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Socio-Ecological process for SDG

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We are in the last decade to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its associated targets. The 17 SDGs are cross-cutting and interrelated. The ecological processes and the social processes are in continuous interaction and impact each other. Human society develops its own social system and regulatory mechanism to use the natural ecosystems for meeting their needs and aspirations. Over the years humans have been using and exploiting the natural ecosystems through indiscriminate use, over-harvesting of the resources, creating waste and pollutions. All such actions are limiting the capacity of the natural ecosystems for regeneration, leading towards loss of biodiversity and climate change. SDGs are meant to reverse these processes of degradation of our natural ecosystems and exhaustion of the natural resources by creating a balance between conservation and harvesting of the resources. But unless the social processes are designed such that favor the ecological processes for its natural regeneration and restoration we will not be able to meet the SDGs. It requires having an understanding of the socio-ecological processes and how they impact biodiversity, ecosystem services, and sustainable development. The world is struggling to find the answers on how to develop social processes that would positively impact upon the ecological processes. It requires an approach to develop synergy for conservation and sustainable livelihood of the people.

The Socio ecological approaches facilitate developing new social order for conservation based harvesting of the natural resources and promote conservation based livelihood by changing their knowledge, attitude and cognitive processes to measure the consequences of their actions and adopt new methods and technologies for using and managing the resources.

IBRAD has developed the NAVRATNA model based on the DASHKARMA (10) principles of sustainable agriculture by making a coherent system. The 10 interdependent principles of DASHKARMA are designed to

  1. Develop and restore soil health
  2. Water conservation and management
  3. Restoring, producing, and promoting indigenous seeds and the quality of seeds
  4. Develop biofertilizers by recycling the wastes
  5. Maintaining livestock for getting inputs for the production of manures, biofertilizers and biopesticides
  6. Development of pastures for ensuring fodder for the animal
  7. Plantation of leguminous crops for soil health improvement
  8. Plantation trees and fruits plants
  9. Follow Mixed Farming practices and
  10. Crop cycles

Based on these 10 principles the nine activities are designed under NAVRATNA

i. Organic Nutrition Garden (Sabji bari)

Season wise production of vegetables, consumption of vegetables at the household level – improved nutrition, sharing the vegetables with neighbours/friends, selling of surplus vegetables, earning disposable income, savings from earning of vegetables from the market, homebased source of livelihood particularly for women leading to women empowerment, changing land use practices – converting seasonal fallow lands to productive use, even land use can get opportunity of producing crops in the homestead areas.

ii. Water Conservation and Fishery

Conservation of rainwater, improved soil moisture content, use of water for irrigation purposes, converting mono cropped area to double cropping, increased income, ground water recharge, use of water for multiple purposes like use for livestock, bathing and washing purposes, Fishery – diversification of livelihood source, source of nutrition, extra income. Thus it contributes towardsSDG 1 of No Poverty, SDG 6 of Clean Water, SDG 14 of Life Below Water and SDG 15 of Life on Earth

iii. Vermi compost

Use of vermi compost in own field, reduced use of chemical fertilizer contributing to both saving of money from purchasing fertilizer and maintaining soil health, reducing soil and water pollution, less water requirement for crops, improved shelf life of organic vegetables, earning of income by selling the vermi compost. Organic cultivation practices helps in maintaining soil, agriculture, aquatic and forest biodiversity.  Thus it contributes towards SDG 1 of No Poverty, SDG 3 of Good Health, SDG 13 of Climate Action and SDG 15 of Life on Earth

iv. Herbal Garden

Ex situ conservation of Rare and Endangered plants, retaining indigenous knowledge and passing to next generations, revitalization of traditional health systems, source of additional income, collective business, scope for access ad benefit sharing under BD Act 2002.

Thus it contributes towards SDG 1 of No Poverty, SDG 3 of Good Health, and SDG 15 of Life on Earth

v. Agriculture crops and seed bank

Introduction of new crops, change in land use practices from mono cropping to double and multiple cropping, improved yield and productivity, additional income and food security.

Thus it contributes towards SDG 1 of No Poverty, SDG 2 of Zero Hunger, SDG 3 of Good Health, SDG 12 of Sustainable Consumption and Production, SDG 13 of Climate Action and SDG 15 of Life on Earth

vi. Silvi pasture Development

Use of common land/fallow land, improvement of livestock health through regular supply of healthy feed, increased production of milk – more income,  dung of healthy livestock are used for producing organic manure, improved soil health, improved production and yield of crops

Thus it contributes towards SDG 1 of No Poverty, SDG 2 of Zero Hunger, and SDG 15 of Life on Earth

vii. Fruit Trees plantation and agroforestry

Production of nutritious fruits, consumption of fruits – improved nutrition, source of additional income, maintaining biodiversity through cultivation of indigenous varieties.

Thus it contributes towards SDG 1 of No Poverty, SDG 3 of Good Health, and SDG 15 of Life on Earth

viii. Nursery

Production of quality planting materials at the village only, additional source of income by selling the saplings, plantation in the village s imoves the environmental condition, use of fallow land and barren land devoid of irrigation for plantation, increasing scope for planting Trees Outside the Forest areas

Thus it contributes towards SDG 1 of No Poverty, and SDG 15 of Life on Earth

ix. Non Timber Forest Produces

Adoption of Non Destructive Harvesting of NTFPs, adding to biodiversity conservation, increased income through value addition

Thus it contributes towards SDG 1 of No Poverty, SDG 12 of Sustainable Consumption and Production, SDG 13 of Climate Action and SDG 15 of Life on Earth

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  • Raktima Mukhopadhyay

    The social processes and the ecological processes continuously influence each other. To achieve the goal of sustainable development we have to understand the social processes that have a negative impact on the ecosystems and the associated ecosystem services. It requires developing new social order to change the social processes to achieve the desired result.

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