Not missing either the woods or the trees

Climate-smart agriculture, which is the need of the hour, requires a judicious integration of trees and shrubs with crop farming and animal husbandry. This concept, technically called agro-forestry, can curtail emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from agricultural farms because trees are good sequesters of environment pollutants, particularly carbon dioxide. It also offers several other gains, including optimal utilisation of land; diversification of farming; improvement in land productivity; preservation of natural biodiversity; enhanced availability of fruits, fodder, fuel-wood, and timber; and more income for farmers. Trees and bushes planted on the periphery of fields also serve as wind-breakers to save crops from storms and high-velocity winds. Besides, well-designed agro-forestry systems can make small farms, which predominate in India, economically viable.

India’s self-determined goals of achieving zero GHG emission by 2070 and creating additional carbon sinks of 2.5-3.0 billion tonnes seem hard to attain without promoting agro-forestry. The scope for expanding forest cover from the present roughly around 25 per cent to the ideal 33 per cent of the country’s geographic area is limited, chiefly because of land constraints. 

Agro-forestry can help overcome this limitation to a considerable extent.

However, though agro-forestry has been practised in some form or the other for ages, doing it on modern lines and extending it to areas under intensive farming can pay better dividends. The Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and its subsequent amended versions, had put several curbs and conditions on felling and pruning trees, and transportation and sale of wood, which discouraged people from planting trees on privately owned lands, including agricultural farms. Fortunately, many of these deterrent provisions have been amended, diluted, or totally quashed in the recently passed Forest (Conservation) Amendment Law, 2023, which has been notified to come into force next month. The new statute, notably, specifically states the forest-related norms would not apply to trees, shrubs, and other plants grown on private lands. This should pave the way for agro-forestry to play its due role in expanding the country’s green cover, enhancing the domestic supply of wood and other forestry products, enlarging the carbon sink and, most importantly, reducing biotic pressure on natural forests.

This apart, the government had announced a National Agro-forestry Policy during the World Congress on Agro-forestry, held in New Delhi in 2014. This seemingly sound policy, the first of its kind in the world, aims primarily at improving land productivity and strengthening environmental sustainability in farming by incorporating shrubs and trees into cropping systems. If implemented meticulously, this policy can ensure optimal exploitation of the production potential of agricultural land.

In another well-advised pro-agro-forestry move, the government recently brought out a document outlining the details of cultivating 36 plant species suitable for agro-forestry in different agro-ecological zones of the country. The recommended trees include some important timber plants, such as teak, sheesham (Indian rosewood), mahogany, and poplar, besides bamboo — one of the fastest-growing and the most versatile plant species. The country, at present, meets much of its requirements of high-quality, durable, and easily workable hardwood, such as teak and mahogany, through imports. This document, prepared by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and placed on the environment ministry’s website, also carries state-specific information on appropriate agro-forestry plant species, different models of ecologically viable and economically lucrative systems of agro-forestry, and prevailing rules and regulations concerning the cutting of trees and transportation of wood.

Thankfully, many states have now begun to promote agro-forestry as part of their ongoing agricultural or forest development programmes. Karnataka, for instance, is supplying plant seedlings from government nurseries at concessional rates under its agro-forestry development programme called Krishi Aranya Protsaha Yojana. In Haryana, where hardly 3.5 per cent area is under forests, agro-forestry is emerging as the main local source of wood for fuel and other purposes. Yamunanagar district in the state has become the “plywood hub” where these multi-utility wooden boards are made chiefly from the raw material sourced from local farmlands. Eucalyptus and poplar have been found to be the most productive, as also lucrative, trees for this purpose. Many other states, such as Assam, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra, have also strengthened their agro-forestry programmes to raise farmers’ income.

However, notwithstanding these welcome initiatives by the states, and putting in place an agro-forestry-friendly policy environment by the Centre, this highly useful system of mixed farming is still far to go. The overall area under agro-forestry is currently estimated to be only about 28.5 million hectares, which is barely 8.6 per cent of the country’s area. This is way too small, given that the country has about 140 million hectares of cropland and wide stretches of waste and degraded land that can be used for agro-forestry or silvi-pastures (having a combination of trees and forage grasses). This vast untapped potential must be gainfully harnessed to achieve environmental goals and derive potential economic benefits from agro-forestry.

surinder.sud@gmail.com