eChapters

Ecology of a place is influenced by a number of biotic and abiotic factors. An agroecological zone is broadly homogeneous in climatic and edaphic factors, but not necessarily contiguous, where a specific crop exhibits roughly the same biological expression. On the other hand, the characteristics of an agroecological zone influence the crops and cropping patterns of the zone. Thus, there are considerable variations in the types and management practices of agroforestry systems being followed in different agroecological zones.

AGROFORESTRY FOR HUMID AND SUBHUMID TROPICS

Humid and subhumid tropical regions have much variation in biological, social and economical parameters. The characteristics of humid tropics include high mean annual rainfall of more than 1500 mm, dry season of less than four months in a year and mean annual temperature of more than 22oC. Rainfall usually exceeds the evapotranspiration. However, demographic pressure has caused excessive deforestation and overgrazing which developed soil related problems like low soil fertility, low organic matter, high acidity and high rainfall erosivity. The agroforestry practices designed for this region should aim for improved fallows, soil fertility improvement and conservation, food production, etc. Thus, the common agroforestry systems in this zone are taungya, homegardens, alley cropping, plantation-crop combination, windbreaks, silvipastoral systems and various intercropping systems. Shifting cultivation is a common practice in tropics which should be discouraged as it causes environmental degradation and ecological imbalance, soil erosion and soil nutrient loss.

Ecology of a place is influenced by a number of biotic and abiotic factors. An agroecological zone is broadly homogeneous in climatic and edaphic factors, but not necessarily contiguous, where a specific crop exhibits roughly the same biological expression. On the other hand, the characteristics of an agroecological zone influence the crops and cropping patterns of the zone. Thus, there are considerable variations in the types and management practices of agroforestry systems being followed in different agroecological zones.

AGROFORESTRY FOR HUMID AND SUBHUMID TROPICS

Humid and subhumid tropical regions have much variation in biological, social and economic parameters. The characteristics of humid tropics include high mean annual rainfall of more than 1500 mm, dry season of less than four months in a year and mean annual temperature of more than 22° C. Rainfall usually exceeds the evapotranspiration. However, demographic pressure has caused excessive deforestation and overgrazing which developed soil related problems like low soil fertility, low organic matter, high acidity and high rainfall erosivity. The agroforestry practices designed for this region should aim for improved fallows, soil fertility improvement and conservation, food production, etc. Thus, the common agroforestry systems in this zone are taungya, homegardens, alley cropping, plantation-crop combination, windbreaks, silvipastoral systems and various intercropping systems. Shifting cultivation is a common practice in tropics which should be discouraged as it causes environmental degradation and ecological imbalance, soil erosion and soil nutrient loss.

Ecology of a place is influenced by a number of biotic and abiotic factors. An agroecological zone is broadly homogeneous in climatic and edaphic factors, but not necessarily contiguous, where a specific crop exhibits roughly the same biological expression. On the other hand, the characteristics of an agroecological zone influence the crops and cropping patterns of the zone. Thus, there are considerable variations in the types and management practices of agroforestry systems being followed in different agroecological zones.

AGROFORESTRY FOR HUMID AND SUBHUMID TROPICS

Humid and subhumid tropical regions have much variation in biological, social and economic parameters. The characteristics of humid tropics include high mean annual rainfall of more than 1500 mm, dry season of less than four months in a year and mean annual temperature of more than 22°C. Rainfall usually exceeds the evapotranspiration. However, demographic pressure has caused excessive deforestation and overgrazing which developed soil related problems like low soil fertility, low organic matter, high acidity and high rainfall erosivity. The agroforestry practices designed for this region should aim for improved fallows, soil fertility improvement and conservation, food production, etc. Thus, the common agroforestry systems in this zone are taungya, homegardens, alley cropping, plantation-crop combination, windbreaks, silvipastoral systems and various intercropping systems. Shifting cultivation is a common practice in tropics which should be discouraged as it causes environmental degradation and ecological imbalance, soil erosion and soil nutrient loss.

INTRODUCTION

India is endowed with a rich and vast diversity of natural resources. However, increasing demographic pressure, unscientific use of soil and water, rapid industrialization and urbanization are leading to over exploitation of the resources. Prime agriculture lands are being diverted for non-agriculture use. The per capita availability of cultivated land has declined over the years from 0.53 ha in 1950 to 0.32 ha in 2001 and is expected to further reduce to 0.23 ha by 2025 and to 0.09 ha by 2050 (GOI 2011). Owing to population pressure the consumption of fuel-wood and fodder in the country is much higher than what can be sustainably removed from forests. In India, nearly 86 million tonnes of fuelwood is being removed from the forests and plantations every year in excess of what they are capable of producing on sustained basis (Planning Commission 2001). Our rich and bountiful biological diversity is also showing signs of erosion which is affecting the livelihoods of millions of people who are directly or indirectly dependent on it. Further, water is mostly treated as a free commodity in the country which is leading to its unsustainable exploitation. Erosion due to wind and water is also leading to depletion of natural resources. About 5334 m tones of soil is lost (16 t ha-1) due to wind and water erosion annually which is highest in black soils (24-112 t ha-1) followed by Shiwaliks (80 t ha-1) and shifting cultivation (27-40 t ha-1) (Mandal et al. 2008). It is now widely accepted that future of food, livelihood and environmental security depends upon the attention paid to conservation, sustainable development and management of natural resources. Corrective measures are immediately required to check the damage caused to the resource base and environment. 
Traditionally, trees and crops were grown in association with each other on farm lands. The reason was to get multiple outputs from same piece of land, though such systems were exclusively meant for sustenance with little or no commercial intent. As the population increased there was a need to produce more food and hence slowly the tree component vanished from the farmlands and monocropping became dominant. Over a period of time, due to monocropping, soil degradation had been observed. The need of the hour is to accept the trees as an integral part of the farming system to revert soil degradation and erosion and also to reduce the dependence of external inputs in form of fertilizers, pesticides etc. in the production system.
Of late, incorporating trees on the farm lands has been given impetus to get multiple products (fodder, fuel, timber, fiber and fruits) on one hand and resource conservation (soil, water and environment) on the other. Different agencies (institutes, universities and NGO’s) are working on developing region specific agroforestry models to derive maximum advantage of production and conservation from every unit of land. Agroforestry is capable of yielding both wood and food besides conserving and rehabilitating ecosystems. Agroforestry generates high income and minimises risks through efficient utilization of available resources and is thus considered   a potential technology for commercial and protective farming.
The extent of the area under agroforestry is not very clear. Trees outside forests in India is estimated between 14,224 million (Ravindranath and Hall 1995) and 24,602 million (Prasad et al. 2000) which is spread over an equivalent area of 17 million ha (GOI 1999) supplying 49% of the 201 million tonnes of fuelwood and 48% of the 64 million m3 of timber consumed annually by the country (Rai and Chakrabarti 2001). Dhyani et al. (2006) reported 7.45 million ha under agroforestry.  As per one of the estimates, about 27.52 million ha is under various types of tree plantations, which include agroforestry, social forestry, farm forestry and others (Table 1). The task force on Greening India (Planning Commission 2001) has identified a potential of 10 millions ha in irrigated lands and another 18 million ha in rainfed areas that could be developed through agroforestry on watershed basis. 
The present chapter focuses on the advantage of integrating trees on the farm lands in form of agroforestry for natural resource management.

ABSTRACT

Mining is an important activity for economic development. However, it is associated with land degradation, pollution of air and water, droughts, floods, land slides and land slips, silting of reservoirs, chocking of bridges and disruption of communications are some of the very serious environmental hazards. The need of the hour is to scientifically extract the mineral coupled with adopting mechanical and vegetative measures to rehabilitate the mine spoils. In the present paper effect of mining on natural resources has been detailed, also techniques adopted and standardized for rehabilitation Sahastradhara mined area of Dehra Dun valley over two decades have been clubbed.

