Agroforestry in India

In India, agroforestry refers to the practice of agriculture and forestry combined.

It involves the mutual interaction between trees and crops, including the agricultural use of trees. It encompasses the cultivation of trees in fields and agricultural landscapes, farming in forests and woodland margins, and the production of tree-crop systems. Agroforestry is a low-cost method of integrated land management where tree cultivation is done along with cash crops. By utilizing agroforestry, farmers can maintain balance with their land and achieve good yields.

Apart from being highly beneficial for farmers, agroforestry has several other advantages. It restores environmental balance in agricultural land, prevents soil erosion and water runoff, provides alternative income options, and mitigates extreme local weather conditions. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, over 1.2 billion people worldwide practice agroforestry on nearly 1 billion hectares of land. In India, agroforestry is practiced on approximately 13.5 million hectares, but its potential is much greater.

Agroforestry is the need of the present time. The continuous decrease in arable land due to the growing population is exerting pressure, which will soon lead to a global food crisis and environmental challenges. Therefore, agroforestry serves as a powerful tool to combat climate change, create employment opportunities, address food security issues, and cope with the crisis of deforestation. It plays a crucial role in various aspects.

What is agroforestry? 

As the name suggests, agroforestry is a farming system based on trees. It involves the cultivation of trees alongside traditional crops in agricultural fields. It offers numerous benefits to farmers, including additional income generation. It is helpful in maintaining environmental balance in fields, preventing soil erosion and water runoff, and providing farmers with alternative sources of income. By practicing agroforestry, farmers can maintain a balance with their land and ensure good yields. Additionally, agroforestry is significant in terms of tree growth and conservation. It enhances soil fertility, promotes water retention, and improves soil biological activities. The techniques of agroforestry can be applied on different types of land by farmers. Particularly, agroforestry is crucial for small-scale farmers and other rural communities as it can enhance their food supply, income, and overall health. Agroforestry systems are versatile methods that offer a wide range of economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits.
Agroforestry are of three types:

1. Agri-silvicultural system: It involves the combination of crops and trees, such as alley cropping or home gardens.
2. Silvopastoral system: It integrates grazing areas and fields. It includes the management of animals, forage, and forestry.
3. Agrosilvopastoral system: This system integrates trees, animals, and crops together.

The History of Agroforestry

Although modern practices of agroforestry emerged in the 20th century, its roots can be traced back to ancient times. There are references to agroforestry in the Roman era, and in the context of India, the citizens consider the garden of Ashoka, mentioned in the Ramayana, as an example of agroforestry. This garden included trees that provided fruits and other plantations. Even today, there are several traditions in India that connect trees and agricultural farms.
Since the 1970s, following the initiatives taken by other countries, the Indian government has also promoted research in the field of agroforestry. While agriculture was given importance through social and religious practices, some experts have argued that various government regulations have hindered the progress of agroforestry as a barrier.

Benefits of Agroforestry:

1. Utilization of Unproductive Land: Agroforestry involves planting grass and multipurpose trees on barren, fallow, and wasteland, which can be put to productive use and improved.
2. Increased Income for Farmers: When trees are present in agricultural fields, farmers can benefit in various ways, including earning extra income. Traditional farming methods often lead farmers to incur debts, but agroforestry is economically beneficial for them. The demand for wood is high in India and abroad, making agroforestry particularly helpful for farmers.
3. Watershed Management and Forest Restoration: Agroforestry aids in water management (water conservation) and the regeneration of forests.
4. Mitigation of Soil-Temperature Changes: Agroforestry helps in preventing the rise of soil temperatures, especially during hot weather. This protects the microorganisms present in the soil, which are essential for increasing crop productivity.
5. Environmental Balance: Agroforestry plays a significant role in maintaining environmental and ecological balance.
6. Multiple Products from Multi-purpose Trees: Agroforestry provides fuel wood, fodder, fruits, timber, bamboo, resin, manure, and more through multipurpose trees.
7. Prevention of Soil Erosion: Agroforestry can help control soil erosion and improve soil quality.
8. Increased Tree Cover: Agroforestry increases the tree cover outside forests, acting as a surrogate for natural forests. It helps sequester carbon and reduces pressure on natural forests.
9. Higher Crop Yield: Agroforestry has shown higher crop yields in soil influenced by forests compared to normal soil. Agroforestry systems improve the physical properties of the soil, maintain organic matter, and enhance nutrient availability.
10. Renewable Energy Production: Agroforestry can contribute to the production and promotion of sustainable biomass-based energy.
11. Agriculture and horticulture can also help India fulfill its international obligations. By increasing forest and tree cover through 2030, India can create an additional carbon sink equivalent to 2.5 to 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide and achieve carbon neutrality by 2070.
12. Agroforestry, or tree-based farming, is an established nature-based activity that can contribute to carbon sequestration.
13. Agroforestry systems are capable of fixing approximately 50–100 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare per year through nitrogen-fixing trees. This is one of the most promising components of agroforestry systems.
14. After decomposition, leaf litter forms humus, enriches the soil with nutrients, and improves various soil properties, thereby reducing the need for fertilizers.
15. Due to the reduced need for chemical fertilizers, agroforestry can serve as a supplement to organic farming.

These are some benefits of agroforestry, which combine agricultural and forestry practices to create sustainable and productive land-use systems.

Agroforestry in India:

1. In 2014, India became the first country to adopt the National Agroforestry Policy (NAP) to promote employment, productivity, and environmental conservation in agriculture and horticulture.
2. In 2016, under the NAP, agroforestry was launched as a national initiative with a budget of around ₹1,000 crores and a tagline: Her Med Par P (A Tree on Every Farm).
3. In the 2022-23 Union Budget, India's Finance Minister announced that the Indian government would promote agroforestry.
4. However, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare merged agroforestry with the National Agriculture Development Program, which marginalized the agroforestry sector from its main implementation branch.

Challenges with Agroforestry in India:
Agroforestry is certainly a viable option in India, but there are some challenges associated with it:

1. Lack of awareness among farmers: Agroforestry is not a new concept in India, but many farmers are not interested in adopting it due to a lack of information about tree rotations and the legal aspects involved in trading mature trees.
2. Small and fragmented land holdings: The majority of farmers in the country have small and fragmented plots of land. Most farmers are burdened with debt or work as laborers on other people's farms, making agroforestry economically and locally impractical in such areas.
3. Ambiguity in the national system: The value and status of agroforestry in the national system are unclear and underrepresented. Agroforestry has not been given as much importance as traditional farming practices.
4. Insufficient investment: Inadequate provisions for tree planting on farmlands are due to the lack of available loans and insurance products for the crop sector. This has resulted in minimal provisions for growing trees on farms.
5. Agroforestry did not become what it was meant to be. This system could have brought about a revolution in the agricultural sector and emerged as a movement. However, it remained stuck between “agriculture” and “forestry” for a long time, and as a result, it never truly became self-owned.