Can nature-based solutions address multiple rural community challenges? A systematic approach for sustainable solutions

Communities in rural areas face a diverse range of challenges. How these challenges are addressed is crucial for achieving sustainability. Nature-based Solutions provide opportunities to address multiple community challenges. However, their application in rural communities is limited. Hence, this study employed a combination of secondary (non-systematic literature search) and primary data (focus group discussions and AEIOU framework) to identify multiple challenges in the rural community of Guptapada, India, understand their causes and impacts, explore their interlinkages, and propose Nature-based Solutions to promote grassroots sustainability. This was achieved through a three-step Codefine-Understand-Create conceptual framework that co-defined settings, understood challenges, and created visions and scenarios, all grounded in the principles of Nature-based Solutions. Three prevailing challenges of low livelihood standard, low access to clean cooking and cyclone vulnerability were identified. This study revealed the causes and consequences of these challenges in the community. Also, the interlinkages were explored. Given these and the observed resources in the community, a nature-based solution (Tree-based Agroforestry System model) was strategically and systematically proposed to address all the identified challenges. The implementation plan was also drawn based on community needs and incorporates co-design approaches to ensure long-term sustainability. This contributes directly to Sustainable Development Goals 1, 3, 7, 8, 11, 13 and 15.