ABSTRACT

Shivaliks are highly fragile ecosystem of Himalayas threatened by problems like soil erosion, loss of tree cover, decreased productivity of fuel, fodder and food, to name a few. These problems are further being complicated due to ever increasing anthropogenic pressure. Maintenance and enhancement of soil fertility is not only vital for food security and environmental sustainability in the Shivalik hills, but all over the globe. Agroforestry is frequently proposed as a solution to problems of land and water degradation as well as an answer to shortages of food, fodder and fuel in the Shivaliks, and the same holds true for Jammu Shivaliks. Substantial environmental benefits accrue from planting trees. Suitable tree crop combinations as well as their management practices need to be worked out. Growing of trees and grasses in agroforestry systems such as agrihorticulture, silvipastoral, agrisilvipastoral are specially suited for Shivalik hills keeping in view their role in soil and water conservation. Additional agroforestry component i.e, animals can further hasten the ameliorative effect of agroforestry. In all, combination of trees, crops and/or animals on the same unit of land holds great potential for contributing to sustainable land use system which can help in conserving soil and water besides providing innumerable socio-economic benefits.

Management approaches to soil, including problems of soil degradation and low soil fertility, have recently undergone major changes. The earlier concept was to concentrate on achieving high levels of production from the more fertile areas, leaving the marginal lands for extensive use only. Steeply sloping and highly drought-prone areas were mostly left without any cultivation as production from these areas was hardly cost effective. Soil constraints were to be overcome by inputs like improved crop varieties, fertilizers, chemical control of pests and diseases, and the use of irrigation.

The approach of use of newly developed high yielding crop varieties, improved agronomic management practices, use of chemical fertilizers, efficient water management and timely plant protection measures has been successful in achieving large increases in crop productivity in recent years. On the other hand, continuous application of fertilizers at higher rates leads to environmental problems. Yield responses to fertilizers have declined because of soil physical degradation and micronutrient deficiencies. Above all, large numbers of poor farmers simply can neither afford high levels of fertilizers and other purchased inputs, nor do they have the capital to take on the risk involved in their use. Increasing the area under irrigation has also run into severe constraints in the form of limits to available freshwater resources.

Management approaches to soil, including problems of soil degradation and low soil fertility, have recently undergone major changes. The earlier concept was to concentrate on achieving high levels of production from the more fertile areas, leaving the marginal lands for extensive use only. Steeply sloping and highly drought-prone areas were mostly left without any cultivation as production from these areas was hardly cost effective. Soil constraints were to be overcome by inputs like improved crop varieties, fertilizers, chemical control of pests and diseases, and the use of irrigation. The approach of use of newly developed high yielding crop varieties, improved agronomic management practices, use of chemical fertilizers, efficient water management and timely plant protection measures has been successful in achieving large increases in crop productivity in recent years. On the other hand, continuous application of fertilizers at higher rates leads to environmental problems. Yield responses to fertilizers have declined because of soil physical degradation and micronutrient deficiencies.

ABSTRACT

Contour hedgerow technology has different names in different regions. Sloping Agriculture Land Technology (SALT) has alley farming with hedgerow barrier technology. It is basically an agroforestry system in which nitrogen - fixing trees or shrubs are planted very closely in rows and cash crops grown in between the alleys. The SALT has been considered as an alernative to shifting cultivation. Forest dwellers are mostly tribals and shifting cultivation have been their practice for food production. The slash and burn has caused enormous damage to the forest composition. The forests on the hills and on the mountains have suffered a lot due to “Podhu” cultivation. The similar situations have been observed also in most of the Asian country. The hilly area has been considered under the hedgerow system for soil and water conservation. The introduction of the agroforestry systems in the farmers fields and in the wastelands have brought potential forest farming. The young leaves of some hedge row plants provide good fodder for livestock. Hedgerows can also be managed to provide fuelwood, if necessary. The hedgerows and their trimming provide mechanical and biological barriers and help minimise soil erosion by reducing surface runoff velocities, leading to higher deposition of soil sediments and living source of nutrient cycling. The food and cash production has been observed to be the most essential components in four types of SALT models.

ABSTRACT

Deforestation, land degradation, biodiversity decline, demand of fuelwood, fodder and timber had necessitated the planners and scientists to develop a system of cropping which would be able to revert these detrimental effect of exploitation and simultaneously provide the day-to-day needs. In present paper we have revisited our ancestors who practiced agriculture in a sustainable basis by keeping trees in the field. This paper intends to highlight some of the problems which are being faced in North-Western Himalayas and suggest different agroforestry practices which should be adopted to sustainable utilize our resources.

INTRODUCTION

Though late, the country and the society have gradually started to realize the detrimental deterioration of our ecosystem and environment. There are several factors and reasons for the same. However, land use in the country in general and hills in particular have proved to be one of the most important factors and needs much of attention for proper planning. The vital role of the forests in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem has long been acknowledged world over. In our country too, it was rightly resolved through a National Forest Policy Resolution in the years 1952 to bring at least twothird of the land in hills under the forest cover. This decision, though wise timely and farsighted, was never implemented with same spirit and there are evidences to accept the fact that effective forest cover in hilly areas is far less. The increasing need of expanding industrialization and urbanization coupled with population growth, the process of illegal and indiscriminate cutting of trees is resulting in consistent decrease of forest cover in the hills. The cultivation of land on steep slopes and hillsides is causing heavy loss of top soil and depleting the productivity of these soils besides siltation of river beds and cultivated lands down below. Coupled with this is the reckless destruction of vegetative cover by way of over-grazing which is resulting in large scale denudation and degradation of lands and thereby increasing acreage under wastelands. With this background the regular rains for which most of our country was well known have become irregular and drought have become a permanent menace and crores of rupees spent on relief work. The need for developing correct methodologies of land uses has become imperative to protect the existing forest cover, whether on public or private lands. Forest influences the rural prosperity and the human needs for the growing population have to be ensured while preserving the environment and ecological balance. A sustainable land-use system in conformity with ecological stability, economic viability and above risk aversion is desirable land use pattern in the Himalayan region.

Northwestern Himalayan region is spread between 28°43^'-37°05^'N latitude and 72° 40^'-81°02^' E longitude covering an approximate area of 33 million ha. The major natural resources of western Himalayas are water, forests, floral, and faunal biodiversity. Although there is wide spectrum of farming systems diversity in the region, yet there are quite a few commonalities viz. crop diversity, including mixed cropping as well as crop rotation of subsistence nature rather than commercial nature of agriculture, maintenance of soil fertility through natural processes. The variability in agroclimatic conditions in the hilly regions of India due to geographical location and climatic conditions require micro planning for assuring sustainable agricultural production. Introduction of horticultural crops is more recent phenomenon and it has penetrated the traditional farming systems of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and central Himalayan region for commercial benefits than the local consumption. Climatic conditions are optimal for growth of many food, medicinal and other commercial crops and live stock occur in these hills and the need is to exploit these opportunities for economic upliftment of the region, without degradation of natural resource base, therefore a long term development approach for sustainable farming system in these hills must have an eye on conservation farming for developing various production systems since this is a highly fragile system. The agriculture including livestock continues to be the dominant sector despite the fact that the area is exposed to adverse and harsh geophysical and agri-silviculture conditions. Strategies by planting fodder trees or grasses in the waste/ degraded lands (representing 7.9, 9.8 and 11.5% of the geographical area in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand, respectively), is needed for enhancing the fodder production. In addition, farm spaces on terrace risers and improved crop production technology coupled with integration of agroforestry will help in bridging the gap between demand and supply of the fodder. The indigenous agroforestry systems such as homestead (kyaroo), plantation crop combinations, scattered trees on farm lands/field bunds and bamboo grove are practiced by the farming community. The land management operations are predominated by different indigenous agroforestry practices which have proven potential and hold promise in alleviating the poverty among rural masses of this hilly region. The agroforestry systems provide unique opportunity for integration of different components in the farming systems, which help to optimize the ecosystem functioning and better management of land, water, and biological resources. These systems need to be further improved with suitable technological interventions considering the local population need, so that the socioeconomic status of the farming communities uplifted. Experiences gained in managing natural resources through well-tested agroforestry systems have been shared in this chapter.

