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The Land Accelerator South Asia program, launched by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in 2020, supports entrepreneurs developing business models to restore degraded lands. The 2021 cohort grew to 58 entrepreneurs, with women's participation increasing from 13% in 2020 to 31% in 2021. The program provides mentorship, grants, and connections to impact investors to scale solutions in sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, and agritech. This booklet highlights eleven specific startups, detailing their technological solutions—such as AI-based weeding robots, drone-based precision agriculture, and bio-economic waste conversion—and their reported socio-economic and environmental impacts, including increased farmer incomes and carbon sequestration.

The author contends that the Indian government's response to Covid-19 was characterized by a lack of preparedness, the scapegoating of the Muslim community, and a sudden lockdown that stranded millions of migrant workers. The text asserts that the state leveraged the crisis to arrest activists, create a non-transparent relief fund (PM-CARES), and weaken environmental regulations through the Environment Impact Assessment Draft 2020 to favor private capital.

The report argues that the plastic industry in India employs lobbying and distraction tactics to protect profits and maintain the production of single-use plastics. It highlights how key legislation, such as the Plastic Waste Management Rules, has been watered down through industry influence, specifically regarding the phase-out of multi-layered plastics. The document also criticizes voluntary corporate pledges from companies like Nestlé, Unilever, and PepsiCo, characterizing them as lacking transparency and relying on 'downcycling' rather than true circularity.

The report argues that the COVID-19 pandemic acted as an 'X-ray,' exposing deep structural inequalities and the failure of neoliberal policies. It critiques the global fiscal response, noting that while US$ 11 trillion was mobilized, the support was unevenly distributed, favoring high-income countries and corporate interests over the global South and public services. The document proposes an "8 R" agenda for systemic change: re-valuing care, re-empowering public services, re-balancing value chains, reinforcing climate justice, re-distributing economic power, re-regulating global finance, re-inventing multilateral solidarity, and re-defining progress beyond GDP. It specifically highlights the dangers of IMF-mandated austerity in countries like Ecuador and the failure of the Global Health Security Index to predict pandemic outcomes due to its reliance on infrastructure over social determinants of health.

The document outlines four key actions for state, provincial, and regional governments to address land use's role in climate change: sustainable land management, open space conservation, agricultural methane capture, and regenerative agriculture. It emphasizes that land use is best managed at the subnational level to capture rural impacts and cross-jurisdictional effects, noting that while agriculture, forestry, and other land use account for 24% of global emissions, the sector can offset this by 20% through carbon removal.

The document identifies key barriers to the adoption of off-grid solar lighting in India, including kerosene subsidies, non-market-based promotion policies, financing bottlenecks, and poor quality assurance. It argues that transitioning from kerosene to solar can provide significant health, educational, and environmental benefits while saving the Government of India approximately INR 600 per household annually.

The document analyzes the inefficiencies of India's Public Distribution System (PDS) for kerosene, noting high rates of leakage and poor targeting. It argues that current subsidies make solar lighting less cost-competitive for households, particularly for mid- and high-end systems. The authors recommend streamlining eligibility, phasing out subsidies in electrified areas, and redirecting funds toward a 'lighting subsidy' for solar solutions.

The report assesses the modified DBTL (PAHAL) scheme in India, finding it largely successful in reducing the diversion of subsidized LPG and improving delivery regularity. While consumer enrolment was high and satisfaction generally positive, the study identifies critical gaps in financial inclusion for rural households and a lack of awareness regarding grievance redressal and subsidy transfer status. The authors highlight that while DBTL is a mechanism for disbursement rather than a conventional subsidy reform, it enables future targeted reforms by establishing a common market price.

The evaluation of the Kotkasim pilot project reveals that while direct cash transfers effectively reduced kerosene leakages to the black market, they also led to a dramatic decline in household kerosene consumption due to higher upfront costs and poor banking access. The study highlights significant implementation gaps, including inadequate information dissemination and the financial burden placed on Fair Price Shop (FPS) dealers. Recommendations include improving financial literacy, digitizing records, and ensuring better coordination between district authorities and beneficiaries.

The authors examine the transition from traditional public administration to New Public Management (NPM) in South Africa. They argue that the post-apartheid state's desire to distance itself from the 'bureaucratic' nature of the apartheid regime led to the creation of autonomous agencies like CIPRO, which suffered from a confused identity as both a government regulator and a business entity. This structural flaw, combined with a neglect of core administrative processes, resulted in severe operational failures, including high staff turnover, corruption, and the hijacking of companies.

A study of irrigation subsidies in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala estimated annual subsidies at US$575 million between 2004 and 2008, primarily covering interest on capital and operation and maintenance costs. The report notes that actual subsidies are likely higher due to the exclusion of smaller schemes and private groundwater electricity subsidies, and warns that poor data recording and cost overruns in incomplete projects hinder effective policy assessment.

The document examines the Indian marine seafood export supply chain, highlighting a stark divide between sophisticated exporters and marginalized fishermen. It finds that while EU and U.S. process regulations like HACCP have improved industry organization, product regulations often act as non-tariff barriers. The author argues that sustainability initiatives, such as the Marine Stewardship Council label, are currently unviable in India due to the multi-species nature of the fisheries and the lack of infrastructure and education at the bottom of the supply chain. Recommendations focus on a 'bottom-up' approach, including the promotion of fishermen cooperatives and basic hygiene training.

The document analyzes the Indo-Norwegian Fishing Project in Kerala, South India, to demonstrate that technical assistance can cause social conflict through modest interventions. It identifies five specific factional conflicts involving fish merchants, different classes of fishermen, sales cooperatives, communal tensions between the Nair and Latin Catholic groups, and the Arayas' ambivalence toward new methods. Additionally, it argues that the principle of ideological neutrality in development assistance can sometimes hinder the effective achievement of project goals.