Publication

Abstract : Land degradation is an existing reality during the Anthropocene. Land remediation is an interventionist approach in terms of ameliorating soil quality and rejuvenating land to its baseline condition. In this chapter, we advance the concept of locally informed, community-driven “soft” interventions beyond mainstream, “big” and “hard” remediation measures using Bundelkhand as the case study. With quantitative and qualitative findings from a multistakeholder project in selected districts of Bundelkhand, we use field-based examples from the small-scale, bottom-up, and cost-effective project interventions. We argue that qualitative reflections from the field based on case-based narratives of farmers complemented with quantitative data are a meaningful methodology to map opportunities (and also impediments) emerging from locally tuned “soft” remediation measures, geared to adequate and sustainable livelihoods provisions and community empowerment.