A recent study reveals a direct link between land restoration and improved nutritional outcomes for Indigenous families in India, offering a nature-based solution to a persistent public health crisis. The research highlights that restoring traditional farming practices and forest ecosystems can combat malnutrition more effectively than conventional medical and food aid programs alone. For generations, these communities have faced dispossession of their ancestral lands, leading to a cascade of negative health and economic consequences.
The study focused on the Adivasi communities in Attappadi, Kerala, a region within the Western Ghats mountain range, a biodiversity hotspot. Researchers found that historical land-use changes, driven by colonial and post-colonial policies, disrupted the Indigenous population’s ability to cultivate traditional foods. This loss of food sovereignty is a primary driver of the high rates of infant mortality and malnutrition observed in the area. The findings suggest that policies prioritizing ecological restoration and returning control of the land to its original stewards are essential for securing a healthy future for these vulnerable populations.
A Legacy of Lost Land and Livelihoods
The health crisis in Attappadi is deeply rooted in the region’s history. For centuries, the Irula, Muduga, and Kurumba Adivasi communities practiced a sustainable form of agriculture known as shifting cultivation. This method involved clearing and farming small forest plots to grow diverse varieties of millet and then leaving the land fallow to regenerate. This system, perfectly adapted to the local ecology, provided a stable and nutritious food supply. Elder community members recall a time when the land provided everything they needed. They farmed enough millet in a single season to last the entire year and had access to hundreds of varieties of wild green leafy vegetables that were a cornerstone of their diet.
This traditional way of life began to erode under colonial rule and continued to decline in the post-colonial era due to the influx of settlers and state-led intrusions. Upper-caste feudal landlords claimed ownership of the land, and though they were often absentee, their claims began a process of dispossession. This process accelerated with state-sponsored deforestation and development projects that failed to consider the Adivasis’ rights and needs. The result was a widespread loss of land owned by Indigenous families, severing their connection to traditional food sources and leading to environmental degradation, including desertification.
The Link Between Ecology and Nutrition
The degradation of the local ecosystem had a direct and devastating impact on the health of the Adivasi people. The disappearance of diverse food sources from the forest and traditional farms led to a nutritional deficit that modern interventions have struggled to address. The high infant mortality rate in Attappadi, with 136 officially reported deaths between 2012 and 2021, is a stark symptom of this crisis. Community members, such as 24-year-old Neethu from the Irula community, who lost her first child, express deep anxiety about their children’s health. The Adivasi families believe these deaths are preventable and directly linked to the loss of their ancestral lands and the nutritious foods they once provided.
Research confirms their perspective, showing a clear correlation between the erosion of traditional food systems and the rise of malnutrition. The diverse millets and wild greens that once formed the basis of their diet have been replaced by less nutritious options, often provided through government aid programs. An elderly Irula woman named Maariyamma, part of a local women’s collective, fondly remembers the “hundreds of green leafy vegetable varieties” that kept the community strong. This loss of biodiversity on their plates is a direct reflection of the biodiversity lost from the land itself.
State Intervention and Its Limits
In response to the alarming rates of malnutrition and infant mortality, the state government of Kerala has implemented several health and agriculture projects. A significant effort was the establishment of the tribal multispecialty hospital in Kottathara in 2007, a specialized medical facility aimed at providing advanced care to the Adivasi population. Additionally, community health workers conduct regular visits to pregnant and breastfeeding women to provide support and ensure newborns are delivered in hospitals. Special provisions are also in place to ensure Adivasi families have access to nutritious food.
Despite these well-intentioned efforts, many Adivasi residents remain skeptical that these measures can solve the root problem. They argue that while medical care is important, it only addresses the symptoms of the crisis, not its cause. The core issue, they maintain, is the ecological destruction and the loss of their land and food sovereignty. From their perspective, true health resilience cannot be achieved through hospitals and food packets alone; it requires a restoration of the environment that sustained their ancestors for centuries. This highlights a fundamental disconnect between state-led health initiatives and the community’s understanding of health as being intrinsically linked to the well-being of the land.
The Promise of Ecological Restoration
The concept of ecological restoration offers a more holistic path forward. Past efforts in the region have shown both the potential and the pitfalls of this approach. The Attappadi Hills Area Development Society, for instance, was initiated to combat desertification by dividing the area into watersheds and encouraging reforestation. The program succeeded in its primary goal of raising depleted groundwater levels. However, it ultimately fell short because it lacked a clear vision for restoring the Adivasis’ food and land sovereignty. The gains were short-lived, reversing after the funding for the project ceased in 2012.
This experience demonstrates that successful restoration must be about more than just planting trees. It must be a socio-ecological project that empowers local communities. A new report from the World Resources Institute (WRI) reinforces this idea, showing that landscape restoration in impoverished districts can yield significant economic and ecological benefits. In the Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh, for example, WRI found that restoring 75% of the territory could generate nearly $19 million in extra income and create 3.75 million paid workdays for local people. Such projects, when centered on people, can improve water recharge, sequester carbon, and enhance rural livelihoods.
A National Opportunity for Change
The situation in Attappadi is a microcosm of a much larger issue facing India. Across the country, more than 700 million people depend on forests and agriculture for their livelihoods. Over 250 million of these are from tribal and Indigenous communities who rely on forests for food, fuel, and income. These natural resources are under increasing threat from land degradation and climate change, which could reduce agricultural incomes by up to 25% annually. This puts more than half of India’s workforce in a vulnerable position.
However, the scale of the problem is matched by the scale of the opportunity. According to WRI, more than 40% of India’s land area, or about 140 million hectares, could benefit from forest and landscape restoration. Undertaking such an effort would not only address ecological issues but also generate significant economic and social returns. Restoring these landscapes could sequester between 3 and 4.5 gigatons of carbon by 2040, helping India meet its climate goals while also providing food, fodder, and other essential resources to dependent communities. This represents a viable development path that can build a more equitable and resilient economy from the ground up.
Toward a Future of Food Sovereignty
Listening to Indigenous Voices
The key to unlocking the potential of land restoration lies in listening to the demands of Indigenous peoples. The Adivasi communities of Attappadi are clear that a sustainable future requires the restoration of their food sovereignty. This challenges the prevailing notion that Indigenous health can be improved solely through increased medical care. Instead, it calls for a form of ecological reparations that directly addresses the historical relationship between colonialism, land dispossession, and the current health crisis.
Empowering Women and Communities
Empowering women within these communities is also critical. Studies have shown that when women have secure rights to land, families experience improved nutrition, education, and health outcomes. Initiatives in states like Odisha and West Bengal to add women’s names to land titles are a step in the right direction. Future restoration projects must be designed and implemented with local people, especially marginalized groups, at the center of the process. By adapting methodologies to include criteria for social and economic impacts alongside environmental ones, it is possible to ensure that the benefits of restoration flow to those who need them most. This approach offers a pathway to not only reverse ecological damage but also to build a more just and healthy society for all.
