Land Degradation in India: Linkages with Deforestation, Climate and Agriculture

This book discusses land degradation in India using statistical tools such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Regression Analysis (RA), and uses statistical analyses and graphical representations of the causal relationship between land degradation and land productivity to determine linkages with deforestation, climate change and agricultural productivity. While most studies of land degradation in India focus on economic outcomes and physical processes at macro and micro levels, this study addresses land degradation at the meso-level to fill in this gap and provide up-to-date information on often overlooked factors associated with land degradation issues using the latest available data. Districts in the study were selected by land degradation intensity, forming an index of the severity of land degradation in the area, with a focus on gullied lands, soil salinity/alkalinity and open and dense scrubs as indicators. Though the study areas are in India, researchers, policy makers and students around the world will be able to learn from these inputs regarding land degradation to address various challenges associated with sustainable land management and agricultural productivity.