Though Agroforestry has been defined in different ways, the substance of each definition is the same. Put simply, agroforestry is using trees on farms. Trees can provide many products such as fuel, wood, fodder, Timber, medicine and oil.
Agroforestry is a collective name for land use systems involving trees combined with crops and or animals in the same unit of land. The land thus can be used to raise agricultural crops and trees and to rear livestock. Agroforestry is Defined by some as a dynamic, ecologically based natural land/farm management system that, along with agriculture and the integration of trees on forms, has many environmental merits.
Agroforestry combines agriculture and Forestry Technologies to create more integrated, diverse, productive, profitable, healthy and sustainable land-use systems.
Agroforestry is, therefore , a system of farming that combines the planting of trees and food crops in a way that is beneficial for the farmer and the environment.
The practice of Agroforestry is in no way a new system of land use. Ever since man began cultivating crops and domesticating animals, he has been practicing Agroforestry. In fact, farmers in India grow agricultural crops, rear animals, and plant some trees on their land, often on boundary area. However, the increasing need of this system was in fact realised during the mid 20th century with loss of forest cover of India at alarming rate and increase in wasteland areas due to urbanization and industrialization. The Agroforestry program in India were started in the late 1970 as a result of the recommendations of the National Commission on agriculture. This led to the various social Forestry projects which provided the farmers additional income from the sale of timber and other means of substances like fuelwood, fodder and non -wood forest products. Some examples of Agroforestry are, growing of tea and coffee under the shades of tree, intercropping under coconut trees, home Gardens and shifting cultivation.
Agroforestry reduces the farmers dependency on forest even as it provides them economic benefits. IT results in more diverse, healthy, and sustainable land use systems. It focuses on meeting the economic, environmental, and domestic needs of people on their private lands. For hundreds of years, farmers have nurtured trees in their fields, pasturelands, and around their homes. Agroforestry does help in increasing productivity of Crop plants and meeting increasing demands of order and fuelwood through afforestation.
Different farming systems are in use in different parts of the country. These include agrisilviculture ( eucalyptus and poplar with crops) in Northern States, the early Taungya system (sal forest raising with crops),farm boundary tree plantations, homestead gardening and multitier backyard system in Kerala, energy plantations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra pradesh, Tamilnadu etc; silvipastrol systems with community Forestry programs and roadside plantations with social Forestry departments of various state and shifting cultivation of north eastern hill States.
Taungya system
It is a system of establishing three crop in temporary combination of field crops. This system was first attempted in Myanmar by Brandis in 1856 and subsequently in India during 1911 - 12 for raising Shorea robusta and Tectona grandis plantations. This technique was even used for secondary forest species or even for Acacia nilotica - firewood species. This system failed with deodar forests but was successful with Cryptomeria, oaks and Michelia species.
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