Browsing by Author "Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash"

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Agri-food systems in India: Concerns and policy recommendations for building resilience in post COVID-19 pandemic times
(Elsevier B.V., 2021) Priya Priyadarshini; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the development trajectories of several world economies with India being no exception. The country presently is the second worst affected in terms of total infections despite inducing a nationwide lockdown in the initial stages. In addition to curtailing infection spread, ensuring food security during and post pandemic is a major concern for the country owing to the high percentage of stunting and undernourishment already present and a relatively high proportion of vulnerable workforce with no regular source of income amidst the lockdown. The present article therefore ascertains the impact of the pandemic on the food systems which can potentially affect food security in the country as well as the government introduced reforms and policy measures to tackle them. Following the analysis, we suggest measures like digitally enhancing connectivity of neighbourhood retail or ‘Kirana’ stores in urban and rural areas, distribution of therapeutic foods and immune supplements among the impoverished societal sections through existing government schemes and promotion of ‘planetary healthy diets’ for overcoming food-insecurity while increasing nutrition security and ensuring long term food sector sustainability. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
An empirical analysis of resource efficiency and circularity within the agri-food sector of India
(Elsevier Ltd, 2023) Priya Priyadarshini; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Circular economy and resource efficiency concepts are gaining increasing recognition within the scientific community as enablers of sustainability at the sectoral scale. Simultaneously, the agri-food sector of India while being crucial towards the country's economy also displays tremendous potential in positively influencing the timely attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). The present study therefore focused on ascertaining the status of circularity and efficiency within the agri-food sector of India at the state level. The first objective determined decoupling between energy consumption and economic growth for the agriculture sector at the state level. The second objective focused on developing a Composite Agri-Food Efficiency Index (CAFEI) comprising of 38 indicators distributed across environmental, social, economic and governance categories. The last objective estimated the temporal trend (2009–10 to 2018–19) of efficiency at the state level within the Food Processing Industries (FPIs) using the technique of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The decoupling analysis indicated that agricultural economy of four major food producing states was intrinsically linked with electricity consumption for agricultural purposes. While Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana were front-runners in terms of overall CAFEI scores, considerable variations were visible when individual categories were considered. Average of DEA scores indicated Goa to be the most efficient state followed by Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. A first of its kind assessment, the present study provides evidence for designing policy frameworks focused around circularity. Results also highlight the importance of developing datasets and indicators related to agri-residue management, storage and processing infrastructure as well as sustainable consumption. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
Animal manures and plant residue-based amendments for sustainable rice-wheat production and soil fertility improvement in eastern Uttar Pradesh, North India
(Elsevier B.V., 2022) Pradeep Kumar Dubey; Ajeet Singh; Rajan Chaurasia; Krishna Kumar Pandey; Amit Kumar Bundela; Gopal Shankar Singh; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Agroecological interventions are imperative for boosting agricultural productivity and soil fertility while increasing profitability of subsistence farmers in low-income countries by replacing synthetic fertilizers. With this context, the present study was aimed to evaluate the impact of animal manures (sheep and poultry manure) and plant residue-based organic amendments (rice husk biochar and sugarcane pressmud) on soil quality, nutrient uptake and balance, yield, and sustainability of rice-wheat cropping in alluvial (rainfed) and red lateritic soil (dryland) of middle Gangetic plains (Narayanpur) and Vindhyan region (Rajgarh) of Mirzapur district in eastern UP. The field experiments were conducted for three years at the above two sites and amendments were done at a rate by replacing 30% standard recommended doses of fertilizer (RDF) for rice-wheat cropping system. Field trials were conducted with the 100% RDF as control, and 70% RDF with sheep manure, poultry manure, rice-husk biochar and sugarcane pressmud in a randomized block design. The organic amendments were done during the rice cultivation stage and the residual effect was observed during the subsequent wheat cultivation. Though soil organic carbon (SOC) was found to show significant (p ≥ 0.05) increase in biochar amended plots, animal manures followed by pressmud showed year wise increase in both SOC and microbial biomass carbon. In rainfed areas, plant growth and yield attributes for both rice and wheat were at par in amendments than control while in dryland, the 100% RDF showed better performance during the first year, after that amended plot showed better performance. All amendments resulted in higher benefit: cost ratio except biochar addition in Narayanpur, whereas in Rajgarh, the poultry manure resulted in significant improvement in benefit: cost ratio from second year onward. Our study advocates that validation of suitable amendment packages based on organic inputs are imperative for improving the yield, soil quality and nutrient balance of rice-wheat cropping system and thereby attaining the UN-SDGs at the village/local level. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.
