In dry, unreliable weather, Indian farmers restore arid land

ANANTAPUR, India (AP) — Ramesh Hanumaiya digs a few inches into his field with his hand and examines the soil. There is movement in the thick, brown earth: Tiny earthworms being disturbed from their homestead. 

A handful of dirt filled with earthworms might not seem like much, but it's the result of seven years’ work. “This soil used to be as hard as a brick,” said 37-year-old Ramesh. “It’s now like a sponge. The soil is rich with the nutrients and life that's needed for my crops to grow on time and in a healthy way.” 

Like Ramesh thousands of other farmers in Anantapur, a district in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, have taken to what's known as regenerative agricultural practices. Techniques like using natural fertilizers and planting crops alongside trees and other plants have been successful at combating desertification, the process of once-fertile ground turning into dust. Climate change is exacerbating the loss of arable land as temperatures rise and rainfall becomes more irregular.  

Described by the United Nations' desertification agency as one of the greatest threats to human society, it's estimated that over 40% of the world's land is already degraded. Around 1.9 billion hectares of land, more than twice the size of the United States, and roughly 1.5 billion people globally are affected in some way by desertification, according to U.N. estimates.