AGROFORESTRY

Agroforestry is a collective name for land use systems involving trees combined with crops and
or animals on the same land unit. It combines 1) production of multiple outputs with protection
of resource base 2) places emphasis of useage of multiple indigenous trees and shrubs 3)
Particularly suitable for low-input conditions and fragile components 4) It involves the interplay
of socio cultural values more than in other most land use systems 5) it is structurally and
functionally more complex than monoculture

Agroforestry is a collective name for a land-use system and technology whereby woody
perennials are deliberately used on the same land management unit as agricultural crops and/or
animals in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence. In an agroforestry system
there are both ecological and economical interactions between the various components.

To be called agroforestry, a land-use practice must satisfy following criteria:

- INTENTIONAL-Combinations of trees, crops and/or animals are intentionally designed and

managed as a whole unit, rather than as individual elements that may occur in close proximity
but are controlled separately.

-INTENSIVE-Agroforestry practices are intensively managed to maintain their productive and

protective functions; these practices often involve annual operations such as cultivation and
fertilization.

-INTERACTIVE- Agroforestry management seeks to actively manipulate the biological and

physical interactions between the tree, crop and animal components. The goal is to enhance the
production of more than one harvestable component at a time, while also providing
conservation benefits such as non-point source water pollution control or wildlife habitat.

-INTEGRATED-The tree, crop and/or animal components are structurally and functionally
combined into a single, integrated management unit. Integration may be horizontal or vertical,
and above or below ground. Such integration utilizes more of the productive capacity of the land
and helps balance economic production with resource conservation.

Benefits of Agroforestry

ENVIRONMENTAL

0 Addition of organic matter to soil through the addition of leaves and other litter to soil

1 Protection from soil erosion either by Wind or water

2 Modification of microclimate and help the crops and livestocks for survival
 3 extracting the nutrients from the lower zones hence results into efficient recycling of soil
nutrients

4 Reduction of pressure on forests

5 overall better protection of ecological systems

ECONOMICAL

6 Reduction of expenditure of farmer for fuel woods and fodder for animals

7 by moderating the climate help the crops and livestock to give best results

8 Help the farmer against the total crop failures which is common in monoculture

9 sustained income from forest produce when crops are just growing

SOCIAL BENEFITS

10 Increased income add to raising the standard of living of farmers

11 provide employment opportunites during lean seasons

12 Improvement in nutrition and health due to increased quality and diversity of food
outputs

FOOD- feed for livestocks, fruits for man,

Water- improvement in drainage from waterlogged soils, Regulation of stream flow , reducing
flood hazards and even a more infilteration of water

Energy- fuel wood, peroltic conversion products like charcoal,oil and gas,Ethanol production
from fermentation of high carbohydrate fruits

Shelter for birds,timber for houses and fencing for fields

Raw material for industries- Fibre for weaving, wood for agriculutral and other implements

CONSTRAINTS IN AGROFORESTRY

- Depression in crop yield due to interference effects caused by the trees-- Competiton for light,
for moisture( Eucalyptus species), For nutrients

- Delayed liquidation of planting investments due to long gestation period

-Increased damage to crops due to birds that trees attract

-Increased damage to crops by the insects for which trees serve as alternative host

-Allelopathy effects

-High intial costs

-When trees shed their leaves on crops also effect the crops

-If planted in wrong direction or even in neighbour's field shade the crops

-Damage to crops during the harvest from trees

DEAL WITH CONSTRAINTS-- Plant the trees in north or west direction, spacing between the
trees can be increased, Manipulation of tree crowns by cutting and selecting different species,
root pruning or trenching helps in eliminating the roots competiton,Choice of Agricultural crops-
There is a great need to identify the suitable agricultural crops which can grow well under trees
with limited solar energy available like -Ginger,turmeric,ground nut soyabean etc

Through skillful management practices any or all of these constraints can be controlled. For
example, once it is known that trees compete with food crops and may reduce food yields, it is
easy to adopt some or all of the following strategies:

(i) Select legume trees that have small or light crowns so that sufficient sunlight will reach the
food crops for photosynthesis;

(ii) Select tree species that are deep-rooted so that they will absorb moisture and nutrients from
the deeper subsoil while the food crops receive their share from the surface layer of the soil;

(iii) Space the trees farther apart to reduce their competitive effects on the food crops. Certainly
agroforestry has considerable potential, not as the only way to improve agricultural production,
but as one important way to enhance and maintain overall productivity of the small upland farm,
the agricultural unit that is becoming more prevalent in many parts of the world.

SOCIAL FORESTRY-

Forestry outside the conventional Forests which primarily aims at providing continuous flow of
goods and services for the benefit of people. This definition implies that the production of forest
goods for the needs of the local people is Social forestry. Thus, social forestry aims at growing
forests of the choice of the local population.