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A systems framework for analyzing sustainability impacts of agricultural policies in India
  • Poushali Maji,
  • Noelle Eckley Selin
Poushali Maji
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Noelle Eckley Selin
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Abstract

Interventions to mitigate air pollution have impacts on multiple facets of human and environmental well-being. We apply a systems framework for analyzing the overall sustainability impacts of interventions to a case of the rice-wheat cropping system of Punjab (India), where agricultural practices lead to air pollution-related health impacts, over-exploitation of groundwater, over-use of fertilizers and reduced local crop diversity. We use this case to characterize varying degrees of change in interventions and quantify sustainability impacts using an inclusive wealth-based approach. We show that both small and large changes, in this case either improving the existing cropping system or fundamental changes to the cropping system, can lead to substantial and wide-ranging sustainability benefits. We also show that interventions that improve human health show the largest quantitative benefit due to the assumed high marginal value of human life. Accurate localized estimates of marginal values of stocks are needed for estimating overall sustainability impacts.