AGROFORESTRY

[Link]. 2nd yr 1st sem

IOF, Pokhara
2020
 Introduction
 This is an old concept/ practice which has link between
trees and agriculture activities.
 Agriculture + forestry

 Agricultural land with more than 10% tree cover is

known as agroforestry.

 More than 43% of agricultural land can be counted as

agroforestry .
 Introduction

 It is designated and managed in a single unit of land for

small landholder farmer.
 It is estimated that smallholders with less than 2 ha
produce 30-34% of the world’s food, and farms with less
than 5 ha between 44-48%.
 Agroforestry is a promising land management system that
can help address many of the challenges that smallholder
farmers are facing.
 Introduction

 In some cities of Europe and United States, numerous

products such as vitamin drinks, anti-bacterial drugs,
breakfast cereals ,fruits, whose raw material has been
harvested from tropical agroforests.
 Agroforestry is farming system that integrates crops and
or livestock with trees and shrubs.
 Agroforestry refers to combinations of trees, crops and
livestock that are intentionally designed and managed as a
whole production unit.
 Introduction
Agroforestry is a widespread and growing land use
system that brings real benefits for people living in
poverty whilst at the same time helping to mitigate
and adapt to climate change, as well as increasing
biodiversity and supporting ecosystems – the very
systems on which life on Earth depends
Introduction
Assignment
Prepare
Herbarium of 10 agroforestry Tree Species
5 agriculture species

Submission : Falgun 25
Historical Development of Agroforestry

 History of agroforestry dates back to almost 1700

years ago in most parts of China.
 In Europe until the middle ages clear -fell degraded
forest, burn the slash, cultivate food crops for varying
periods on the cleared area, and plant the tree species
before or after the sow of agriculture crops.
 This practice followed in Finland in the 18th century,
and was practiced in some part of Germany until
1920s (King 1987)
Historical Development of Agroforestry

In tropical America, multistorey agroforestry system was

practiced, where coconut with lower layers of papaya,
banana or citrus fruits and shrub layers of coffee and
maize were grown (Wilken 1977)

Mixed home garden system was practiced in Guatemala

(Anderson 1950)
In African area
 In southern part of Nigeria yam, maize pumpkins were
grown together under cover of scattered trees ( Forde
1937).

 In Youroba practiced intensive farming system of

mixing herbaceous ,shrubs and tree crops.

 Trees were integral part of these farming system.

In Asia
 Philippines practiced shifting cultivation where some
trees were left at the time of clear- fell of area for
agriculture crops (Conklin ,1957 )

 But in the middle ages agriculture , forest and animal

husbandary were seperated under the monoculture
management lead to the ecological imbalance-rethink
about the land use system.
 By the end of 19th century establishing forest or
agriculture plantation had become and important for
practicing agroforestry.

 In 1850’s taungya system evolved in Burma where

Teak (Tectona grandis ) plantation areas with
agriculture crops were given to shifting cultivators.

 Taungya agroforestry has been adopted widely in

South Asia in 1890s
 In present Bangladesh, plantation was established
adopting Taungya approach in between 1887 to 1890s,
where as this in West Bengal of India in 1896.
Internationally,
 the International Development Research Centre
(IDRC), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and
Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA)
have initiated research in agroforestry.
 The International Centre for Research in Agroforestry
(ICRAF) has been established in 1977 for agroforestry
research and extension, and its head office is in
Nairobi, Kenya
 Establishment of ICRAF institutionalized the old
practice for the first time.
 In 80s and 90s strategic research on agroforestry at a
global scale
 In 2002 ICRAF becomes the “World agroforestry
center” reflect as leader on the agroforestry research
and development.
Nepalese Scenario
 In 1977 Nepal practiced Taungya system from Tamagadhi
of Bara district where teak plantation was done.

 In 1982 IDRC worked on farm forestry project in Chitwan,

Bara, Kaski, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Makwanpur.

 In 1992 Sagarnath Development Project used taungya

system with Eucalyptus spps.

 MDI from 2001 working on AF practices with Chepang

community.
Nepalese Scenario

 ICIMOD, LI-BIRD ,NAF were working on the research

and some practices were done as trial like SALT.
 Government of Nepal has given priority to the AF in five
year plan to develop employment through AF.

