ABSTRACT
Desertification is a process in which its biological and economic productivity reduced and is a creeping disaster. It is estimated that India could have lost about 30% of land due to desertification in the past three decades and might threaten another 30 million hectares of land. Since the adoption of National Action Plan to Combat Desertification (NAPCD) by Government of India in 2001, concerted efforts are being made to address the desertification problem in India. The strategies adopted were at regional at scale and multi-dimensional in nature with focus on common property resources. On the other hand, reaching out to individuals or to community was not given adequate attention. Involving the individual farmers whose lands are prone to the desertification could be an effective strategy.
Advances in space-based technologies are extensively used in various sectors, but in spite of their potential, they are yet to reach optimal level in the farming sector. Initiatives like spectral reflectance, Soil Health Management, Soil Health Card could be effective tools for enhancing farm productivity. Based on the data from satellites and Soil Health Card initiative for desertification prone soils, a basket of measures, downscaled to an individual farmer level can be developed for drawing effective strategies to combat desertification.
