulating microbial activity through indigenous bioformulations;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>creating a soil-like structure that supports crop growth;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Minimising the spread of desertification, particularly in vulnerable zones like <strong>western Rajasthan\u2019s Thar Desert<\/strong>;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Baramati Experiment in Maharashtra: <\/strong>It was based on<strong> AI and Precision Farming, supported by Microsoft and Oxford University<\/strong>, that uses <strong>AI-driven tools<\/strong> to optimize irrigation, pest control, and crop planning.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Farmers reported up to 40% increase in yield;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reduced input costs and water usage;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Real-time data helps manage climate risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Other Farming Technology in Combating Desertification<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Precision Agriculture: <\/strong>Use of drones, sensors, and GIS to monitor soil moisture and nutrient levels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Micro-Irrigation Systems: <\/strong>Drip and sprinkler irrigation reduce water wastage and salinity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Soil Conservation Technologies: <\/strong>Zero-tillage, contour bunding, and mulching help retain soil moisture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agroforestry: <\/strong>Integration of trees with crops prevents erosion and enhances soil carbon sequestration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Remote Sensing &amp; Satellite Monitoring: <\/strong>ISRO\u2019s <em>Desertification Atlas<\/em> provides data for planning at national and state levels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate-Smart Farming: <\/strong>Adoption of drought-resistant crop varieties (e.g., millets) promoted under the <strong>International Year of Millets 2023<\/strong> initiative.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Natural Farming:<\/strong> It avoids chemical fertilizers and pesticides, restores soil health and water permeability, and promotes climate-resilient agriculture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Government Initiatives to Combat Desertification<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>National Action Plan on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought: <\/strong>It aligns with UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) commitments.<br>1. <strong>Bonn Challenge Pledge: <\/strong>Restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.<br>&#8211; <strong>Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)<\/strong>: It promotes efficient water use.<br>&#8211; <strong>National Afforestation Programme &amp; Green India Mission:<\/strong> These aim to expand vegetative cover.<br>&#8211; <strong>Soil Health Card Scheme:<\/strong> It encourages balanced fertilizer use.<br>&#8211; <strong>National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA):<\/strong> It fosters climate-resilient farming.<br>&#8211; <strong>Technology Development and Transfer Programme: Desert Soilification Technology<\/strong> is actively promoted and scale-up under it, with the aim to:<br>1. Reclaim degraded land in desert-prone regions;<br>2. Support climate-resilient agriculture;<br>3. Reduce water usage in farming;<br>4. Enable sustainable livelihoods for rural communities.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/cities\/Delhi\/new-farming-technology-holds-potential-to-stop-desertification\/article70099654.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Recently, researchers from the Central University of Rajasthan (CUoR) have successfully grown wheat on desert land using an innovative \u2018soilification technology\u2019 powered by an indigenous bioformulation.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About Desertification<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Desertification is defined as land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas due to various factors including climatic variations and human activities.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">According to the Space Applications Centre of ISRO, about 30% of India\u2019s total geographical area suffers from degradation, with nearly 25% affected by desertification.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-09-2025\/desertification-india-and-farming-technology\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55395"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55405,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55395\/revisions\/55405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}