Potential of India's AFOLU sector in achieving net zero: A systematic review of land-based mitigation strategies

India's pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 and to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity by 45 % by 2030 marked a transformative shift in its climate governance framework. Despite the country's significant GHG emissions, the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector acted as a critical net carbon sink in 2020, offsetting approximately 533 MtCO₂e. Recognising the dual role of the AFOLU sector acting as both a source of, and sink for, emissions, this study performs a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, and empirical datasets to assess the scope, challenges, and opportunities of land-based mitigation (LbM) strategies in India. Reviewed literature highlights the persistent challenges faced by the AFOLU sector, including carbon permanence uncertainty, land-use trade-offs, and methodological inconsistencies related to carbon accounting. Agriculture alone accounts for 13.72 % of national GHG output (or emissions), necessitating targeted interventions. Strategies such as agroforestry, afforestation, and soil carbon restoration offer high sequestration potential up to 47.36 Mg C/ha/year and could collectively remove up to 180 MtCO₂e annually. Beyond climate benefits, these practices significantly support biodiversity and rural sustenance. This review underscores the critical need for integrated, adaptive, and stakeholder-driven policies that embed AFOLU mitigation into India's broader decarbonization agenda. The review also aims to offer a solution-oriented and policy-informing framework for improving the practices within the AFOLU sector in India, considering current trends. Achieving net-zero by 2070 will require immediate, evidence-based interventions to close existing gaps and unlock the sector's full mitigation potential.