Strategies for rural poverty alleviation in India: A perspective based on remote sensing and GIS-based nationwide wasteland mapping

Incidence of poverty and land degradation is seen to co-exist in several agro-ecological zones in India. The policies and interventions related to poverty alleviation, aimed at breaking this nexus, drive labour and capital flows by creating the alternate livelihood systems beyond the exploitative dependence of stake-holders on marginal natural resources. Examining the penetration of such policies and interventions needs extensive database on the natural resources as well as socio-economic indicators. Nationwide wasteland mapping project, carried out by National Remote Sensing Agency, provides insights into the problems related to natural resources degradation. Using these maps and statistics therein, in conjunction with relevant socioeconomic parameters, this article brings out the dynamics of relationship between the incidence of poverty and natural resources degradation in the different States of India, representing the diverse ecosystems as well as different economic and social policy regimes and institutional mechanisms. Looking beyond wasteland mapping, the study examines how macro-economic variables could determine the dynamics of poverty and natural resources degradation relationship in rural India.