How a Rajasthan village halted desertification, one common land at a time

Strict rules were laid down and adhered to by common consent--young saplings would not be grazed or cut, so the common grounds would remain closed for certain periods of the year

Gajinder Kalal stood on a cliff in the Aravalli hill range facing the flatlands of Marwar, a region that is a part of the Thar Desert in western Rajasthan. The hill he stood on lies in Gogunda, Udaipur, located in southern Rajasthan’s Mewar area.

The views on either side of the cliff were contrasting: Ahead of Kalal lay the beginnings of the arid desert, and behind, green forests and trees laden with custard apples. The Aravallis are a barrier to the desert and they prevent the sands of the Thar from entering Mewar and beyond.

Kalal