Karech, a village around 75 km from Udaipur, is probably the last village in western Rajasthan. The residents belong to tribal communities and their subsistence depends on agriculture, livestock rearing and the sale of firewood from forests. However, in recent years, they have observed increasing desertification threaten their village.
It was in early 2000 that residents like Hansa Ram, former village head, noticed degrading common forest lands. The phenomena indicated that the village was moving towards desertification. Factors responsible for this included soil erosion, loss of vegetation, depleting surface water and groundwater resources, and other anthropological aspects such as deforestation. The deteriorating conditions had forced the residents to seek opportunities outside, leading to migration.
In fact, according to a report published by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India is losing 30% of its land to desertification and Rajasthan is among the six states facing…