Agroforestry

 Agroforestry 

Slogan for promoting agroforestry is: Har Medh Par Pedh

Agroforestry is the combination of agricultural and forestry technologies to create integrated diverse and productive land use systems.

It is a complex land management system of deliberate growing agriculture with forest and animal Husbandry for maximum production and income on the same unit of land as an agriculture simultaneously which become multi functional and given diverse benefits. It has been applied in both small and on large tract of land, where in small unit, trees are grown surrounding the agricultural unit;while in large tract of land, trees are aligned or grown in rows with agricultural crops in alternate manner.

It has three main components that are: 

1. Agricultural crops 
2. Forest trees
3. Livestock or animal husbandry 

Based on these three components, there are three types of agroforestry technological practices:

1. Agri-silviculture agroforestry: Here agri means agricultural crops and and silvi means forest trees. So in this system crops and forest trees are grown together on the same land.
2. Agri-pastoral agroforestry: Here agri means agricultural crops and pastoral means animal or livestock. So in this system crops and livestock maintained simultaneously.
3. Agri-silvi-pastoral agroforestry: Here agri- means crops, silvi means forests, and pastoral means animal. So in this system of agroforestry these three are grown and maintained simultaneously on the same unit of land as an agriculture. 

   

For agroforestry landscape may of any type such as plain, slope, contour, hilly, waste lands etc. Agroforestry meets the tripple-win indicators of climate smart agriculture, i.e.,increased productivity and cash income, adaptation to the climate crisis, and mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHG). 

Benefit:

• Agroforestry the keeps prrssure off natural forest and contributes to reducing man and animal conflicts.
• 70% timber used are provided by these out side forests.
• Agroforestry meets 
• almost half fuel wood needs, 
• About 2/3rd of the small timber demand,
• 70-80%of the plywood demand,
• 60% raw materials for paper pulp
• 9-11%of country's green fodder requirement.
• Agroforestry (tree based farming systems) produces lac, gum, resins, medicinal plants, fruits, fodder, timbers, dyes, spices, etc.
• Tree based farming systems lead to improved 
• livelihoods, 
• better nutrition,
• women's empowerment, 
• revitalised soils, 
• nutrient cycling,
• Cleaner water,
• Less polluted air,
• Productive and Resilient cropping environments 
• Together with carbon sequestration both above and below the ground.
• Agroforestry helps diversify the income stream of farmers to buffer risks, while providing environmental benefits from deep rooted perennials.
• Agroforestries enriching the ecosystems' biodiversity with trees complementary to crops.
• The loss of biodiversity is closely linked to the emergence of pandemics.
• Deforestation,  changes in forest habitat, monoculture farming, poorly managed agricultural landscapes and runaway urbanization impact the composition of wildlife species, disturbing the niches that harbour micro-organisms and protract the interface with humans.

While tree-based farming is as old as settled cultivation, agroforestry came into the field of scientific enquiry policy intervention more recently. The world agroforestry centre in Nairobi is the leader. India was first in the world to adopt a national agroforestry policy in 2014. 

A national mission on agroforestry technology a and practices was stablished under the agriculture ministry.

The significance of agroforestry as a carbon sink for achieving India's GHG mitigation commitments is well-recognised.

Considering the largeness of India's agriculture, the potential of agroforestry is game-changing.

Land repair and restitution of soil health is intrinsic to agroforestry practices. India has committed itself to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

Agroforestry reverses land degradation. It neutrilises climate impact.

The national forest policy 1988 had set a visionary goal of increasing green cover 33% of geographical area, the current being about 25%.

Future requirements:

• There is a strong case for increasing public and private investment in agroforestry for the creation of economic and natural capital.
• There is a need to reconcile the widely varying estimates of area under agroforestry with the aid of remote sensing, GPS, and GPS tools and technologies.
• Convergence and coordination needs about the contribution of fruit, timber,and fodder trees in block Plantation, homestead gardens and field boundaries.
• The inceivisation of farmers to scale up adoption of tree based farming envisages simple working regimes for felling and transportation of trees; development of adequate quality of planting material; certification; the leveraging the bank loans for tree Plantation; insurance cover; security of land tenure;and tax rationalisation on wood and tree products to promote wood based industry.
• Agroforestry will lead diversification of farmer incomes, thereby addressing vulnerability to climate related risks.
• But, the marketing of tree based products is not as streamlined as staple crops.
• To create fair value-chains alternative marketing channels such as farmer producer organisations need to be fostered.

It is estimated that agroforestry is globally offsetting about a third of total agricultural emissions.

This has the potential of making the  agriculture sector emission neutral by 2050.

Note-

ICAR Central Agroforestry Research Institute  at Jhansi, U.P. 

https://aicrp.icar.gov.in/agroforestry/

https://www.hindustantimes.com/environment/the-untapped-green-potential-of-agroforestry-101622634125212-amp.html?__twitter_impression=true