Assessing the impact of global initiatives on current and future land restoration scenarios in India
(Academic Press Inc., 2023) Sheikh Adil Edrisi; Amit Kumar Bundela; Vivek Verma; Pradeep Kumar Dubey; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Land degradation across the world has resulted in an unprecedented decline of ecosystem services, affecting the livelihood of 3.2 billion people globally. Sustainable land management is essential to protect our finite land resources from over-exploitation and degradation. Therefore, the present article was aimed to analyze the impacts of various national and international policies on current and future land restoration scenarios in India. A spatially explicit model (CLUMondo) was employed to predict scenarios, i.e., the ‘business as usual’ (BU) and ‘sustainable restoration’ (SR) by 2030. Though the results showed an increasing trend in land degradation, i.e., from 44.28 to 49.74 Mha during the period of 2005–15, a slight decrease was observed in 2019 (49.24 Mha), suggesting a net increase of 11.21% during the 2005–19 period. However, an increase in forest cover by 5.08% under existing policy targets overtook the degradation rate by restoration initiatives. The net decline in degraded land area by 1% with an increased forest cover by 1.83% observed during the 2015–19 periods reflected the positive impact of various national and global policies on existing restoration ventures in India. Our modeled results (weighted AUC = 0.87) also suggested an increase in forest cover by 6.9% and 9.9% under BU and SR scenarios, respectively. Under the BU scenario, degraded land will be restored up to 12.1 Mha; however, 6.27 Mha of these lands will be converted to cropland for food production. Importantly, a decrease in grasslands by 35.1% under the BU scenario warrants the urgency to maintain the integrity of such ecological systems. However, the SR scenario showed an increase in grasslands by 8.9%, with an overall restoration of degraded land up to 18.31 Mha. Moreover, a reduced cropland expansion rate of 1% suggested an effective land management response. While our results may have some uncertainties due to the model limitations, they can still be used for framing suitable land management policies to facilitate sustainable land restoration programs in India. © 2022 Elsevier Inc.
Bioenergy crop production potential and carbon mitigation from marginal and degraded lands of India
(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Sheikh Adil Edrisi; Pradeep Kumar Dubey; Rajiv Kumar Chaturvedi; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Bioenergy production from marginal and degraded lands is getting worldwide attention due to its potential for renewable energy, land restoration, soil carbon sequestration and also for meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. However, majority of the literature reported the bioenergy production prospect based on a single bioenergy crop production system. Therefore, the present article utilizes a multi-criteria analysis to identify India's potential marginal and degraded lands (Pml) and their suitability for bioenergy crop production based on a polyculture zonation technique (PZT) with the projections for bioenergy and carbon mitigation potentials. Ten multipurpose bioenergy crops have been studied, out of which seven hardwood tree species were further selected based on ecological and climate suitability. Results suggested that India accounted for 45.13 million ha (Mha) of Pml, and it could produce 96.82 Mt y−1 of biomass and 6.16 Mt y−1 of biofuel, considering half utilization of the plantation areas. Such productions represent 2.22 EJ y−1 (equivalent to 618 TW h y−1) of bioenergy potential. Around 64 Mt C y−1 can also be sequestered by these plantations and additionally help in meeting carbon sequestration over 2800 MtCO2 by 2030, corresponding to India's nationally determined contribution. According to the spatial validation results via centroid coinciding approach, 14 randomly generated points out of 24 coincided on the centroids of randomly identified land parcels, which were further validated through the ortho-imagery from Google Earth. Our study results can be used for framing suitable strategies for exploring bioenergy production from similar agroecological conditions and also for attaining India's national and international commitments related to land restoration and renewable energy production. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
Circular economy practices within energy and waste management sectors of India: A meta-analysis
