Jyoti Narsude

Job title:

PhD researcher

Area of work:

Nature-based land management solution to restore the resilience of soil for a productive food system. Agroforestry contributes to the integrated tree and crop benefits which focus on ecological as well as socioeconomic development through enhancing farming, habitat for wildlife, soil health, and water flow management leading to climate change mitigation. My project work focuses on the rhizospheric carbon inputs considering the decomposition rate of leaf litterfall. There is a need to study this topic for insights into root exudate composition in maintaining nutrient availability in soil as these nature-based nutrients can reduce the use of fertilizers and help to improve the productivity of crops.

What are the big issues that COP28 needs to address? What are your hopes for the negotiations?

My main point is managing greenhouse gas emissions from land degradation. It is estimated that around 70 gigatonnes of carbon can be emitted by 2050 through land use and land change activities with the loss of the soil’s fertile layer. Also, nature-friendly land management practices should be carried out instead of agricultural practices for food production to reduce hunger.

I would also like to see plant species have economic value based on their biological and ecological important, and achieving maximum carbon sequestration in soil based on its potential.

What’s your message for world leaders at COP28?

It is our moral responsibility to take action in all aspects in a well-disciplined manner to achieve the targets of climate change mitigation.