Introduction

Expanding human and livestock population, fast-growing industrial requirements and urbanization are putting ever-increasing pressures on land resources, creating competition and conflicts which results in sub-optimal use of both land and its natural resources. With no additional land for horizontal expansion of agriculture, there is an urgent need to find viable technologies for enhancing productivity and resource conservation on a sustainable basis. In this context, Agroforestry offers huge potential not only to diversify and increase overall land productivity to meet the demands of fuel, fodder, timber, medicine and other non-woody forest products but also to enhance green cover, and reduce the pressure on forest (Chavan et al. 2016; Handa et al., 2016). Agroforestry offers an affordable alternative in place of expensive conventional conservation measures for providing insurance against risks caused due to weather aberrations, controlling erosion hazards and ensuring sustainable production of the land on a long-term basis. The main objective of agroforestry is to take the advantage of complementary relationships between trees, crops, and livestock in such a way so that sustainability, productivity stability, and profitability of the system is maintained. In India, agroforestry practices are important component in the various developmental programmes schemes like Flood Control/Management Programmes, Multipurpose River Valley Projects, Agriculture Development Programmes, Integrated Rural Development Programmes (IRDP), National Watershed Development Programme for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA), Forestry Development Scheme, Drought Prone Area Development Programme (DPAP) and Desert Development Programme (DDP) from government sector and wood based industry from private sector. After 2000 a transitional shift in agroforestry observed to tackle the ill effects of intensive agriculture, climate change and nutritional security. Under changing climatic scenarios agroforestry rose as a silver bullet to offer not only single benefits but also a basket of multiple benefits. In the present chapter a journey of agroforestry research and developments, region-specific models, area under agroforestry, initiative of government on policy aspects and challenges are elaborated extensively.

India shares 17.4% of the world population, while its land is only 2.4% of the total geographical area of the world. Naturally, the pressure on the land is often beyond its carrying capacity. Therefore, the productive lands, especially the farmlands in India are in the constant process of various degrees of degradation and are fast turning into wastelands. At present, approximately 63.85 million hectare area of the land is lying as wastelands in India (NRSA, 2005). Out of these lands, about 50% lands are such non-forest lands, which can be made fertile again if treated properly. In the last 50 years India’s lush green village forests and woodlots have been deforested to the maximum. To restore this ecological imbalance by developing the degraded non-forest wastelands, Government of India had created the Department of Wasteland Development during July, 1992 under the Ministry of Rural Development, which has been subsequently reorganized and renamed Department of Land Resources, with a broader mandate.

National Wasteland Development Board was established in 1985 mainly to tackle the problem of degradation of lands, restoration of ecology and to meet the growing demands of fuelwood and fodder at the national level. The Board was reconstituted in August, 1992 and was made responsible for development of wastelands mainly in non- forest areas in totality by involving local people at every stage of development. It aims at creating a scenario where the Government acts as a facilitator and the people at the grass root level become the real executioner of the programme. The degradation of environment in the fragile Indian subtropical ecosystem is basically attributed to the following factors.

India shares 17.4% of the world population, while its land is only 2.4% of the total geographical area of the world. Naturally, the pressure on the land is often beyond its carrying capacity. Therefore, the productive lands, especially the farmlands in India are in the constant process of various degrees of degradation and are fast turning into wastelands. At present, approximately 55.76 million hectare area of the land is lying as wastelands in India. Out of these lands, about 50% lands are such non-forest lands, which can be made fertile again if treated properly. In the last 60 years India’s lush green village forests and woodlots have been deforested to the maximum. To restore this ecological imbalance by developing the degraded non-forest wastelands, Government of India had created the Department of Wasteland Development during July, 1992 under the Ministry of Rural Development, which has been subsequently reorganized and renamed Department of Land Resources, with a broader mandate.

National Wasteland Development Board was established in 1985 mainly to tackle the problem of degradation of lands, restoration of ecology and to meet the growing demands of fuelwood and fodder at the national level. The Board was reconstituted in August, 1992 and was made responsible for development of wastelands mainly in non-forest areas in totality by involving local people at every stage of development. It aims at creating a scenario where the Government acts as a facilitator and the people at the grass root level become the real executioner of the programme. The degradation of environment in the fragile Indian subtropical ecosystem is basically attributed to the following factors.

A watershed is a geohydrological unit or all the land and water area bounded by a divide which contributes runoff to a common point. Watershed is considered to be synonymous with ‘catchment basin’ and ‘drainage basin’. In watershed management approach, development is not only confined to agricultural lands but also covers the area, starting from the highest point of the land to the outlet of the natural stream. Watershed management becomes increasingly important as a way to improve livelihood of people while conserving and regenerating their natural resources.

Watershed management is the process of creating and implementing plans, programmes and projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions that affect the plant, animal and human communities within a watershed boundary. It implies the judicious use of all the resources,i.e., land, water and vegetation in an area to prevent soil erosion, improve water availability and increase food, fodder, fuel and timber on sustained basis.

A watershed is a geohydrological unit or all the land and water area bounded by a divide which contributes runoff to a common point. Watershed is considered to be synonymous with ‘catchment basin’ and ‘drainage basin’. In watershed management approach, development is not only confined to agricultural lands but also covers the area, starting from the highest point of the land to the outlet of the natural stream. Watershed management becomes increasingly important as a way to improve livelihood of people while conserving and regenerating their natural resources.

Watershed management is the process of creating and implementing plans, programmes and projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions that affect the plant, animal and human communities within a watershed boundary. It implies the judicious use of all the resources i.e. land, water and vegetation in an area to prevent soil erosion, improve water availability and increase food, fodder, fuel and timber on sustained basis.

A watershed is a geohydrological unit or all the land and water area bounded by a divide which contributes runoff to a common point. Watershed is considered to be synonymous with ‘catchment basin’ and ‘drainage basin’. In watershed management approach, development is not only confined to agricultural lands but also covers the area, starting from the highest point of the land to the outlet of the natural stream. Watershed management becomes increasingly important as a way to improve livelihood of people while conserving and regenerating their natural resources.

Watershed management is the process of creating and implementing plans, programmes and projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions that affect the plant, animal and human communities within a watershed boundary. It implies the judicious use of all the resources, i.e., land, water and vegetation in an area to prevent soil erosion, improve water availability and increase food, fodder, fuel and timber on sustained basis.

ABSTRACT

Eastern Uttar Pradesh has 27 districts and lowest per capita net domestic output then other regions of the state. Rainfall is the only source of water. Acute shortage of fuel, fodder and timber makes agroforestry an important proposition for this region. The paper presents different agroforestry models developed by Allahabad Agriculture Institute for the region. Economics of the prominent agroforestry systems has been worked out. Emerging innovative agroforestry practices like aqua farming, honey bee, sericulture are discussed. Recommended species and agroforestry models for utilizing wastelands of the region are also provided.