(Elsevier Ltd, 2020) Priya Priyadarshini; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Adoption of circular practices within environmental management is gaining worldwide recognition owing to rapid resource depletion and detrimental effects of climate change. The present study therefore attempted to ascertain the linkages between circular economy (CE) and sustainable development (SD) by examining the role of renewable energy (RE) and waste management (WM) sectors in CE combined with policy setup and enabling frameworks boosting the influx of circularity principles in the Indian context. Results revealed that research dedicated towards energy recovery from waste in India lacks integration with SD. Findings also revealed that although India is extremely dedicated towards attainment of the SDGs, penetration of CE principles within administration requires considerable efforts especially since WM regulations for municipal, plastic and e-waste lack alignment with CE principles. Integration of WM and RE policies under an umbrella CE policy would provide further impetus to the attainment of circularity and SD within the Indian economy. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
Domesticating the undomesticated for global food and nutritional security: Four steps
(MDPI AG, 2019) Ajeet Singh; Pradeep Kumar Dubey; Rajan Chaurasia; Rama Kant Dubey; Krishna Kumar Pandey; Gopal Shankar Singh; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Ensuring the food and nutritional demand of the ever-growing human population is a major sustainability challenge for humanity in this Anthropocene. The cultivation of climate resilient, adaptive and underutilized wild crops along with modern crop varieties is proposed as an innovative strategy for managing future agricultural production under the changing environmental conditions. Such underutilized and neglected wild crops have been recently projected by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations as ‘future smart crops’ as they are not only hardy, and resilient to changing climatic conditions, but also rich in nutrients. They need only minimal care and input, and therefore, they can be easily grown in degraded and nutrient-poor soil also. Moreover, they can be used for improving the adaptive traits of modern crops. The contribution of such neglected, and underutilized crops and their wild relatives to global food production is estimated to be around 115–120 billion US$ per annum. Therefore, the exploitation of such lesser utilized and yet to be used wild crops is highly significant for climate resilient agriculture and thereby providing a good quality of life to one and all. Here we provide four steps, namely: (i) exploring the unexplored, (ii) refining the unrefined traits, (iii) cultivating the uncultivated, and (iv) popularizing the unpopular for the sustainable utilization of such wild crops as a resilient strategy for ensuring food and nutritional security and also urge the timely adoption of suitable frameworks for the large-scale exploitation of such wild species for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. © 2019 by the authors
Double transplantation as a climate resilient and sustainable resource management strategy for rice production in eastern Uttar Pradesh, north India
(Academic Press, 2023) Pradeep Kumar Dubey; Rajan Chaurasia; Krishna Kumar Pandey; Amit Kumar Bundela; Ajeet Singh; Gopal Shankar Singh; Rajesh Kumar Mall; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
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Exploring the ‘Safe Operating Space’ of India for the implementation of UN-Sustainable Development Goals through effectual policy alignment
(Springer, 2020) Priya Priyadarshini; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Exploring the ‘Safe Operating Space’ of nations are important for devising suitable strategies for the effectual implementation of UN-Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). In this context, the present study attempts to ascertain the environmental and social challenges hindering sustainable development (SD) in India along with linking these challenges to the SDGs and policy mechanisms in place for their alleviation. Environmental issues were determined by down-scaling the planetary boundaries (PB) to national scales while the social issues were highlighted in terms of their deprivation rates fixing the possession rates for all indicators at hundred percent. An in-depth analysis of available literature and scoping of national reports and databases were undertaken for the determination of national boundaries and the retrieval of values against the selected indicators, respectively. Furthermore, the existing policies and national missions were critically assessed to establish the linkages between existing challenges, SDGs and government policies. Results obtained highlighted gender inequality and severely stressed biocapacity as well as land use change as the major social and environmental issues, respectively. However, indicator based statistics compiled for rural India showed improved possession rates in the sanitation and electricity sectors thereby signifying the progress achieved by the country in these fronts. Analysis of policy frameworks revealed the existence of multiple interconnections between the SDG targets and environmental and social dimensions and thereby highlighting the role of governance for SD. A national policy for ‘Safe Habitat and Sustainable Environment’ along with several policy recommendations such as exploring the potential of education and research for SD were proposed for boosting the sustainability governance in India. © 2020, Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature.
