Shyam Sunder Jyani
{{Short description|Environmentalist in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Shyam Sunder Jyani
| birth_place = Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, India
| birth_date = 1979
| nationality =
| occupation = Environmentalist
}}
Shyam Sunder Jyani (born 1979{{cite news |title=On My Radar: Hema Malini Becomes ‘Durga’ In Varanasi |url=https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/radar-hema-malini-becomes-durga-varanasi |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=The Sunday Guardian |date=1 January 2022}}) is an Indian environmentalist and academic, best known for afforestation efforts in the Indian state of Rajasthan. He is presently an associate professor of sociology at Dungar College, Bikaner.{{cite web |title=Government Dungar College, Bikaner – Faculty Profile |url=https://dungarcollege.ac.in/superadmin/uploads/mr_-shyam-suder-jyani.pdf |publisher=Dungar College |access-date=19 November 2021}}
Biography
He originated from a rural farming family in the village of 12 TK, Sri Ganganagar district.{{cite news |title=Desert areas of Rajasthan bloom under afforestation efforts |url=https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/desert-areas-of-rajasthan-bloom-under-afforestation-efforts/ |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=Mongabay India |date=28 June 2021}}{{cite news |title=For this Rajasthan village, green Diwali means shunning firecrackers, planting trees |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/jaipur/for-this-rajasthan-village-green-diwali-means-shinning-firecrackers-planting-trees/story-A4nBklj3RvhyVEv71FPwHM.html |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=Hindustan Times |date=17 October 2017 |language=en}} His involvement in environmental activities began in 2003, when he and some students revived a number of dying neem trees within Dungar College's campus.{{cite news |title=Green Hero: राजस्थान में हरियाली के लिए एक प्रोफ़ेसर 15 साल से लगा है, परिवारों को पेड़ों से जोड़ता है |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/hindi/environment/professor-jyani-who-plant-over-million-trees-in-western-rajasthan-505103.html |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=Indiatimes.com |date=2 October 2021 |language=hi}}{{cite news |last1=Dutta |first1=Prabhash K. |title=World Environment Day special: A sociology professor is making deserts bloom as forests in Rajasthan |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/world-environment-day-special-a-sociology-professor-is-making-deserts-bloom-as-forests-in-rajasthan-1685669-2020-06-05 |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=India Today |date=5 June 2020 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Zaffar |first1=Hanan |title=Meet the Tree Man of India’s Thar desert |url=https://www.fairplanet.org/story/meet-the-tree-man-of-indias-thar-desert/ |access-date=22 March 2023 |work=FairPlanet |date=6 January 2023 |language=en}}
Afterwards, he began campaigning door-to-door for tree planting in Bikaner, and in 2006, he formulated the idea of "Familial Forestry", which involves local families by encouraging them to plant fruit trees at their homes as a "green member". The idea was launched at the village of Himtasar, where 120 households were part of the pilot project. The choice of fruit trees allowed the anti-desertification campaign to serve an additional purpose of improving the local villagers' nutrition.{{cite news |title=A sociology teacher in Rajasthan's Bikaner driving forestry revolution |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/jaipur/a-sociology-teacher-in-rajasthan-s-bikaner-driving-forestry-revolution/story-3EDN1wsT7HRNb4PoL6izZI.html |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=Hindustan Times |date=4 February 2018}}{{cite news |title=Familal Forest' a boon for Bikaner |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/familal-forest-a-boon-for-bikaner/articleshow/5293958.cms |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=The Times of India |date=3 December 2009 |language=en}} According to Jyani, educating the families on the benefits and the after-planting care of the trees increased the saplings' survival rate from 20–30% to 90%.
