There is an urgent need to develop community centric, science validated nature-based solutions (NbS) for managing production systems in salt-affected coastal regions. This presentation will discuss the revival of biosaline farming systems combined with Blue Carbon sequestration strategies. This initiative has transformed less productive, saline-degraded soils into resilient agricultural hubs. The approach utilizes high-resolution technologies, shifting research from traditional agricultural studies to precision-led geospatial initiatives. By employing EM32 sensors and WorldView imagery, it created a digital twin of the coastal ecosystem, selecting salt-tolerant crop varieties and halophytic vegetation to restore soil health while simultaneously capturing atmospheric carbon. Through an integrated management framework, the research demonstrates that reclaiming coastal saline-affected soils can achieve a "triple win": Enhancing local food and nutrition security, Boosting livelihoods and economic productivity, and Shielding the coast with biodiversity and strengthening climate resilience. Results from implementation sites on the West Coast provided future ready scalable model for restoring unique coastal ecosystems.
Dr G.N. Hariharan is currently serving as Professor of Practice at C-TARA, IITB. Earlier he served as the Executive Director at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) Chennai. His research focuses on conserving Indian saline-tolerant rice germplasm, traditional cultivation practices, and biofortified crops to combat malnutrition. Through the Nutrition Sensitive Agricultureprogram, he led research across four diverse agro-ecological zones of India to improve smallholder farmers' access to markets, tools, and knowledge. Central to this work is the establishment of nutri-rich plant gardens at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), which integrate nutrition into farming systems and provide quality planting materials to vulnerable districts. Additionally, he led a research group specialized in the diversity and quantitative ecology of lichens across the Mangroves and the Western Ghats. His team explored lichen bioprospecting, molecular studies, and secondary compound synthesis. To date, he has published 35 research papers, mentored 10 PhD graduates, and developed digital identificationtools and regional lichen reference collections.