INTRODUCTION

Eastern Uttar Pradesh covers an area of 87,840 sq. km. ranging from 24° - 28°20’ N latitude and 81° - 85° E longitude (map of Eastern U.P.) with population of 632 lakhs (Census, 2001). It has 27 districts and the lowest per capital net domestic output than other regions of U.P. It has 6 districts which are under developed and 15 districts are industrially backward. The contour of 100m roughly marks the western limit of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is mostly filled with deep alluvial deposits by the Ganga and tributaries. The Microregional variations are highlighted by the Bangar (the old alluvium) and the Khedar (new alluvium) formations. It enjoys tropical humid climate (rainfall varying from 120 cm to 140 cm). This region is plaughed with recurring floods and droughts. In 1983 Eastern Uttar Pradesh suffered a loss of the order of Rs. 319.12 crores because of the floods; in the same region, drought due to long dry spells left 3.820 lakhs ha. of sown area to wither. The menancing of Ganga – Ghaghara, Doab and recurring drought of trans Yamuna tract of Allahabad district, parts of Mirzapur and Varansi districts and big chunks of usar and unculturable wasteland (2.93 lakh ha) sap agricultural potential of these areas. Hardly 9.54 percent of total geographical area is under forests. Their paucity accenulates the problems of floods and soil erosion. Most Ganga plain is devoid of mineral wealth excepting kankar in Bhanagar tracts, but southern uplands are rich in minerals like limestone, dolomite, silica, sands, marble, building stone, magnesite and coal; organic matter is rich but nitrogen is deficient. Despite of vast water resources percentage of irrigated to gross cropped area is only 40.36 per cent that led cropping intensity only 145.20 and net irrigated to net sown area is 54.22 per cent. It has depressed economy where unemployment and underemployment is rampant, thus out migration is a typical phenomena.

INTRODUCTION

The North-Eastern Himalayas comprise of eastern-Nepal, entire Bhutan, parts of North Bengal and the eight states of North-East India viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Sikkim and Tripura. The region is characterised by diverse agro-climatic and geographical situations. This has a predominantly humid sub-tropical climate with hot, humid summers, severe monsoons and mild winters. The total forest covering this part of India is 17.50 m ha (which includes 8 NE states and hills of West Bengal) which is about 65.94 per cent of the total geographical area (FSI 2013), and the rest either under crops or non-agricultural uses or un-cultivated land. The low area under agricultural crops is due to natural corollary of the physiographic features of the region, as major chunk of the land has more than 15 per cent slope, undulating topography, highly eroded and degraded soils, and inaccessible terrain. Continuous depletion of the forest cover in the region due to shifting cultivation, firewood, and timber collection is posing the most crucial problem resulting in poor soil health and the resultant environmental degradation. In order to overcome these problems the farmers of the Eastern Himalaya have evolved various types of crop rotations in consonance with the varied environmental conditions and agronomic requirements with tradition by practising different approaches since ages. These practices so developed through major and minor adjustments in land use strategies are mostly sustainable from ecological point of view (Dash and Mishra 2001). 
The practises of agroforestry in this region exhibit a great deal of variation in crop diversity which is influenced by the crop composition and crop rotation. Along an altitudinal gradient, diversity in agroforestry practices is influenced by variation in ecological factors and difference in agricultural practices. Agroforestry has the potential to improve livelihood as it offers multiple alternatives and opportunities to farmers to improve farm production and income and also provides productive and protective (biological diversity, healthy ecosystems, protection of soil and water resources, terrestrial carbon storage) forest functions to the ecosystems. It is accepted as the sustainable management system that encompasses the variety and variability of animals, plants and micro-organisms which can be combined together to derive key functions of the agro-ecosystem, its structure and processes for, and in support of food production and food security. It is promoted widely as a sustainability-enhancing practice that combines the best attributes of forestry and agriculture. This practice is now recognized widely as an applied science and is instrumental in assuring food security, reducing poverty and enhancing ecosystem resilience at the scale of thousands of smallholder farmers in the tropics (Sharma et al. 2007). Therefore, strengthening linkages between knowledge systems using “Community” participatory management approaches is now seen as critical for sustainable forestry and agroforestry systems (Adhikari et al. 2007; Dhakal et al. 2007; Ramakrishnan 2007). 
The mountain communities of eastern Himalayan regions have also adopted diverse agroforestry systems as their land use. Environmental, biological, socio-cultural and economic variation existing in the eastern Himalayas have led to the evolution of diverse and unique traditional agro-ecosystems, crop species and livestock, which facilitate the traditional mountain farming societies to sustain themselves. Appropriate agroforestry systems have the potential to check soil erosion, maintain soil organic matter and physical characteristics, augment nitrogen build-up through nitrogen fixing trees and promote efficient nutrient cycling (Patiram et al. 2003).These systems have today become an established approach of integrated land management system not only for renewable resource production but also for ecological consideration (Saha et al. 2012).

ABSTRACT

The paper introduces the biophysical environment and landuse pattern of newly formed state. On the basis of ownership of land the scope of adopting agroforestry had been discussed. Existing agroforestry systems under different agroclimatic zones of Uttaranchal are provided with examples. Tree improvement program and system development research carried out under AICRP on Agroforestry for Terai zone of the state has also been discuused in the paper. Constraints in adopting and carrying out research in agroforestry along with future strategies to extend agroforestry in Uttaranchal are also given in the paper.

INTRODUCTION

Uttaranchal, formed on November 9, 2000, is the 27^th state in India. The state is spread over 53,483 km² of land, which extends between 77° 34’ and 81° 02’ E longitude and between 28° 43’ to 31° 27’ N latitude. It covers 1.67 per cent of the country’s total area and is home to 84.7 lakhs of people as per the provisional census report 2001. The entire state forms part of the Central Himalayas. The state is strategically located and forms part of the Northern boundary of the country sharing its borders with Nepal and China. The entire region, except the southern most foothills belt, is mountainous with a series of ridges and valleys. Starting with an altitude of about 240 m in the tarai on the southern fringes, the terrains rise to 7817 m in the north with in a short width span of about 160 km. It touches Tibet in the north, Himachal in the west and northwest, gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh in the South and Nepal in the east. Uttaranchal has two administrative divisons, the western half known as Garhwal and the the eastern region known by the name of Kumaon.

Agroforestry is a land use system that involves two or more plant species at least one of which must be a woody perennial. When perennial woody and herbaceous components are grown together on the same piece of land their performance would largely depend on their ability to share various growth resources in a given environmental situation. Due to difference in growth pattern and resource requirement of the components in agroforestry situation, a close interactive relation is obvious. Thus, careful management practices for the components are required to establish a successful agroforestry system. The characteristics of the trees and crops, and their interactions, can be modified with good management practice in order to take advantage of the positive characteristics and minimize the effects of the negative ones. Effective and efficient agroforestry management may be divided into two groups - tree management and agricultural crop management.

ABSTRACT

Modelling has been used in natural sciences since centuries in one-way or the other. However, system modelling as a discipline in itself is established in the recent years. Agroforestry modelling is a complex process that essentially involves at least two elements viz. tree and crop, where tree is the long term and crop is the short-term component. Agroforestry models, usually, predict tree growth and yield and the reduction/enhancement in crop yield as influenced by the tree component in temporal and spatial sequence. In this paper the need of modeling, stages of model development, its validation and classification of models are given. The models, which are relevant to agroforestry, have also been given.

INTRODUCTION

Agroforestry combines agriculture and forestry technologies to create more integrated, diverse, productive, profitable, healthy and sustainable land use systems. According to the Association for Temperate Agroforestry - “Agroforestry practices are intentional combinations of trees with crops and/ or livestock that involve intensive management of the interactions between the components as an integrated agroecosystem”. These key characteristics are the essence of agroforestry and are what distinguish it from other farming or forestry practices. To be called agroforestry, a land use practice must satisfy all of these criteria:

Agroforestry is a land use system that involves two or more plant species at least one of which must be a woody perennial. When perennial woody and herbaceous components are grown together on the same piece of land their performance would largely depend on their ability to share various growth resources in a given environmental situation. Due to difference in growth pattern and resource requirement of the components in agroforestry situation, a close interactive relation is obvious. Thus, careful management practices for the components are required to establish a successful agroforestry system. The characteristics of the trees and crops, and their interactions, can be modified with good management practices in order to take advantage of the positive characteristics and minimize the effects of the negative ones. Effective and efficient agroforestry management may be divided into two groups - tree management and agricultural crop management.