In order to further extend the campaign's reach, he incorporated the activity of tree planting in activities like Diwali. A website has also been released to increase awareness of the afforestation drive and its benefits. On Gandhi's 150th birthday in 2019, he enrolled 150 schools in Rajasthan and their students in a tree-planting drive.{{cite news |last1=Chatterjee |first1=Dev |title=Green wall of Bikaner: Professor plants trees to prevent desertification |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/rajasthan-professor-plants-fruit-trees-to-prevent-desertification-120012401110_1.html |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=Business Standard |date=24 January 2020}} His efforts have seen planting of more than 2.5 million saplings in north-western Rajasthan by 1 million families across 15,000 villages by 2021,{{cite news |title=Indian climate activist gets prestigious UN land conservation award |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/indian-climate-activist-gets-prestigious-un-land-conservation-award-1816155-2021-06-17 |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=India Today |date=17 June 2021}} with the greenery being visible from satellite imagery as a "green wall" at the margins of the Thar Desert. By 2023, 3.8 million saplings had been planted. Most of the plants and necessary irrigation tanks were purchased on his own expense.{{cite news |last1=Bhattacharya |first1=Imana |title=Saplings of change |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/viral-and-trending/031019/saplings-of-change.html |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=Deccan Chronicle |date=3 October 2019 |language=en}} In a 2021 interview with Deutsche Welle, he has also stated plans to expand tree-planting efforts to major cities.{{cite news |title=Familial Forestry in India: Caring for trees like they're family |url=https://www.dw.com/en/familial-forestry-in-india-caring-for-trees-like-theyre-family/a-59215321 |access-date=24 November 2021 |work=DW |date=25 September 2021}}
= Promotion of millets =
In 2023, the International Year of Millets, Jyani began to promote the use of millets, especially in traditional rituals such as marriage ceremonies and religious fairs.{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/rajasthani-wedding-revives-rural-families-sweet-ties-with-millets/articleshow/100199027.cms|title=Rajasthani wedding revives rural families' sweet ties with millets|publisher=Times of India}} He also orchestrated an inaugural "Raabri Day" on 23 May 2023, with Raabri being a millet-based drink.{{cite web|url=https://www.kisantak.in/knowledge/story/people-of-rajasthan-returning-to-their-roots-celebrating-rabri-day-and-promoting-millets-562375-2023-05-23|title=People of Rajasthan returning to their roots celebrating Rabri Day and promoting millets|publisher=Kisan Tak}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bhaskar.com/local/rajasthan/bikaner/news/consumption-of-rabri-together-across-the-country-including-western-rajasthan-protest-against-cold-drinks-131317792.html|title=Consumption of Rabri together across the country including western Rajasthan, protest against cold drinks|publisher=Dainik Bhaskar}}
= Public nurseries =
Jyani has led plantation of 4 million saplings by engaging over 2 million families from 18,000 villages mainly in Rajasthan and some from other neighbouring states and developed 200 Institutional forests by December 2024.{{Cite news |title=Limits of Tree Plantation Records: What About the Restoration of the Commons? |url=https://m.thewire.in/article/environment/limits-of-tree-plantation-records-what-about-the-restoration-of-the-commons/amp |work=The Wire}}
Under his leadership a network of public nurseries, has been established that provide every year 200,000 saplings of native species free of cost to the local communities.{{Cite news |title=A Small village in Rajasthan fights global warming big way |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/rajasthan-village-leads-innovative-fight-against-global-warming/articleshow/114896665.cms |work=The Times Of India}}
= Dabla Talab restoration =
In 2022, Jyani led the restoration of Dabla Talab, a 207-acre area of degraded land. Through community-driven habitat healing, the project transformed the barren land into a thriving ecosystem, demonstrating the effectiveness of collective environmental stewardship.{{Cite news |title=Healed scars |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/mining/healed-scars |work=Down To Earth}}{{Cite news |title=70 साल बाद लौटी सबसे बड़ी बिल्ली, चूहे जैसा चमगादड़:एक प्रोफेसर ने बंजर जमीन में जिंदा कर दी 1500 खेजड़ी, हर पल माफिया के अटैक का डर |url=https://dainik.bhaskar.com/jQJvK9u9TRb |work=Dainik Bhaskar}}
Awards and honors
In recognition of his work, he was awarded the Indira Gandhi National Service Scheme Award in 2012, and later the Land for Life Award from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in 2021.
In recognition of his global impact, Professor Jyani was invited as a special guest to the 15th and 16th Conferences of the Parties (COP-15 and [https://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/saudi-arabia-host-largest-ever-un-conference-land-and-drought COP-16]) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), where he showcased his expertise in sustainable land management.{{Cite news |title=UN award for Rajasthan professor over 'Familial Forestry' |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/un-award-for-rajasthan-professor-over-familial-forestry/articleshow/91560571.cms |work=The Times Of India}}{{Cite news |title=संयुक्त राष्ट्र संघ के आइवरी कोस्ट में होने वाले वैश्विक सम्मेलन में भाग लेंगे प्रोफेसर श्यामसुंदर ज्याणी |url=https://www.etvbharat.com/hindi/rajasthan/state/bikaner/professor-shyamsundar-jyani-will-participate-in-uno-global-conference-to-be-held-in-ivory-coast-bikaner/rj20220507174851992992561 |work=ETV Bharat}}