**1. Introduction**

Desertification is recognized as a major threat to global biodiversity and a burning issue to environment today. The desert land starts to degrade its chemical, physical and biological productivity. The lands get affected with a combination of various factors like deforestation, overgrazing, unsustainable agricultural practices, over exploitation of soil, poverty and climate change. Deforestation is one of them root cause of desertification [1].

India has developed Biodiversity Action Plans to counter its causes and their effect, management and conservation of endangered flora and fauna. Various environmental organizations focus on restoration of such land to control the desertification mainly in dry land areas. The NGOs focus primarily on educating the local peoples about the danger of deforestation and employ them to grow the valuable economically important plants which are easily grows in desert land.

Jojoba has very promising scope for cultivation in desert ecosystem even in the relatively hot weather. Its nature withstand in warm weather in summer and cold weather in winter at low fertility of soil. The plant need has less amount of water compared to other economic crop like olive plant with great ability to withstand in high salt in soil [2]. The commercial plantation of jojoba is encouraging mainly in Thar Desert in India. It is also known as gold of desert because it has valuable industrial application and easily grows on desert land [3].

Jojoba plantations played a vital role in combating edge effects of desertification and improve soil quality and restores land quality [4]. It is a potential oil-seed crop

and helps in soil conservation, landscaping, open natural range lands and national parks. Seed hulls can be used as a mulch or protective ground cover to reduce evaporation, erosion and weed growth and can be used as fertilizers and soil replenisher for the soil which is low in organic matter. Jojoba is a valuable seed oil crop useful in preventing wind erosion in desert regions. It is already being used as an ornamental shrub throughout the southern United States [5].

Jojoba [*Simmondsia chinensis* (Link) Schneider] is a potential seed oil plant, belonging the family *Simmondsiaceae* that have played role in combating edge effects of desertification in the Thar Desert in India [6]. There are huge tracts of arid and semi arid lands in India where it has the potential to grow as an important commercial crop. Jojoba oil is unique in nature among plant kingdom. The jojoba oil has gain a lot of importance in various industries.

In 1995, an association of Rajasthan Jojoba Plantation and Research Project (AJORP) was set up by Government of India with 100% funding from the Department of Land Resource, under Ministry of Rural Development. Also, Centre for Jatropha Promotion and Biodiesel (CJP) is a global jojoba world which focuses on commercialization of entire jojoba in arid and semi-arid regions of India.
