This solution, implemented in the Corbett-Rajaji Landscape of the Uttarakhand state, is part of the “Green-Ag” project, a national project financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and carried out in five different regions of India, each representing a Green Landscape of high ecological importance and environmental value.
The project is being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with various government departments. Its overall objective is to “catalyse transformative change within India’s agricultural sector to support achievement of national and global environmental benefits and conservation of critical biodiversity and forest landscapes”. It therefore aims to equip local farmers with the necessary skills and incentives to maintain and/or adopt environmentally friendly agricultural and land use practices and collaborate to maintain and enhance global environmental benefits at the broader landscape level, simultaneously ensuring sustainability of agricultural production and enhancing rural livelihood development opportunities. In the longer term, it is intended to replicate the Green Landscapes approach at the national level in other protected areas and critical landscapes, so that critical ecosystem services that are fundamental to sustainable agriculture are secured.
The landscape of the Uttarakhand project provides an important corridor for wildlife, including the endangered Asian elephant and the Royal Bengal tiger. It falls into the Nainital, Pauri Garhwal, Almora, Dehradun and Haridwar districts. It is the only Green-Ag subregion located in a mountainous area.
All measures and activities are organized under two main components:
Component 1: Strengthening the enabling framework and institutional structures to mainstream biodiversity, sustainable land management, climate change mitigation, and sustainable forest management policies, priorities and practices into India’s agricultural sector.
Component 2: Improved agricultural and conservation practices demonstrating sustainable production, livelihood advancements, habitat improvements and delivery of tangible biodiversity, land degradation, climate change mitigation, and sustainable forest management benefits.