Factors Affecting The Selection Of Tree Species

Trees in an agroforestry system contribute significantly to the total output of the system and therefore, success of the system depends on the selection of the tree species. The following factors are to be considered to choose the best tree species for the agroforestry systems in a particular site.

Agroforestry is a land use system that involves two or more plant species at least one of which must be a woody perennial. When perennial woody and herbaceous components are grown together on the same piece of land their performance would largely depend on their ability to share various growth resources in a given environmental situation. Due to difference in growth pattern and resource requirement of the components in agroforestry situation, a close interactive relation is obvious. Thus, careful management practices for the components are required to establish a successful agroforestry system. The characteristics of the trees and crops, and their interactions, can be modified with good management practices in order to take advantage of the positive characteristics and minimize the effects of the negative ones. Effective and efficient agroforestry management may be divided into two groups; tree management and agricultural crop management.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE SELECTION OF TREE SPECIES

Trees in an agroforestry system contribute significantly to the total output of the system and therefore, success of the system depends on the selection of the tree species. The following factors are to be considered to choose the best tree species for the agroforestry systems in a particular site.

Agroforestry is a land use system that involves two or more plant species at least one of which must be a woody perennial. When perennial woody and herbaceous components are grown together on the same piece of land their performance would largely depend on their ability to share various growth resources in a given environmental situation. Due to difference in growth pattern and resource requirement of the components in agroforestry situation, a close interactive relation is obvious. Thus, careful management practices for the components are required to establish a successful agroforestry system. The characteristics of the trees and crops, and their interactions, can be modified with good management practices in order to take advantage of the positive characteristics and minimize the effects of the negative ones. Effective and efficient agroforestry management may be divided into two groups; tree management and agricultural crop management.

Trees have been used in cropping systems since the beginning of agriculture. Throughout the world, at one period or another in its history, it has been the practice to cultivate tree species and agricultural crops in intimate combination. In the tropics, human beings underwent a transition from hunting/gathering to the use of domesticated plants and livestock. As a part of the process they cut down trees, cleared the debris by burning and sowed crops in the ash- enriched soil. It was the ‘slash-and-burn’ agriculture, a primary forerunner of the present day agroforestry and a practice that might have originated in the Neolithic period, around 7000 BC.

There are innumerable examples of traditional land-use practices involving combined production of trees and agricultural species on the same piece of land in many parts of the world. Trees were an integral part of these farming systems and they were deliberately retained on farmlands to support agriculture. These practices are now known as agroforestry. However, the ultimate objective of these practices was not tree production but food production.

ABSTRACT

The western part of India particularly Gujarat and Rajasthan received erratic and scanty rainfall and have sandy to sandy loam soil. In such climatic and edaphic conditions failure of crop is a regular phenomenon. In such situations a cropping system is required which can protect the associated crops from extremes of climatic condition and/or provide alternative/additional income. Agroforestry has such potentials; as a result lot of research had been done on agroforestry. This paper provides some of the agroforestry system and practices, which are suitable for Gujarat. The hurdles in adoption of agroforestry and its future prospects are also provided.

INTRODUCTION

North and North-West Gujarat fall under scarcity zone, where rainfall is inadequate as well as erratic in nature. Sandy loam soils with low moisture retention capacity pose problems of low and unstable crop production and degradation due to soil erosion. Under these situation, adoption of a high yielding, more remunerative, cost effective, compatible and multipurpose system ie Agroforestry is a dire necessity.

ABSTRACT

Chhattisgarh is a tribal dominating state and is one of the backward and poor area of India in terms of poverty and productivity. The trees have been the part of agriculture in this region since long. The present paper highlights some of the practices which are being adopted by the farmers from time immoral and efforts had been made to fit them in the present day scientific classification system of agroforestry system with their spatial and temporal sequences. Despite of the fact that trees are integral part of farmlands still adoption of agroforestry as a sustainable land use has some constrains which have been discussed and way out suggested. Areas needed in developing agroforestry in the state have also been discussed at the end of the chapter.

ABSTRACT

Agroforestry research and development in scientific mode in India started about thirty years ago with few individual scientists working on the aspect. However, concentrated efforts started with the establishment of a network under co-ordinated mode throughout the country in the year 1983. Since then lot of research has been done and recommendations made. The present paper compiles the chronological sequences of the starting of AICRP on AF along with its co-ordinating partners. Suitable perennial species and agroforestry systems recommended for respective agroclimatic zones of the country are also compiled. National seminars and group meeting conducted for popularizing and extending agroforestry to every corner of the country had also been provided.

INTRODUCTION

Agroforestry is an age old practice and was a way of life since the settled agriculture evolved from forest. However, with passage of time the cropping system was converted to monocropping and in the way the benefits of integrating the perennials with annuals were forgotten. In the late 70’s of 20^th century, benefits of integrating perennials in cropping system was again realized and efforts were diverted towards scientifically associating the perennials and annuals. Dr. M.S. Swaminathan an eminent scientist while addressing first agroforestry seminar at Imphal in 1979 stated that agroforestry lies the key solution of some of the problems of forestry “what is now important is to give a scientific context and better planning like a good architect who can plan the use of space more efficiently”. This seminar was a spark in the history of scientific agroforestry in India. Taking into account the vide variation in edaphic and climatic factors in India along with the perennial nature of the systems, it was felt that working in isolation would not yield fruitful results and therefore, an association of scientist and institutes of different agroclimatic regions in form of a network was felt imperative and a viable wayout and hence the birth of AICRP on Agroforestry. All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Agroforestry (AICRPAF) was initiated vide ICAR letter number 21(1)/80-SW & DF dated 7^th February, 1983 at 20 centers of which 12 centers were located in State Agricultural Universities and eight at the ICAR institutes. Later on more co-ordinating centers were added and at present there are 37 AICRPAF co-ordinating centers with 10 centers in ICAR institutes and 27 centers located in State Agriculture Universities covering all the major agroecological zones of the country. The coordinating unit of the project was initially located at ICAR, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, which was shifted to National Research Center for Agroforestry, Jhansi w.e.f. 1^st April, 1997 under the administrative control of Director, NRCAF.

ABSTRACT

More than 80 per cent area of the Shivaliks is rainfed. Soil erosion greater than 80 t ha^-1yr^-1 is being recorded from denuded hills. Though, trees are nurtured on the farms but no definite pattern of trees on field bunds is followed, (neither from spacing point of view nor from species point of view). Further, these trees are not silviculturally managed to get best output from tree components as well as for posing less competition to the crops. Shivaliks has a wide range of climate, geology, soil, topography and socio-economic strata coupled with wide variety of vegetation. Such variations provide ample opportunities for developing site specific agroforestry systems.

ABSTRACT

Maharashtra ranks second in terms of area under tree cover, however, still large chunk of land is lying without use or are underutilised because of their degradation status. Such degraded lands can be put to use through agroforestry. Agroforestry is being adopted in this state in one way or the other by raising trees on farm bunds, around cattle sheds etc. since earlier times. New innovative technology has now been developed by all the agricultural universities of state. The paper provides detailed information of different agroforestry systems which have been developed and practised in the state.

INTRODUCTION

Maharashtra is the third largest state of India having the geographical area of 307,713 km², which constitute 9.4 per cent of the country’s geographical area. The human population of the state is 96.75 million (9.4% of country’s population) of which 57.6 per cent is rural and 42.4 per cent is urban. The average population density is 314 persons per km². The tribal population is 9.3 per cent of the state population. The state supports livestock population of 36.4 million, which is 7.7 per cent of the country’s livestock population. The state rank second amongst all the state/UTs in terms of area under tree cover and third in term of recorded Forest Area (Anon, 2001).