Formulation of Water Sustainability Index for India as a performance gauge for realizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2022) Jayanta Kumar Biswas; Bipradeep Mondal; Priya Priyadarshini; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash; Soma Biswas; Amit Bhatnagar
Anthropogenic activities targeting economic progress have triggered changes in the Earth system processes causing depletion of resources and degradation of ecosystems. Water is a critical natural resource which has been severely impacted through groundwater depletion, surface water contamination and ocean acidification resulting in repercussions on human health and biodiversity losses. Likewise, India, a mega biodiversity nation has been critically affected by degradation and drawdown of water resources with far-reaching consequences on environmental vitality and socio-economic development. In order to prevent extreme water scarcity in the near future, the country needs to promote sustainable utilisation of water resources by adhering to the targets of Goal 6 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). The present work, therefore, has focussed on the development of a Water Sustainability Index (WSI) for India that would help attaining the targets of SDG 6. A total of 12 indicators categorized under biophysical and social development dimensions and synonymous with the targets of SDG 6 have been used for the formulation of WSI and thereby understanding how much water resources are used annually in a sustainable manner. The study also highlights the interrelationship between the diverse social development and health indicators (SDG 3) of Indian community. The research has the potential to provide guidance for efficient use of water resources in India. Acting as a yardstick and guiding star, the sustainability metric will help the nation to monitor whether it is on the right track and navigate its journey towards achieving water sustainability. It also calls for cautious course correction and restructuring of current Indian policy and operational instruments for effective green governance and sustainable water management. © 2021, The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Fostering sustainable land restoration through circular economy-governed transitions
(Blackwell Publishing Inc., 2020) Priya Priyadarshini; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Soil and land are critical common pool resources offering a multitude of ecosystem services (ES) and presently affected by degradation and unplanned exploitation. The present article therefore attempts to elucidate the importance of circular economy in boosting land restoration and realization of several sustainable development goals through efficient waste recycling and clean energy production from degraded lands combined with policy restructuring for aligning circularity with restoration. Integrative policy frameworks targeting a “sustainable restoration economy” can help improve the cost feasibility of restoration projects through circularization of resource value chains besides enhancing social welfare and ecological vitality. © 2020 Society for Ecological Restoration
From piecemeal to holistic: Introducing sustainability science in Indian Universities to attain UN-Sustainable Development Goals
(Elsevier Ltd, 2020) Priya Priyadarshini; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
The doctrine of Sustainability Science (SS) is widely acknowledged as a tool for attaining global sustainability and is becoming the core philosophy of national and international developmental agendas. Goal 4 of the United Nations-Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) clearly acknowledges the role education plays in the promulgation of Sustainable Development (SD) by acting as a thread that concatenates the other SDGs. Hence, it is gaining global popularity as an academic discipline. However, SS as a standalone course is yet to gain prominence in Indian education systems, even though certain principles and practices of this science have been included within existing courses like Environmental Sciences. The present work thus aimed to bridge the gap between SD and education through the incorporation of sustainability tenets within universities of India. The methodology involved an assessment of research dedicated towards environmental and social issues in India and identification of possible entry-points for SS within higher education through detailed scanning of the academic programs of various Central, State and Private Universities. Results indicated that none of the universities were offering SS and only half of the universities surveyed provided Environmental Sciences. Therefore, a template for SS syllabus relevant in the Indian context was designed. Besides, two models namely the ‘infusion model’ for introduction of SS as a separate academic course and the ‘diffusion model’ for customization of the existing courses by integrating the principles and practices of sustainability were also proposed. We conclude that the effective utilization of these models can propel the implementation of SS within Indian higher education for nurturing a future generation of students having sustainability ethos in their words and deeds for addressing the developmental challenges of India. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd
