Research Papers

Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Diets in India: A Systems Strengthening Perspective

Anand Manish, Sehgal Meena, Gupta Vidhu
| 2023

India is currently in a totally different arena since the Green Revolution era with formidable challenges of nutritional security and sustainability of production systems. To enable a diagnostic analysis of India’s food and land use systems and towards identifying the issues and prospects of the concept of sustainable diets in the Indian context, the book chapter analyses the determinants of sustainable diets from a sustainability and public health perspective.

Reconciling Value Trade-Offs in Advancing Sustainable Development Goals: Risks and Opportunities

Anand Manish, Yerramsetti Srinivas
| 2024

This chapter discusses the centrality of sustainability as a meta-concept shaped by everyday negotiation of the trade-offs between various public values. It uses the political, legal, organizational, and market public values frames to articulate sustainable development as an effort at public value creation.

Enhancing baseline quantification and eligibility assessment for ARR carbon finance projects through remote sensing and GIS

Ghosh Sayanta, Sharma Jitendra Vir
| 2024

Accurate baseline quantification and eligibility assessment are critical in ARR (Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation) carbon finance projects to ensure reliable carbon sequestration outcomes. Leveraging remote sensing (RS) and GIS-based analyses, this approach establishes the eligibility of land for ARR projects, setting baselines for carbon stock assessment and monitoring through time.

Potential of carbon credits in India's agriculture sector: Empowering small farmers for a sustainable future

Ghosh Sayanta, Sharma Jitendra Vir
| 2024

The carbon-credit market presents a significant opportunity for the food and agriculture sector, particularly in India, where 86.1% of farmers are small and marginal. This article explores the basics of carbon credits, differentiating between compliance and voluntary markets, and examines the immense potential of agriculture in generating carbon credits through sustainable practices like agroforestry, conservation tillage, and water-efficient farming.

Empowering Women-led Chitarpur Sewing Cluster with Solar PV in Jharkhand, India

Khanna Palak , Swain Prashanta Kumar , Thakur Amit Kumar
| 2024

The increasing adoption of renewable energy, particularly solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, has emerged as a pivotal solution for addressing energy access challenges in rural areas. This paper presents an impact assessment of a Solar PV installation project in the Chitarpur sewing cluster, Ramgarh, Jharkhand, implemented by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). The project aimed to improve energy access for 150 micro and household-based sewing enterprises, addressing challenges in productivity and reliability of power supply.

Roadblocks to Indian Railways’ ‘Mission 3,000 MT’

Chakraborty Rahul, Prakash Shri
| 2024

The share of Indian Railways in domestic freight transport has been declining over time, from 85% in 1951 to less than 30% in 2022. However, Indian Railways has set loading targets of 3,000 million tonnes by 2027 and 3,600 MT by 2030–31, to achieve 45% of freight share by 2030–31. This article analyses the operational characteristics of Indian Railways and identifi es several issues. Sustained dependence on bulk commodities, mainly coal, iron ore, steel, and cement for revenue generation may signifi cantly impact profi tability in the long run.

Remote sensing-based vegetation indices in agroforestry plantation monitoring

Ghosh Sayanta, Sharma Jitendra Vir
| 2024

Agroforestry offers a vital solution for addressing challenges in India's agricultural sector, which is burdened by fragmented landholdings, environmental degradation, and economic vulnerability. With 86.1% of farmers being small and marginal, integrating agroforestry into agricultural practices presents an opportunity for enhancing livelihoods through additional income streams and contributing to climate resilience.

Plastics in the Indian economy: a comprehensive material flow analysis

Emami Nargessadat , Baynes Timothy M. , Kaushik Trinayana , Singh Mandavi , Bhattacharjya Souvik , Locock Katherine & Schandl Heinz
| 2024

Plastic is valued for its flexibility to be utilized in different applications, yet it poses a significant threat to our environment because of mismanaged plastic waste. India’s compound annual growth of plastic consumption has been around 7% for a decade. Despite this significant growth, there has not been a comprehensive study of Indian plastic flows since 2000. This work presents a 20-year update, detailing plastic production, consumption by all plastic types and sectors, and the overall material flow for 2018–19 to fill the gap in the data on post-consumer plastic flows.

Revolutionizing farming: The role of remote sensing-based vegetation indices in smart and precision agriculture

Ghosh, S., & Sharma, J. V.
| 2024

This article explores the transformative impact of remote sensing-based vegetation indices (VIs) in precision agriculture. By using advanced geospatial technologies, VIs such as NDVI, EVI, GCI, SAVI, and NDWI enable us to monitor crop health, assess water stress, estimate yields, and determine optimal harvest times with unprecedented accuracy. These indices, derived from optical remote sensing and SAR data, provide critical insights for optimizing resource use, enhancing crop productivity, and reducing environmental impact.

Discussion paper on India’s Journey to Net Zero: A Conceptual Framework for Analysis

Mr Ajay Shankar, Dr Sanchit S Agarwal, Ms Taruna Idnani
| 2024

At COP 28 in November 2023, the IPCC warned that with current policies, global warming was set to cross 3°C. At COP 26 held at Glasgow, Prime Minister also announced that India would become net zero by 2070. India's declaration to achieve net zero emissions by 2070 and updated NDCs to achieve fifty percent of its installed generation capacity from non-fossil sources and a 40-45% reduction in the by 2030 marks a momentous step in the global battle against climate change. This announcement signifies India's leadership in forging a low carbon economic development model.