The words ‘system’, ‘sub-system’ and ‘practice’ are commonly used in agroforestry literature. In a broad sense, a system is defined as a group of associated elements forming a unified whole and working together in a well defined regular relation for a common goal. An agroforestry system refers to a type of agroforestry land-use that extends over a locality to the extent of forming a land utilization type of the locality. Sub-system and practice are lower-order terms in the hierarchy with lesser magnitudes of role, content and complexity. However, these terms are used loosely, and almost synonymously.

Classification of agroforestry systems is necessary in order to understand and provide a practical framework for evaluating systems and developing action plans for their improvement. Any classification scheme should satisfy the following criteria (Nair, 2008).

ABSTRACT

Andhra Pradesh is predominently an agrarian state, where 70 per cent of the people live in rural areas. Andhra Pradesh has 7 Agroecological zones spread over in coastal Andhra, Telangana and Rayalaseema regions with varied climatic situations. The existing agroforestry systems in costal Andhra are Mango-based Agrihorticulture system, Betelvine-sesbania system, Borrasus flabellefer, Glyrecidia boundary plantations, Eucalyptus, Causarina and Subabul block plantations. Besides Neem, Tamarind and jamuns are also found in isolated manner. In Telangana region, Custard apple based Agrihorticulture system, Mango based Agrihorticulture system, Boundary plantations of Neem, teak, Jamun etc., are present. Eucalyptus based Agrisilviculture system is propagated by ITC, Bhadrachalam in Khammam and elsewhere in the state. In Rayalaseema region in all the districts tamarind, mango and sweet orange based agroforestry systems are prominently seen. The betelvine - sesbania system alone is fetching an income of 100 crores/year to the states’ exchequer. The common trees and tree systems available in the state are : Azadirachta indica, Tamarindus indica, Acacia nilotica, Pithecellobium dulce, Parkinsonia aculeata, Pterocarpus santalinus, Dalbergia latifolia and many others.

ABSTRACT

Haryana being predominantly agricultural state had only 2.86 per cent recorded forests at the time of its inception. Agroforestry has been an age old practice in Haryana as in other parts of India. It has existed in various forms through the time immemorial. Farm boundary plantation/natural regeneration and scattered trees in the farmlands were the main agroforestry interventions in Haryana till the seventies. To counter the environmental degradation and to provide fuel, fodder and timber different tree-crop combinations were tried for accessing their compatibility. As a result number of agroforestry systems had been recommended and are discussed in this paper. The paper also include methods of managing the perennial component of agroforestry system. Economics of some of the successful systems has also been discussed.

INTRODUCTION

Haryana state lies in the Indo-gangetic plains of North-west India. It has 44,212 sq.km of land and 90 per cent of this is in plains and the remaining area is in Shiwalik and Aravalli hills. Yamuna plains in the North and sandy plains in the South and West respectively have 50 per cent and 40 per cent of above land. More than 80 percent of the land is under agriculture. Canal and tube well irrigation is available for 65 per cent of arable land. Two crops per annum are a routine practice in Haryana. The climate of Haryana is arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid. It is sub-tropical, continental and monsoonic type. The range of temperature daily as well as annual is extreme. It varies from 1°C in winter to 47°C in summer. Mean annual average temperature varies from 23°C to 26°C. May and June are the hottest months while December and January are the coldest ones. The normal annual rainfall ranges from 300 mm in the southwestern parts of Bhiwani, Hisar and Sirsa districts to about 1500 mm in the northeastern hilly tract of Ambala district. The mean daily pan evaporation ranges from 2.4 mm in December and January to 13.4 mm in May and June.

ABSTRACT

The paper gives a comprehensive detail of the state with regards to its inception, socio-economic, climatic and edaphic conditions. In addition states agroclimatic zones along with their characteristics have been described in the paper. Extent of agriculture crops, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries and forestry along with their production and contribution to national pool is provided elaborately. Details of agroforestry systems like silvipastoral and agrisilvipastoral for land with very high erosion and hortisilviculture and hortiagrisilviculture, aquaforestry, entomoforestry recommended for land with moderate to low erosion had been explained in details. Significant results obtained in agroforestry research under AICRP on Agroforestry and Horticulture and Agroforestry Research program have also been presented in this paper. Finally some tips to make agroforestry successful and future strategies have been given.

INTRODUCTION

Jharkhand state evolved as 28^th State on 15^th November 2000 from the southern part of Bihar, with a total area of 79.5 lakh ha and population density of 274/Km² consisting of 28 per cent schedule tribes and 12 per cent schedule caste population. A total of 29.61 per cent of the geographical area of the state consists of forest area with 28.4 per cent actual forest cover (Annon., 2001). Most of the forest area of the state consists of mines, which do not allow any agriculture. The continued large-scale mining operations of Coal and Iron ore are generating serious threats for the area coming under down streams. The areas lying under sharp undulating topography are under threats of soil erosion, which in turn affect the low lying water body’s carrying capacity i.e. due to continuous siltation, all such anomalies emphasizes the need to improve the water and land use efficiency in order to ensure better storage and retention of the rain water, for improving the productivity of the land.

ABSTRACT

Orissa is traditionally an agrarian state. It is endowed with vast natural resources, diversified agro-edaphic conditions,rich flora and fauna, wide range of land holdings, various socio-cultural groups and people with multiple economic strata. These factors have led to evolve a variety of agroforestry systems and practices. The traditional agroforestry systems which are prevailing in the state since time immemorial are broadly agrisilvicultural, silvipastoral and agrisilvipastoral systems. The prominent agrisilvicultural systems include podu/jhum cultivation, multipurpose trees on farm lands, multiple species tree gardens and agroforestry for fuel wood production. The important silvipastoral systems are trees on pasture, fodder trees and shrubs on forest land and live fence of fodder trees and shrubs. The very old agrihortisilvicultural system prevailing in the state is homegarden. Interventions of Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology and various Government and Non-Government agencies have resulted in the development of some improved agroforestry practices in recent years. Some of the improved agroforestry practices are Acacia mangium based agrisilvicultural practices, Guava based agrisilvicultural practices, coconut based agroforestry practices, Eucalyptus (Clonal) based agrisilvicultural practices, windbreaks, timber tree based agrisilvicultural practices, Sesbania grandiflora based agrisilvicultural practice, Acacia mangium based silvipastoral system, mangium-guava based silvipastoral practices, improved homegardens, commercial block plantations on farmlands and apisilvicultural practice.

ABSTRACT

West Bengal is the gateway to North-East and has diverse vegetation and social strata. The paper presents the agroclimatic zones of the state along with their characteristic features. The scenario with regard to agriculture, forest cover and livestock shows that practicing agroforestry is the need of the state. For the sake of convenience the state has been divided into two parts: south Bengal and north Bengal. In the tribal dominated parts of the state home gardens are prevalent. Possible interventions in the present land use along with strategies to increase tree cover under agroforestry has also been discussed.

INTRODUCTION

Cultivation of tree species and agricultural crops in intimate combination had been a practice through out the world at one period or another. Trees were integral and important component of the farming system. However, in the middle ages the concept changed and agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry were separated under a monoculture management system. This in long run led to an incredible reduction in forest cover and ecological imbalance. Scientists and managers once again began to think about changing the land use system and integrating trees with agriculture crops (Panwar et al., 2004). In India, research work on agroforestry was initiated during the late 1970’s by Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi; Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, Dehradun; Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur and ICAR Research Complexes in isolation. National commission on agriculture also emphasized starting of agroforestry education in all agriculture university. The formal research activities related to agroforestry started in a big way with the initiation of All India Coordinated Research Project on Agroforestry (AICRPAF) from 7^th Feb., 1983 with 20 centers, of which 12 were in State Agricultural Universities and rest in ICAR Institutes. Later more centers were added. The major emphasis was to have research centers in all the major ecological zones of India. In this venture in the first phase AICRPAF was initiated in West Bengal at Jhargram, Distt. Midnapore under the auspices of the then only Agricultural University in West Bengal - Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur representing Humid and Subhumid zone of West Bengal.