 Now, ACIAR is working on Agroforestry research project

in Kavre and Lamjung districts.

 AF policy also developed in 2019 for the easy way in

practicing AF.
Nepalese Scenario

 Family Forest program from 2015 is working on the

principle of agroforestry in 56 district of Nepal.

 FAO Nepal also working on the food and nutrition security

through advanced technology in agriculture sector also
somehow working on AF.
CONCEPT

Agriculture production Forestry Production

emphasis
Single Use emphasis

Population
Pressure

More forest is cleared for Forest requires protection

food production Management Conflict from destructive practice

AF development

Tree + Crops
Crops +Trees to
optimize production
Multiple Use focus management for
sustainable land use

Conflict between Agriculture and Forestry led to the evolution of Agroforestry

 Some Definitions

 Agroforestry is a traditional practice of integrating trees

with crops and/or animals.
 Agroforestry is treating as separate options for land use,
it brings both together, recognizing and promoting tree
use on farms.

 Agroforestry is gaining increasing recognition as a way

to restore degraded sloping lands, contribute to food
security and for economic development.
 Some Definitions

 The integration of trees in farming systems and their

management in rural landscapes to enhance productivity,
profitability, diversity and ecosystem sustainability.

 Agroforestry systems can also produce more

environmental services that other systems with fewer
inputs and lower costs. For example, nitrogen-fixing
woody species can reduce fertilizer use and improve soil
fertility.
 Some Definitions

Agroforestry is a science that combines trees and agriculture

crops (food, fruit, vegetables, fodder and forage etc) together
in the same land at the same time.

Agroforestry as a land use system that integrates trees, crops,

and animals in the way that is scientifically sound,
ecologically desirable, practically feasible land socially
acceptable to the farmers (Nair,1979)
"Agroforestry is a collective name for landuse systems and
practices in which woody perennials are deliberately
integrated with crops and/or animals on the same land
management unit. The integration can be either in a spatial
mixture or in a temporal sequence. There are normally both
ecological and economic interactions between woody and
non-woody components in agroforestry"(ICRAF,1993).

"Agroforestry is a dynamic, ecologically based, natural

resource management system that, through the integration
of trees in farm and rangeland, diversifies and sustains
smallholder production for increased social, economic and
environmental benefits" (Leakey 1996).
 Agroforestry systems are multifunctional systems that can
provide a wide range of economic, sociocultural and
environmental benefits.

 Agroforestry can be particularly important for smallholder

farmers because it generates diverse products and services
on a limited land area.

 Integration of trees on farms has also been shown to

improve land productivity and resilience of households
through provision of diversified products for sustaining
livelihoods (Kahiluoto et al., 2014; Lasco et al., 2014;
Mbow et al., 2014).
 Agroforestry systems can be implemented as a
temporal and spatial scale , who can use different
agroforestry practices.

“Agroforestry as a science without borders, can tackle

problems of biodiversity, rural poverty, deforestation, land
degradation, genetic erosion, soil fertility decline, climate
change, environment, food and nutritional security”(WAC
,2013)
 Agroforestry in the Nepalese context can be defined as
a land use system where trees and agriculture crops are
grown together, incorporating livestock, medicinal and
aromatic plants, in a given space and time, to raise the
productivity of each component without compromising
the yield of others.

 These definitions of agroforestry illustrate both

complementary perspectives and diversity of
agroforestry practices around the world
 Principles of Agroforestry
 Productive- Agroforestry systems have capacity to produce food
crops, fruits, leaf litter, timber, fuel wood, and fodder for livestock.

 Protective- Agroforestry helps to minimize the degradation of the

farm lands and other natural resource by working as shelterbelt.

 Ameliorative- Agroforestry systems with legume trees and crops

help to maintain or improve the productivity of the land.

 Livelihood improvement- Income can be generated from the sale

of forest and agriculture products.
Characteristics of Agroforestry
 Multiple plant component one of which is woody
perennial.
 Interaction between woody and non-woody
component.
 Multiple products obtained.
 Cycle of AF is more than one year.
 Ecologically and economically complex system than a
mono-cropping
 Tree Crop Animal

Silviagriculture
Silvipasture Agrisilvipasture
Agrisilviculture

Components of Agroforestry and their interaction