Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can create sustainable rural employment by leveraging ecosystem restoration, agroforestry, and sustainable farming. With potential to generate 20 million jobs by 2030, NbS offers long-term livelihood opportunities for India's rural workforce.
Agriculture though contributes only 14 percent to India’s GDP continues to be the primary source of livelihood for 58 percent of India’s population and employs 43 percent of its population. Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy, particularly of rural economy. About 86 percent of farmers are marginal and small landholders. The per capita landholding has seen a declining trend, from 2.3 hectares in 1970s to 1.32 in 2000-01. It is expected to further decline to 0.32 hectares by 2030. As per a recent NABARD survey, average monthly income per agricultural household in 2021-22 was Rs.13,661. As a result, 56 percent of agricultural households have diversified their source of incomes to three or more income sources.
It is abundantly clear that agriculture is not enough to sustain rural livelihoods. As a result, almost 40 percent of total rural men population migrate to the cities in search of better employment opportunities according to a recent report (Singh, 2024). The problem of generating additional employment opportunities in rural areas have been a persistent headache for the policy makers.
A report from International Labour Organization (ILO) underscores the potential of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as transformative in uplifting the socioeconomic challenges in rural areas by providing employment opportunities that ensures decent pay, stability and security of work and safety and social protection from market dynamics.
NbS has immense potential for generating rural employment. As per ILO, it is estimated to generate 20 million jobs by 2030 itself, with 63 percent of those jobs to be generated in Asia alone. Out of these 20 million additional jobs, 70 percent jobs are expected to be created in the agriculture and forestry sector itself, which will have an immense positive impact on rural employment and livelihoods in India in the coming years. (International Labour Organization, 2022) The NbS activities are labour intensive, require farming skills that are already available and provide long term solutions. NbS interventions commonly involve long-term processes, requiring repetitive labour and regular maintenance. As employment in rural areas is much dependent on ecosystem services, NbS activities have the potential to uplift rural economies and livelihoods.
The NbS interventions are linked to ecosystem restoration services like road stabilization that involves both green and grey infrastructure. Agroforestry or sustainable agroecological farming techniques are expected to be employment intensive NbS activities, one which synergizes with rural livelihood landscape of India.
In order to enhance rural livelihoods, there is a pressing need to provide better employment opportunities in the rural areas utilizing their farming skills, where employment opportunities offered by NbS becomes crucial. There is a strong need for transformation of mindset of the rural population to develop a different perspective towards land, soil, forests and the immense value the natural resources can provide to them and their future generations. This can happen by purposeful capacity building measures for enhancing their awareness levels and skill development initiatives to make them employment ready for the promise which NbS job opportunities holds for their and India’s future.
This requires an enabling environment by increased support from private sector both by creation of demand and sufficiently investing in NbS activities. Government support is very crucial and it can be seen through schemes like Mission Amrit Sarovar under MGNREGA, for construction and rejuvenation of 50,000 ponds across India and DAY-NRLM scheme which mobilizes rural households into SHGs, provides increased access to credit and builds capacities and skills to create sustainable rural livelihoods.
In a place like rural India, where still being a farmer is the most sought-after profession and where every other person is a farmer, an opportunity like NbS holds great promise to be the elixir that India needs for combating the current deficit in rural employment opportunities and for socioeconomic upliftment.