Greenhouse gases emissions and agronomic productivity as influenced by varying levels of N fertilizer and tank silt in degraded semiarid Alfisol of Southern India
(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2023) Sharan Bhoopal Reddy; Cherukumalli Srinivasarao; Palli Chandrasekhar Rao; Rattan Lal; Suresh Rakesh; Sumanta Kundu; Ram Nagina Singh; Pradeep Kumar Dubey; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash; Kondru Venkateswara Rao; Vikas Abrol; Jayaraman Somasundaram
The study aimed to assess the effects of combined application of urea nitrogen (N) and tank* silt (TS) on greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions [i.e., carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O)] and agronomic productivity of maize-horsegram system. A factorial [urea (0, 60, 120, and 180 kg N ha−1)] and tank silt (0 and 30 t ha−1) replicated thrice randomized block design was employed for this investigation. Results of the study showed that maize grain yield was significantly influenced by the sole application of both N fertilizer and TS. When both the N fertilizer and TS were combined, the grain yield was significantly (p < 0.01) improved by 5% (4870 kg ha−1) over the highest yield observed under only N. We have noticed a significant (p < 0.01) residual effect of N and TS on horsegram straw yield during all the years of experimentation. With the increase in N-rate, there was an increasing trend in CO2 emission noticed in all the years including the pooled year data. Compared to CO2 emission, N2O emission was greatly influenced by nutrient management and amendment application. Among the seasons, the post-rainy season (Rabi) had a slightly lower emission trend of CO2, during all the years as compared to the rainy season (Kharif). The observed results marked the marginal increasing trend of cumulative CO2 (cCO2) emissions with regard to increasing doses of urea. Tank silt addition slightly favoured a CO2 emissions. The trend of cumulative N2O (cN2O) emission was greatly influenced by the dose of urea following the order of N180 > N120 > N60 > N0. However, N fertilizer application influenced the cCO2 emissions (r = 0.83), and significantly increased the cN2O emission (r = 0.99). Therefore, optimum and timely application of urea combined with TS is recommended as an effective strategy to combat GHG-based emissions (specifically N2O based) in semiarid rainfed regions. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Impact of integrated agronomic practices on soil fertility and respiration on the indo-gangetic plain of North India
(MDPI AG, 2021) Rama Kant Dubey; Pradeep Kumar Dubey; Rajan Chaurasia; Ch Srinivasa Rao; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Global agricultural production is accountable for the emission of ~30% of greenhouse gases. Therefore, the wide-scale adoptions of low-input, soil-friendly, and resource-conserving agronomic practices are imperative for the 'planet healthy food production' and also for reducing the carbon emissions from agricultural soil. In this context, the present study aimed to analyze the impacts of integrated agronomic interventions i.e., the application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) + reduced tillage (RT), biochar + RT, and AMF + biochar + RT, on spatiotemporal variations in soil-quality and soil-sustainability indicators, including microbial and soil respiration, in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) of North India. For this, field experiments on the above-mentioned agronomic interventions were employed using three different staple crops (Zea mays, Vigna mungo, and Brassica juncea) growing in three different agro-climatic zones of IGP (Varanasi, Sultanpur, and Gorakhpur) in a randomized block design. Periodic data collection was done to analyze the changes in physiochemical, biological, and biochemical properties of the soil, and statistical analyses were done accordingly. Irrespective of the sites, the experimental results proved that the integrated application of AMF + biochar + RT in V. mungo resulted in the highest soil organic carbon (i.e., 135% increment over the control) and microbial biomass carbon (24%), whereas the same application (i.e., AMF + biochar + RT) in Z. mays had the maximum reduction in microbial (32%) and soil (44%) respiration. On the other hand, enhanced occurrence of glomalin activity (98%) was noted in Z. mays cropping for all the sites. Significant negative correlation between soil respiration and glomalin activity under AMF + biochar + RT (−0.85), AMF + RT (−0.82), and biochar + RT (−0.62) was an indication of glomalin's role in the reduced rate of soil respiration. The research results proved that the combined application of AMF + biochar + RT was the best practice for enhancing soil quality while reducing respiration. Therefore, the development of suitable packages of integrated agronomic practices is essential for agricultural sustainability. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).
