INTRODUCTION
Agroforestry, also known by the name of forest farming, is the correct and judicious utilization and management of land that integrates trees with crops or pastures.
It’s the fusion and combination of agriculture and forest technology.
Agroforestry is an advanced, innovative concept of ecologically based functioning of trees, crops, and animals which can enhance food production while reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment. Plantation of trees in agricultural land accelerates food production and enhances food security.
It nourishes the diversity and quality of food output. It is changing the global food system to deliver sufficient and nutritious food without damaging the sustainability of the resources. It acts as a modern advanced mechanism in the contribution of trees and forest in the global food system and reshaping the globalized form of agriculture to deliver healthy sustainability of food in the global structure.
Its main objective lies in eradicating the effects of global warming and monotonous conventional farming, which is an age-old practice, which isn’t giving adequate results. Then there comes the imperative needs to encapsulate a more sustainable outlook, for a long term provision to address food scarcity and insecurity.
The main goal lies in bridging the traditional land system with that of modern ones where the trees or herbs are arranged with crops and animals.
TYPES OF AGROFORESTRY
It is the prudent utilization of the traditional land system in confluence with that of modern science of crop cultivation. Where the woody perennials (tree, shrubs, bamboos) are grown in varied temporal settings. It’s a novel concept of integration of conventional agriculture with forestry.
Commonly integrated agroforestry are:
- Agrisilviculture
- Agri horticulture
- Agri silvi- pastures
- Block Plantation
- Boundary Plantation
- Energy Plantation
- Alley Cropping
Fruits grown are avocados, sweet potatoes, black cherries, citrus fruits, mangoes, bananas, and macadamia. Crops grown in India are corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, potatoes, and cotton. Crops that are grown in agroforestry include tree crops, fruit, and nut trees.’
ENHANCING FOOD PRODUCTIVITY:
Agroforestry has been used in Tamil Nadu since time immemorial, it involves the plantation of multipurpose trees. They are found in small villages, farm roads, and field boundaries. They reflect the natural ecosystem, offering diverse plants and edible items with sustainability in view.
They are the productivity enhancers that inculcate the concept of sustainable food-producing mechanisms and promote healthy crops and vegetation with forests, when intertwined it creates a prominent path between healthy foods, emphasizing a place in the global food chain.
They play a vital role in summarizing the challenges related to food security and scarcity. Lays the foundation of food security in an irrepressible manner.
It adopts the temperature, soil, and water management system, making the soil more fertile. It helps in improving crop cultivation by maintaining soil quality and maintains the optimum temperature needed for food cultivation.
ACTING AS A BOON FOR AGRO-INDUSTRY
There have been many initiatives taken in order to upgrade conventional farming. There is many valid evidence which proves that agroforestry is being channelized in farmland, and productive land. It improvises soil productivity and enhances soil’s fertility, conservation of soil and nutrient nourishment.
In this sort of crop cultivation many quality based planting materials are applied like that of seeds, seedlings of improvised variety, healthy and resilient gardening stocks are needed to be supplied to the cultivators. It begins in the form of tree plantation and ends up in the market for tree products for conservation of environment to consumerist consumption.
It is changing the global food system to deliver sufficient and nutritious food without interfering with the sustainability of the resources. It is a modern advanced contribution of trees and forest to the global food system and reshaping the globalized form of agriculture to deliver healthy sustainability of food in the global food chain structure.
It is a balanced utilization of managing conventional farming with the modern advanced technology of agroforestry in India. It requires the human management of different components. They are the produce of different products needed locally, internationally in the world economic sphere.
They are acknowledged in the developmental arenas and practices, this low input agroforestry is often open to include the women sector who fails to inculcate high – technologies due to money restraints.
The forest ecosystem can create favorable ecological conditions necessary for establishing a healthy food production platform.
One of the essential crops grown in agroforestry is millet
Millets’ miraculous nature– agroforestry can bring infinite changes in the rural living standard, holding the capability to contribute to the government strategy to promote millets.
They are grown with the trees found in tropical and sub- tropical areas as they perform brilliantly because of their hardiness and capability to withstand drought.
CONCLUSION
The concept of agroforestry is not something alien or new, it is the land use administration and systematic rearrangement of trees with that of crops. It aims at making the soil fertile for further irrigation purposes or multiple uses.
The agroforestry in India launched the policy in feb2014 held during the world congress on the agroforestry which was held in Delhi, making India stands as the only prominent nation with the concept of agroforestry.
It combines the novel concept of forest technologies with that of the conventional farming system for the advancement of the rural sector or irrigational fields. It holds medicinal benefits by plantation of medicinal plants, and animal products.
It’s practiced for maintaining an equitable balance between the economic, environmental, and social benefits.
It is seen as playing a pivotal role in sustainable development. It is inclusive of both rural and urban development. It relies on improving farm productivity and promoting a healthier environment.
It is viewed by modern agriculturists as the advanced science of cultivation derived from traditional indigenous practices, developed by reviewing the ecosystem. Agroforestry acts as a natural habitat for wildlife, enhancing biodiversity and hence decreasing the carbon imprint. It is all about maintaining the ecological balance.
