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Media Dossier

68.98% of Jharkhand’s land degraded: Youth, Women Entrepreneurs, Farmers Unite for Solutions

5th June 2024 , Jharkhand

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Event Details

On World Environment Day, youth, women entrepreneurs, and farmers across Jharkhand came together to participate in workshops, training, and activities focused on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience.

SwitchON Foundation has released a pivotal report detailing the severe environmental challenges facing Jharkhand. According to the report, in Jharkhand 5.4 million hectares of land were affected by desertification. Being the top five states in India which has witnessed rapid desertification, Jharkhand has the highest area under desertification in the country with respect to total geographical area, i.e. 68.98%. The most significant process of desertification/land degradation in the state is Water Erosion (50.64%) followed by Vegetation Degradation (17.30%) however man-made reasons like urbanization and settlements have led to increase in land degradation.

The study also revealed that the land degradation costs India nearly 2.54% of its GDP (Rs. 3,177.39 billion). Similarly, in terms of total economic loss incurred, the annual cost of land degradation in Jharkhand is estimated at around 218.7 million dollar and annual per capita cost of land degradation is around 6.6 dollar. Forest cover in the state has decreased by 6.7%, reflecting the ongoing challenges of forest loss, while the built-up area has surged by 57% between 2017 and 2023, highlighting the alarming pace of urban expansion and its associated impacts on natural ecosystems. Land restoration and sustainable agriculture practices can increase crop yields and improve food availability, reducing the risk of malnutrition and related health issues.

SwitchON Foundation has launched a series of impactful initiatives aimed at restoring ecosystems, promoting sustainable agriculture, and fostering climate resilience. Hundreds of environment enthusiasts including children, youth and women came forward for a mega dry waste collection drive across cities in Jharkhand like Ranchi, Dhanbad, Giridih, Deogarh, Jamshedpur. The event, organized by SwitchON Foundation, resulted in the collection of approximately 310 kgs of dry waste.

In Ranchi, people participated in the waste collection drive in collaboration with partners like Swabhiman, Ambedkar Social Institute, Manthan Yuva Sansthan, and many other organizations for collective climate action. The waste collection drive aimed to raise awareness about the environmental impacts of improper waste disposal and the collective responsibility to maintain clean and sustainable surroundings. Dry wastes like pens, paper, stationery, plastic bottles, wrappers, poly packs, broken toys, food packets, old clothes, and electronic devices were collected and submitted to designated recyclers or any local ragpickers for proper disposal and recycling.

SwitchON also facilitated various competitions such as best-from-waste, poster-making, and drawing contests, along with plantation drives to foster a deeper connection to environmental issues and inspire positive action. Additionally, the foundation hosted training programs and workshops aimed at empowering communities to adopt sustainable practices. Hundreds of farmers, women Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) across the state received valuable training in regenerative agriculture and climate-resilient crops.