Restoration potential of degraded landscapes for strengthening rural livelihoods

Land degradation in rainfed semi-arid regions is driven by deforestation, soil erosion, and water scarcity posing a major threat to agricultural production and rural livelihood. Declining moisture retention capacity in these areas are reducing soil moisture storage and limiting groundwater recharge leading to higher dependency on supplemental irrigation and ultimately constraining cropping intensity and farm income. Recognising these challenges, we examined an integrated set of landscape resource conservation interventions and assessed the restoration potential of degraded ecologies using Bundelkhand region of Central India as an example. Accordingly, rainwater harvesting measures were deployed across a 255-ha watershed between 2018 and 2022. An innovative range of engineering structures were designed and implemented to harvest runoff water at foothills along with various in-situ interventions in adjoining agricultural fields. Continuous hydrologic and socio-economic monitoring were undertaken to evaluate the impacts of these interventions on water resources, cropping intensity, and household incomes. Improved water retention and infiltration regime enabled the harvesting of about 210 mm of runoff water in upland areas, which translated to 105-180 mm of additional groundwater recharge at a cluster scale. As a result, groundwater levels rose by 4-6 meters, enabling reliable irrigation during rabi season (Nov - Mar) compared to the non-intervention (baseline) conditions. Changes in both soil moisture and groundwater regimes led to the increase in the cultivated area from 4 ha in 2018 to over 100 ha by 2021. In fact, previously fallow lands were brought under double cropping being supported by enhanced recharge and shallow aquifer availability. With cropping intensification and improved yield stability, total annual net income at the cluster scale increased from USD 2,370 to USD 148,500. This corresponded to an increase in average annual household income from USD 52 in 2019 to USD 3,300 in 2023. Furthermore, a notable outcome of this initiative was that 45 previously migrated families returned back to their home and resumed farming. Thus, spatially-explicit landscape restoration such as decentralized rainwater harvesting through proper hydrologic planning and community participation can effectively reverse land degradation. Such a model offers a replicable framework for scaling sustainable land and water management practices across similar degraded landscapes of Asia, Africa and beyond, contributing meaningfully to climate adaptation, food security, and the Sustainable Development Goals.