Land and water conservation technologies for building carbon positive villages in India
(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2022) Cherukumalli Srinivasarao; Venkata Naga Satya Prasad Jasti; Venkateswara Rao Kondru; Vibhajam Sagal Kiran Bathineni; Ranjith Mudigiri; Girija Veni Venati; Priya Priyadarshini; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash; Suresh Kumar Chaudhari
Continuous and unabated land degradation in India is a threat to agricultural sustainability while increasing temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and precipitation intensification are going to further aggravate degradation in future. The timely adoption of integrated land and water conservation technologies minimises erosion and provides significant adaptation and mitigation co-benefits. The objectives of this study were to assess the mitigation potential of soil and water conservation technologies and also the feasibility of making villages carbon positive. The extent of minimisation of soil loss due to soil conservation technologies ranges from 0.10 to 21.65 Mg ha−1 yr−1, while carbon emissions minimised range from 0.73 to 158.77 kg ha−1 yr−1. Emission minimisation from various water management technologies in rice ranges from 73.0 to 507.9 kg CO2 equivalents ha−1 yr−1. Agroforestry practices can sequester 8.64 to 52.77 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1 besides enhancing system productivity, arresting soil erosion and carbon loss through erosion. Integration of multiple technologies in a farming system further enhances the adaptation and mitigation benefits. Adoption of conservation technologies resulted in a net carbon balance of 0.05–1.23 CO2 Mg ha−1 yr−1 in 9 villages in India, indicating net positive carbon balance due to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration. Building carbon positive villages is a potential approach for preventing land degradation, while enhancing productivity, mitigating climate change and realising the sustainable development goals. Building capacities of communities and establishing institutions in villages are essential for upscaling and maintaining of soil and water conservation structures and community assets in the village. Furthermore, prioritisation and scaling of location specific land and water conservation technologies hold the key to establish carbon-positive villages. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Land use change in rapidly developing economies—a case study on land use intensification and land fallowing in Kochi, Kerala, India
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023) Akshara Thekkeyil; Anjaly George; Fathima Abdurazak; Giby Kuriakose; P.O. Nameer; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash; Shijo Joseph
The land use/land cover change is a local driver of environmental change having cascading impacts and implications at the global level, and therefore requires appreciable consideration when perceived from sustainability perspectives. Kerala, the southernmost state of India, has undergone a dramatic transition from a traditional agrarian economy to a modern thriving economy involving the irrational exploitation of natural resources, precisely, land and its components. The present study addresses how land is being changed along an urbanization gradient in the most agglomerative city in the state, Kochi, during the last one and half decades. High-resolution remote sensing data available from the Google Earth Pro pertaining to the four time periods, i.e., 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020, representing urban, suburban, and rural areas, were analysed to estimate the changes in land use land cover. A semi-structured interview was conducted at the household level to identify the major drivers of land use change. The results indicated the presence of two major and divergent trends; the first one is the intensification of land use activities at the rate of 1.37% per annum, primarily driven by urbanization and infrastructure developments, and the second one is the fallowing and abandonment of land (at the rate of 0.21% per annum) driven by the increased cost of cultivation. The rates of change are more prominent in the rural areas while the urban grids are nearing saturation occupying nearly two-thirds of the area with urban features at the expense of greenery. Though the progression with respect to urbanization and infrastructure developments is expected, the fallowing and abandonment of land is unanticipated, raising serious questions in the developmental pathways to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in the State of Kerala. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Low input sustainable agriculture: A viable climate-smart option for boosting food production in a warming world
(Elsevier B.V., 2020) Deepranjan Sarkar; Saswat Kumar Kar; Arghya Chattopadhyay; Shikha; Amitava Rakshit; Vinod Kumar Tripathi; Pradeep Kumar Dubey; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Maximizing food production for feeding a rapidly growing human population while minimizing critical resource use and soil quality degradation is a major challenge for global sustainability. Sustainable agricultural practices based on low-external input is of paramount importance for reducing environmental trade-offs and planet healthy food production. Therefore, a critical assessment was made on viable low-input technologies aimed to reduce the negative effects of agricultural production as well as the use of various crop simulation models for forecasting the agricultural production under changing climatic scenario. While crop simulation models are helpful for predicting the growth and yield of individual crops under current as well as futuristic scenarios, it is difficult to model the response of multiple cropping systems under changing climatic conditions. As a matter of fact, the developing countries, majorly