Read this article to learn about Agroforestry. After reading this article you will learn about: 1. Branches of Agroforestry 2. Benefits of Agroforestry.
Branches of Agroforestry:
A. Silviculture:
It refers to certain aspects of theory and practices of raising forests crops, methods of raising tree crops, their growth and after care up to the time of final harvesting.
B. Mensuration:
It deals with the measurement of forest produce ex. Dimension from volume, age and increment of individual trees and forest crop.
C. Management:
Practical application of sequence technique and economics to forest estate for the production of certain desired results.
D. Utilization:
Branch of forestry which deals with harvesting, marketing conservation and applying the forest produce to a variety of uses eg. Timber, fuel, charcoal, pulp wood, ply wood.
1. Agroforestry means “Agriculture in forests”.
2. “Agroforestry is a system where agriculture and forestry are practiced either simultaneously or separately on the same unit of land.”
3. Agroforestry is any sustainable land-use system that maintains or increases total yields by combining food crops (annuals) with tree crops (perennials) and/or livestock on the same unit of land, either alternately or at the same time, using management practices that suit the social and cultural characteristics of the local people and the economic and ecological conditions of the area.
4. Agroforestry is a form of “multiple cropping”.
5. The main objectives of agroforestry are Productivity, Sustainability and Adoptability.
Benefits of Agroforestry:
A. Environmental Benefits:
1. Reduction of pressure on natural forests,
2. More efficient recycling of nutrients by deep rooted trees on the site,
3. Better protection of ecological systems,
4. Reduction of surface run-off, nutrient leaching and soil erosion through impeding effect of tree roots and stems on these processes,
5. Improvement of microclimate, such as lowering of soil surface temperature and reduction of evaporation of soil moisture through a combination of mulching and shading,
6. Increment in soil nutrients through addition and decomposition of litter-fall,
7. Improvement of soil structure through the constant addition of organic matter from decomposed litter.
B. Economic Benefits:
1. Increment in an outputs of food, fuel wood, fodder, fertiliser and timber.
2. Reduction in incidence of total crop failure, which is common to single cropping or monoculture systems,
3. Increase in levels of farm income due to improved and sustained productivity.
C. Social Benefits:
1. Improvement in rural living standards from sustained employment and higher income,
2. Improvement in nutrition and health due to increased quality and diversity of food outputs,
3. Stabilization and improvement of communities through elimination of the need to shift sites of farm activities.
a. The area under forest land in India – 67 mha (Acc. to National Remote Sensing Agency – 75 mha).
b. Indian Forest Act -1927.
c. Forest school at Dehradun was established during -1878.
d. Contribution of forest product in world GDP -1%.
e. Forest area is highest in Madhya Pradesh.
f. Percentage of forest cover is highest in – Andaman Nicobar islands.
g. Percentage of forest covers in the world to the total area – 25%.
h. The systemic research in Agroforestry is taken by “ICRAF”.
i. ICARF = International Centre for Research in Agroforestry.
j. National Research Centre for Agroforestry -Jhansi (1988).
k. Agroforestry criteria of classification:
(i) Functional basis – (a) Productive (b) Protective
(ii) Structural basis – (a) Spatial (b) Vertical (c) Temporal
(iii) Socio-economic basis
(iv) Ecological basis
l. The Productive functions are: (i) Food, (ii) Fodder, (iii) Fuel wood, (iv) Cloths, (v) Shelter and (vi) NTFPs.
m. The Protective functions are: (i) Wind breaks, (ii) Shelterbelts, (iii) Soil conservation (iv) Soil improvement.
n. The most important Agroforestry practice is known from the “Kangeyan tract of Tamilnadu” (Acacia leucophloea + Cenchrus setigerus).
o. Agroforestry is considered as an alternate land use system for wasteland development.
p. Shifting cultivation is the oldest known agroforestry practice.
q. Agri-silviculture = Trees + crops
r. Alley cropping = Perennial hedges + crops
s. Agri-horticulture = Fruit trees + crops
t. Agri-silvi-horticulture = Trees + fruit trees + crops
u. Agri-silviculture = Trees + crops + pasture/animals
v. Silvi-pasture = Trees+ pasture/animals
w. Silvi-olericulture = Trees + vegetables
x. Horti-apiculture = Fruit trees + honeybees
y. Aqua-forestry = Trees + fishes