ABSTRACT

Agroecologically the state is divided into 13 zones based on altitudinal variations, precipitation pattern, soil type and topographic features. Land use systems that integrate woody perennials with other life forms abound in all these zones, along with a great diversity of trees and field crops. Although these practices are apparently specific to the topographic and edaphic factors, a complex pattern of overlapping which transgresses over a wide range of agroecological zones is obvious. An attempt is made to describe the important agroforestry systems of Kerala, both traditional as well as those potentially suitable.

INTRODUCTION

The state of Kerala with many woody perennial-based land use practices is often regarded as the “Mecca” of agroforestry. Most of these are, however, traditional systems evolved over centuries of cultural and biological transformations and may represent the accrued wisdom and insights of farmers who have interacted with environment, without access to exogenous inputs, capital or scientific skills. Over long periods in the history of land use in these highly populated humid tropical lands, such diverse land use systems have apparently remained as engines of food security, besides sourcing multiple products and services including certain intangible benefits (e.g., microclimatic modification, soil and water conservation); thus providing the rationale for the co-existence of an array of pluralistic land use orders often in close juxtaposition with one another. Yet another plausible explanation for the occurrence of many diverse woody perennial-based systems and practices over a relatively small geographical range is perhaps the brute heterogeneity of the Kerala landscape.

ABSTRACT

Tamil Nadu, the southern most state of India has 8 per cent of the country’s population and its net sown area is only 4-5 per cent of the country’s area. The state is endowed with varied physiography from hills to coastal lands and hence varied agroclimatic and edaphic conditions. This paper details the characteristics of different agroclimate and provides varied perennial and annual components being practiced in different combinations in these agroforestry systems.

INTRODUCTION

Land is a major non renewable natural resource. With the increase in population, the demand of land for all activities increases. The requirement of food, fibre, fodder and fuel of the ever increasing population has to be met with the finite land resources. In India, the pattern of land use in agriculture and forestry took a drastic turn during the period from fifties to eighties. Conservation, development and management of the available land is basic for ensuring food, ecological, environmental and economic security of our country. Tamil Nadu’s population is around 8 per cent of the total country and the net sown area is only a meager 4-5 per cent of that of the country. With the ever increasing population and expanding industrialization, steps need to be taken to utilize the land to the optimum extent possible and to identify and utilize lands effectively and efficiently in order to make full use of their maximum capability.

ABSTRACT

Arunachal Pradesh, the largest state of North-East India is unique state of the country in the sense that its altitude range between 70 – 7000 m, have 26 major tribes besides 110 sub-tribes, have 82 per cent of its land under forest and most of the area is under the control of local tribes which practice shifting cultivation. The paper presents the potentialities of agroforestry in Arunachal Pradesh. The different agroforestry systems prevailing in the state are also given in detail. Agroforestry systems which are scientifically tested and the direction in which research are to be done in future to extend agroforestry has also been presented.

INTRODUCTION

Indian Eastern Himalaya, covers the states of Assam, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya (Kukreti, 2000). The erstwhile North East Frontier Agency, now Arunachal Pradesh, the largest state among the North-eastern states of India lies at latitude 26°28’-29°30 N and longitude 91°30’- 97°30 E with a geographical area of 83,743 km². The human population of the state is 10,91,113 (GOI, 2002). The recorded forest area in the state is 68602 km² which is 82.0 per cent of the geographical area of Arunachal Pradesh (Kukreti, 2000). The forest cover in the state forms the highest amongst all the states of the country and state is least densely populated. The state is bounded by Bhutan to the west, Myanmar to the east, China to the north and north east, and the plains of Assam to the south. There are 26 major tribes and 110 sub tribes which inhabit different parts of the state, with a life style totally dependent on the forest resources. Moreover, almost all the major tribes and sub tribes has been practicing shifting cultivation from the ancient time in this region which is integral part of sociocultural life of the tribal people.

ABSTRACT

Assam has been divided into six agroclimatic zones on the basis of soil, climate, terrain and vegetation. It comprises of Brahmaputra plain zone to Hill zone. The paper deals with the traditional agroforestry systems prevailing in all these agroclimatic zones along with the research activities which are going on in Assam. Salient research achievements with respect to tree-crop compatibility are given at the end of the chapter. Impact of agroforestry research on farmers of Assam in terms of adoption is also given.

INTRODUCTION

Assam, one of the eastern states of India, lies between 240 N and 28018’ N latitudes and 8904’ E and 960 E longitudes. The state is surrounded by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh in the north, Nagaland, Manipur and a part of Arunachal Pradesh in the east, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya in the south and West Bengal in the west. The state is endowed with abundant fertile land and water sources with a total geographical area of 78,523 km² with population density of 318 per square kilometer.

ABSTRACT

Bihar is a state whose economy is solely dependent on agriculture. Though it has deep fertile land of alluvial origin, still agriculture of this state is facing problems due to frequent flooding. Population pressure on forest had led to creation of large extent of degraded lands. Agroforestry seems to be one of the viable option to avert these adverse conditions. Traditionally people used to integrate trees in farm lands in different forms. However, green revolution reduced these practices. The present paper provides a detailed account of prevalent agroforestry practices in Bihar. Results of different agroforestry systems which had been researched under AICRP on Agroforestry in Bihar since 1987 are also given in this paper.

INTRODUCTION

Bihar, the twelth largest state of India is bound on the north by Nepal, south by Jharkhand, east by West Bengal and on the west by Uttar Pradesh. The state lies between 24° 20’10″ to 27° 31’15″ N latitude and between 83° 19’50" to 88° 17’40"E longitude at an elevation of 53.12 m above the mean sea level and comprises an area of 93595.68 sq.km. The topography of Bihar is practically plain. The whole of the Bihar plain is traversed by a number of fairly large rivers, viz., Ganga, Ghagra, Kosi, Bagmati, Burhi Gandak, Kamla balan etc. which cause intermittent floods and engulf several districts of Bihar each year.

ABSTRACT

In the state of Meghalaya, forests are being degraded by age-old practice of shifting agriculture by native tribes and other human activities. Agroforestry has a great potential both from the point of view of restoration and maintenance of soil fertility and to increase agriculture production. The traditional system of agriculture in the state is primitive, labour intensive and dependent on rainfall. The proportion of space occupied by the tree and crop components in the traditional system largely depends upon factors like soil types, plant species and crop arrangements. The common traditional systems practiced in the state may be grouped under agrisilviculture, agrihorticulture, silvihorticulture, pastoralsilviculture and pastoralhorticulture. Agroforestry systems can play an important role in soil conservation and improvement in moisture and nutrient levels through efficient cycling of nutrients, which in turn would enhance agriculture production. The analysis of different agroforestry systems in the state of Meghalaya suggests that further improvement of the existing systems may yield high productivity and make them more sustainable.

INTRODUCTION

Agroforestry is an ideal scientific approach to tackle the problems of degraded lands and to bring about eco-restoration and maintenance of soil resources. The significance of tree based land use systems in general and agroforestry in particular, has been realized in improving the economy of farmers having small land holdings (Chauhan and Dhyani 1990, Beer et al 1990, Fisher 1990, Dhyani and Tripathi 1999). The fertility of soils can be improved under the influence of tree cover, which checks erosion, contributes to accumulation of organic matter content, adds nitrogen through symbiotic N-fixation by leguminous or actinorrhizal trees and continuously replenishes the nutrients through effective recycling mechanisms. It offers a practical means of achieving greater outputs and at the same time maintains soil fertility that ultimately helps in increasing productivity of agricultural crops and trees.

