1.04.00 – Agroforestry

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Unit 1.04.00

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Agroforestry is a new concept although old practice. It is a technique where tree and crops are grown together so as to optimise the productivity in a given space and time. Agroforestry has a great potential especially in those countries which is suffering from land hunger.

The science of agroforestry is a new concept but the art of agroforestry is an ancient practice. The agroforestry have long tradition of raising perennial crops, annual crops and forest trees together as a multi-storied, mixed cropping system as well as exploiting multiple ranges of productions. The agroforestry has a promised ecologically sound land management system which differs in the temporal and spatial scale and provides a range of basic human needs including food, feed, fuel, medicine, building materials as well as social, aesthetic and cultural functions. The present strategy of agroforestry has a great potential of focusing towards more sustainable farming system balancing supply of agricultural and forest products with economic, social, and environmental / ecological importance?

We are planning to look at the future potentials especially in South Asia and trying to work together with Governmental, private and Non-Governmental organizations.

We are also trying to set up an official link between different forums.

Agroforestry is an important livelihood for millions of men, women, and their children throughout Asian and African countries. Agroforestry practices and systems are diverse and complex, and reflect the cumulative innovations, experimentation, and knowledge that farmers have evolved over centuries. Good agroforestry practice provides food, wood, cash, and a variety of other productive and protective functions to farm households. Sound agroforestry systems contribute to ecological sustainability and support the overall environmental strategies of national governments.

The agroforestry should be an intimate mix of diverse agricultural plants and, multipurpose trees to fulfill most of the fundamental needs of village households and avoid environmental deterioration associated with village eco-system. There are numerous benefits in terms of economic, social, spiritual, recreational, and environmental  can be associated with agroforestry systems. Hence, it should be economically efficient, ecologically sound and biologically suitable land management system. It is important to identify which functions of the agroforestry system are most relevant to a given location and prepare a management plan that is appropriate for the entire farming system. Considering its important functions in fulfilling various needs the real value of agroforestry should be evaluated. The information related to functioning of systems should be collected to assist in managing and improving the agroforestry systems.

This is a technique where tree crops and agricultural crops are grown together so as to maximize their productions per unit area in a given time and space. This technique has especial elements in it i. e. the deliberate growth of woody perennial in the same unit of land along with agricultural crops and or / animals, in some form of spatial mixture or temporal sequence. Or more simply, agroforestry is the use of trees in farming system. Some important aims of agroforestry are:

• increased productivity and income
• improved equity and benefit-sharing
• sustainable upland management
  

Agroforestry systems may be categorized according to their structure and function, their agroecological and environmental adaptability, socioeconomic characteristics, cultural and customary aspect, and management practices. They can be categorized components, functions of Trees by Temporal Association and by the Pattern of Trees. A systematic representation is given here.

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