dependent on agriculture are most vulnerable to climate change. The increasing price of agrochemicals is another setback for subsistence farmers in resource-poor nations. In this backdrop, the current review aimed to assess the impact of climate change on agriculture, and the role of low input sustainable agriculture (LISA) for ensuring the food security while safeguarding the critical natural resources for human-wellbeing and also for attaining UN-Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, evidence-based impacts of LISA in emerging economies from Africa and South Asia are highlighted and suitable ecological indicators for measuring the sustainability of such LISA are addressed in brief. We conclude that the large-scale implementation of LISA will facilitate agricultural sustainability, and therefore, suitable policy frameworks are imperative for its worldwide adoption. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
Nanotechnology applied to bio-encapsulation of pesticides
(American Scientific Publishers, 2016) Renato Grillo; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash; Leonardo Fernandes Fraceto
In recent years, many efforts have been made towards the application of nanotechnology in sustainable food production. In this context, the bio-encapsulation process has taken prominence in particular as an ecofriendly method for pest control while reducing the pesticide load in the environment considerably. By taking into consideration, here we are presenting an overview regarding the prospects for the development of nanoencapsulated pesticides in sustainable agriculture and highlight some challenges to be addressed in order to develop efficient nano-carrier systems that may arise as an alternative for conventional pesticide application. However, much research has to be done in this area in order to develop safe and promising pesticide delivery systems for increasing global food production by enhancing the selectivity, specificity and longevity of the encapsulated pesticides while reducing the negative environmental impacts to ecosystem and human beings. ©2016 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved.
Nature-based solutions in soil restoration for improving agricultural productivity
(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2022) Kancheti Mrunalini; Biswaranjan Behera; Somasundaram Jayaraman; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash; Pradeep Kumar Dubey; Gutta Narayana Swamy; Jasti Venkata Naga Satya Prasad; Kondru Venkateswara Rao; Pandian Krishnan; Gudapaty Pratibha; Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao
Soil is a living and dynamic body, which is prone to degradation under conventional agricultural practices. Healthy soil is one of the most important pillars of sustainability as it delivers several ecosystem services along with its control on microbial activity, nutrient recycling, and decomposition. Nature-based solutions can play an important role in restoring soil quality for enhanced agricultural productivity and sustainability. This article discusses various nature-based options available for improving soil quality. Indigenous practices such as sheep penning, tank silt application, green manuring, and refuse from croplands and households have the potential to restore and maintain soil fertility. Biofertilizers can add nutrients (N fixers), fixe up to 300 kg N ha through biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and facilitate (nutrient solubilizer and mobilizers) nutrient availability in the soil. Biochar, a commonly used product, can increase soil moisture availability by 8%–10% and aids in mitigating climate change through C-sequestration. Biochar may have a climate change mitigation potential of 1.8 Pg CO2-C equivalent per year. When added to the soil, it not only acts as a nutrient source; but also acts as a soil amendment. Biogas slurry, the effluent from biogas reactors, contains various nutrient elements that can enrich soil fertility. The holistic approach in a farming system, through integration of different enterprises, reduces dependence on off-farm resources. Soil management through nature-based options will maintain crop productivity and sustainability in the long run without any adverse effects on the environment. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Need of transdisciplinary research for accelerating land restoration during the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2021) Sheikh Adil Edrisi; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
The United Nations has declared 2021–2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to gear up the restoration of degraded ecosystems worldwide and thereby facilitating the timely realization of the UN-SDGs and post-2020 biodiversity targets. The UN Decade will also further the targets of the Bonn Challenge and several other ongoing restoration initiatives. While restoration is often viewed as a branch of applied ecology, transdisciplinarity is essential for implementing restoration on the ground successfully. The present article is therefore aimed to propose a transdisciplinary framework consisting of three defined phases -such as (1) the problem identification phase, (2) its analysis, and (3) finally the integration and application of transdisciplinary approaches for effective land restoration. This integrated framework would help in drawing strategic measures by crossing various disciplinary boundaries to accelerate land restoration efforts globally while deriving co-benefits during restoration for maintaining the continuity of the restoration drive. We conclude that the implementation of the proposed framework along with due consideration of the regional and location-specific attributes, management strategies as well as the successful involvement of various stakeholders will lead to a successful restoration Decade. © 2021 Society for Ecological Restoration.