ABSTRACT

Mizoram is predominantly a hilly state where people have been practicing agroforestry in a variety of forms from traditional shifting (jhum) cultivation to the most scientific-induced agroforestry models. However, ‘jhum’ still remains the main form of land use even though it is known to cause severe soil, water and biodiversity erosion and low crop productivity. The induced agroforestry practices carried out in Miozram have the ability to replace shifting cultivation but these systems again are not properly designed to tackle various biophysical, socio-cultural and economic need of the people, resulting in their poor acceptability. The paper reviews various agroforestry systems prevailing in Mizoram and details some ongoing agroforestry research trials in the State.

The words ‘system’, ‘sub-system’ and ‘practice’ are commonly used in agroforestry literature. In a broad sense, a system is defined as a group of associated elements forming a unified whole and working together in a well defined regular relation for a common goal. An agroforestry system refers to a type of agroforestry land-use that extends over a locality to the extent of forming a land utilization type of the locality. Sub-system and practice are lower-order terms in the hierarchy with lesser magnitudes of role, content and complexity. However, these terms are used loosely, and almost synonymously.

Classification of agroforestry systems is necessary in order to understand and provide a practical framework for evaluating systems and developing action plans for their improvement. Any classification scheme should satisfy the following criteria (Nair, 2008).

The words ‘system’, ‘sub-system’ & ‘practice’ are commonly used in agroforestry literature. In a broad sense, a system is defined as a group of associated elements forming a unified whole and working together in a well-defined regular relation for a common goal. An agroforestry system refers to a type of agroforestry land-use that extends over a locality to the extent of forming a land utilization type of the locality. Sub-system and practice are lower-order terms in the hierarchy with lesser magnitudes of role, content and complexity. However, these terms are used loosely, and almost synonymously.

Classification of agroforestry systems is necessary in order to understand and provide a practical framework for evaluating systems and developing action plans for their improvement. Any classification scheme should satisfy the following criteria (Nair, 2008).

ABSTRACT

Trees play a crucial role in maintaining and regenerating soil fertility through the action of their roots and litter. Trees can also improve soil structure, water holding capacity, crop rooting volume and biological activity in soil by providing biomass. Quick growing species, especially of nitrogen fixing trees when combined with herbaceous crops enhance fertility status of the soil through litter contribution and nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen fixing trees and shrubs, grown in agroforestry systems, are capable of fixing about 50-100 Kg N ha^-1yr^-1. Use of agroforestry is also a viable option for enhancing soil organic carbon density. Soil organic carbon sequestration potential in soils of tropical forest ecosystems varies from 100 to 500 Kg C ha^-1 yr^-1. Improving soil organic carbon pool through agroforestry improves soil quality, biomass productivity and mitigates global warming by reducing the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases. Nutrient cycling is another way in which trees draw a large portion of nutrients from deeper soil layer and return it to the soil through crown crash, stem flow and litter fall. In a nutshell, for improving the soil quality, ecological balance and sustainability of agro eco systems , agroforestry is one of the best viable alternative land use system.

ABSTRACT

Scattered trees/shrubs in agricultural fields or grazing fields are common features of landscape in arid regions of India. These trees were considered as insurance to the people during drought years. In recent past importance of these trees in such areas had been recognized by the scientific world. Lot of research had been made and is continuing to identify and research the tree-crop combination. This paper reviews the tested agroforestry systems in arid region of country with particular reference to Rajasthan. Economic gains due to technology intervention in agroforestry system is also given.

INTRODUCTION

The people in the arid regions of India, since time immemorial has developed location specific agroforestry systems. The scattered trees / shrubs in the agricultural fields or grazing fields are common features of the landscape. Since the beginning of cultivation the farmers deliberately allow the trees /shrubs to grow with the crops. They have screened the trees / shrubs based on their utility. They have considered that these trees are insurance to them during drought years. These trees provided lean period fodder, fruits, vegetable, timber, fuel, fiber etc. as farmers knew that occurrence of drought is common phenomenon in Rajasthan and due to failure of rains the crops failed to grow or their production is abysmally low. In the recent past efforts have been made to identify existing agroforestry systems for different agro-ecological zones (Malhotra, 1984 ; Harsh et al., 1992 ; Saxena, 1997). Efforts have also been made to study the production systems under each agroforestry systems and also to improve the existing systems through technological interventions (Harsh and Tewari, 2003; Tewari et al., 2004; Harsh et al., 2004).

ABSTRACT

The practice of agroforestry in the hills and mountains of Himachal Pradesh is as old as the hill agriculture itself. Farmers are retaining trees on the farmlands for the multiple benefits they provide. The selection of the trees, their planting pattern and density is chosen in such a way that it had minimum effect on the associated crop. The present paper gives the prevalent agroforestry systems with their components in different agroclimatic zones of Himachal Pradesh along with their management practices. Adoption of landuse practices depends to a large extent on status of the farmer concerned. Paper presents the association between type of farmer and the corresponding agroforestry systems they adopt. Sustainability of agroforestry systems, their role in climate change and social and economic gain of agroforestry systems in hills had also been detailed. A comprehensive list of agroforestry components had also been appended as annexures.

INTRODUCTION

Farmers throughout the Indian Himalayas covering about 16 states partially or fully have nurtured trees on their farms and in the agricultural landscape both for production and protection benefits for millennia. Mountainous region like Himachal Pradesh located in western Himalayan range present wide range of tree growing practices and systems owing to the diverse physiographic and demographic mosaic.

The state is located between 30° 22’ 40” to 33° 12’ 40” N latitude and 75°47’ 55” to 79°4’ 20” E longitude and extends over a geographical area of 55673 km² which is 1.69 per cent of the country’s area and 10.5 per cent of the Himalayan landmass. This land locked state is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir in the north, Punjab and Haryana in the south–west and Uttaranchal in the south–east. In the north–east the state forms the international boundary with the Tibet. Agricultural landscapes are characterized by undulating topography wherein terraced fields are made on medium to steep slopes. Crop fields on sloppy lands are in general 5-10 m wide and 20-30 m long almost conical on both ends and wide in the middle. In valley areas and on lands with gentle to mild slopes (up to 40%) large sloping fields have been developed manually by the farmers where Government has undertaken land consolidation.

ABSTRACT

Madhya Pradesh is declared as mega diversity state in India. It also harbours diversity in human population as 1/4^th of its population is tribal. These tribal people are practicing agroforestry since time immemorial. The state is divided into 11 agro climatic zones. The paper provides the agroforestry systems and species suitable for these zones. The traditional practices and the innovative agroforestry systems developed are also given. Agroforestry systems that are suitable for problematic soil have been briefly discussed. Efforts of different institutes like TFRI, JNKV and projects like TDET, ORP on Agroforestry, AICRP on AF in developing different system and their recommendations are also provided in this paper.

INTRODUCTION

Environment remained in its pristine purity and congeniality till man stayed in the hunting and food gathering stage. But, as he entered in the pastoral age and domesticated animals, he gradually passed from the nomadic stage to settled cultivation. When, he cleared the first patch of earth and upturned the first sod and lifted the first bucket of water, the long story of his interference with environment started. Clearing trees for farming, disturbing the moisture regimes and furrowing the land endangered the phenomenon of erosion leading on to the problem of reducing the soil fertility. At the same time, the art of Agroforestry emerged, though in the most rudimentary fashion, which in varying form and emphasis has continued till today. Coming to recent times, the increasing pressure on land as well as on forests, rising demand for fuel and fodder and finally the requirement of timber for multifarious purposes have strengthen the need of agroforestry as an alternate land use system especially at natural resource conservation front (Singh, 1999). Pathak (2000) opined that agroforestry is a land management system that optimizes the overall land productivity and reduces resources depletion through the utilization of positive interactions between crops-trees-animals in its temporal and spatial dimensions. In this way, agroforestry operates in a given socioeconomic frame work; it is not a static but a dynamic structure.