Research

A key component of my thesis objectives' was to understand 'sustainable food consumption' related awareness among youth enrolled in Higher Educational Institutions of India. The methodology involved use of online structured questionnaires to gauge the awareness levels of students as well as the initiatives undertaken by HEIs to boost sustainable consumption and diets. A total of 221 responses from 98 HEIs (consisting of Central, State and Private Universities) were obtained. Overall, results highlighted that while youth are seemingly aware of the various issues affecting environmental and socio-economic sustainability, efficient food waste management and cultivation of responsible consumption patterns among youth are facets that are yet to receive sufficient importance within the higher education sector particularly at the administrative stratum.

The publication attempts to provide a critical perspective on the significance of agri-food value chain characteristics with due consideration attributed to global and regional contexts and proposes an actor-oriented approach bringing forward the proposition of sustainability and resilience for 'whom' along a value chain. Almost a year and half in making, the publication is the outcome of a three day workshop held at the Institute of Geography, University of Cologne in June 2023 which saw the participation of experts and young researchers from several renowned institutions world-wide and involved intense discussions related to the need for sustainability and resilience within agri-food value chains in times of multiple crisis and challenges. 

The study focused on ascertaining the status of circularity and efficiency within the agri-food sector of India at the state level. The first objective determined decoupling between energy consumption and economic growth for the agriculture sector at the state level. The second objective focused on developing a Composite Agri-Food Efficiency Index (CAFEI) comprising of 38 indicators distributed across environmental, social, economic and governance categories. The last objective estimated the temporal trend (2009–10 to 2018–19) of efficiency at the state level within the Food Processing Industries (FPIs) using the technique of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). While Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana were front-runners in terms of overall CAFEI scores, considerable variations were visible when individual categories were considered. Average of DEA scores indicated Goa to be the most efficient state followed by Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

Education plays a significant role in the promulgation of sustainable development by acting as a thread that concatenates the other SDGs. However, Sustainability Science (SS) as a standalone course is yet to gain prominence in Indian education systems, even though certain principles of this science have been included within existing courses like Environmental Sciences. Therefore, we developed two models namely the ‘infusion model’ for introduction of SS as a separate academic course and the ‘diffusion model’ for customization of the existing courses by integrating the principles and practices of sustainability.  

Exploring the ‘Safe Operating Space’ of nations are important for devising suitable strategies for the effectual implementation of UN-SDGs. In this context, the study attempts to ascertain the environmental and social challenges hindering sustainable development in India along with linking these challenges to the SDGs and policy mechanisms in place for their alleviation. Environmental issues were determined by down-scaling the planetary boundaries (PB) to national scales while the social issues were highlighted in terms of their deprivation rates.