ROLE OF AGRO-FORESTRY IN FOREST CONSERVATION AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
According to India's National Forest Policy of 1988, the national goal should be to have a minimum of one-third of the total land area of the country under forest or tree cover. It is therefore desirable that every State should also have the same goal of having at least one-third of its geographical area under forest and tree cover. Karnataka's geographical area is about 1,91,819 sq. km. Therefore, in Karnataka we should aim to have a minimum of 63,940 sq. km. under forest and tree cover. According to the State of Forest Report, 2017 (SFR-2017) published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Karnataka has 43,263 sq. km. of land area under forest and tree cover. Thus at present there is a shortage of about 20,500 sq. km. Here, forest and tree cover includes trees grown in private lands also. According to the above report of the FSI, out of the 43,263 sq. km. of present forest and tree cover, 22,384 sq. km. are contributed by the forests with the Karnataka Forest Department, and the remaining 20,879 square kilometers are contributed by the natural forests on revenue land, plantations raised on non-forest lands (social forestry and roadside plantations) and plantations on private lands including the plantations of coffee, tea, coconut, areca-nut, rubber, cashew, mango, pomegranate, citrus, etc. Any perennial tree with woody stem is included in the category of private plantations.
Here it may be relevant to point out that although the total notified forest area of Karnataka is about 33,358 sq. km., forest cover as reported in SFR-2017 is only 22,384 sq. km., thus indicating a gap of about 11,000 sq. km. This difference is on account of the fact that forest areas with less than 10% crown density are excluded while computing forest cover. Such excluded areas are high level grasslands, stony and rocky patches, water bodies, scrub forests and barren lands. Scrub forests and barren lands constitute about 7,500 sq. km. Most of the planting activities of the Forest Department are carried out in these areas which are usually located around human habitations. Although these plantations by and large do well, they thin out in about six-seven years due to heavy withdrawal of biomass through social felling, grazing and browsing. As a result, despite large-scale plantations being carried out by the Forest Department every year, the increase in forest cover over the years has been marginal. The only way to enable the scrub forests to improve their crown density beyond 10% is to reduce excessive removal of biomass from these forests. This is possible only by creation of abundant biomass resource outside the forest through intensive agro-forestry. The advantage of agro-forestry is that on one hand it increases tree cover on private land and, on the other it reduces pressure on the scrub forests resulting in their improvement and eventual promotion into forest with higher crown density.
Agro-forestry is necessary not only for increasing the tree cover as indicated above, it is also necessary for ensuring that the ongoing agricultural activities in the State are environmentally and economically sustainable. Agricultural activities together with agro-forestry can provide better security to the farmers in situations of deficient rainfall or drought.
Agro-forestry refers to inclusion of woody perennials within farming systems and is manifested by the presence of trees on external and internal boundaries, cropland and homestead plots or any other available areas within or in the periphery of farmlands. It is an old practice and has been in vogue as a traditional land-use and livelihood option since time immemorial. It was practiced on agricultural lands and rural areas for a variety of reasons like bio-fertilizer trees to enrich soil and helping in land regeneration enabling food security, fuel wood and fodder trees, fruit trees as cash crops, medicinal trees, trees providing non timber forest products (NTFP), trees providing timber, shelter, shade, etc. It has been observed that farmers usually prefer multipurpose tree species. The trees grown in agro-forestry systems should meet the requirement of feed, fodder, fruits, timber, fuel wood, medicines, resins, gums and green manure, besides providing indirect benefits such as biological nitrogen fixation, reduction in soil erosion, increase in water percolation, improving the microclimate, etc. [State of Environment Report (SoER) Karnataka-2015]
One significant aspect regarding the distribution of forests of Karnataka is that most of these are concentrated in the Western Ghats region where almost 45% of the geographical area is covered with forest, whereas it is about 12% in the interior Karnataka region and about 8% in the eastern plains. The proportion of open agricultural lands under cereal crops in these three regions are about 44%, 74% and 81% respectively. The abysmally low distribution of forest in the interior Karnataka and the eastern plains which comprise more than two-thirds of the State's geographical area is a matter of concern, as vast expanses of open agricultural lands without adequate tree cover in the vicinity do not augur well for the long-term health of the agricultural lands.
It is difficult to indicate as to what ought to be the ideal proportion of agricultural land under cereal crop. However, given that the National Forest Policy, 1988 envisages a minimum of one third of the total land area of the country under forest or tree cover and considering that certain portions of the land have to be necessarily earmarked for other forms of land-use such as built-up areas, water bodies, etc., the land under cereal crop ought to be at the most 55-60% of the geographical area of the country/State. The extent of land area brought under cereal crop in the interior Karnataka region and the eastern plains is as high as 75-80%. In a few districts such as Gadag, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi and Yadgiri, it is almost 90%. It is necessary to appreciate that having vast expanses of open agricultural land with only cereal crop without any tree growth or wood-lot can be environmentally unsustainable and highly counter productive, especially in the rain deficient and drought prone areas such as the interior Karnataka and the eastern plains. There is need for increased appreciation among the farming community regarding the contribution of forest or tree cover to the sustainability of agriculture and food security. The urge to expand agriculture is so intense that any land having tree growth is often treated as an unnecessary appendage and is eliminated without much concern or forethought. It is necessary to dispel this misconception and make people aware of the positive role of forest/trees in agricultural development. Maintenance of forest cover on the land helps in restoring soil fertility leading to increased yield of agricultural crops. Trees improve soils by many processes such as production and maintenance of organic matter, nitrogen fixation, nutrient recycling, augmentation of nutrient uptake, etc. The contributions of forest or tree cover are very diverse: on one hand it ensures protective environmental functions such as maintenance and restoration of soil fertility, erosion control, soil and moisture conservation and maintenance of bio-diversity. On the other, it assists in direct food production, provision of fuel wood, fodder and inputs for agriculture as well as generation of income and creation of rural employment. The benefits accruing from forest or tree cover either enhance agricultural production and food availability or increase the ability of people to purchase adequate food supplies.
There is one more reason why agro-forestry needs to be given further push in the State. About forty-four percent areas of the State currently under agriculture have soils with low or very low available water capacity (AWC) (SoER Karnataka-2015). Growing of annual cereal agricultural crops in such areas is not sustainable and will lead to further land degradation. Such areas need to be brought under perennial tree crop under agro-forestry, besides dry-land horticulture and sericulture (tree-mulberry). These activities will also help in drought-proofing the vulnerable agricultural lands.
In view of what has been narrated above and considering the beneficial effects of agro-forestry on the long-term health of agricultural land, there is need for enhanced focus on agro-forestry by both the Agriculture and the Forest Departments. The Agriculture Department already has a fairly robust extension wing which should be taken advantage of to its optimum potential in furthering the cause of agro-forestry. The Forest Department needs to strengthen its extension efforts in encouraging farmers to take up tree planting in their farmlands. The Department has already taken an important step in this direction. To enlist the co-operation of farmers and general public in the task of increasing forest and tree cover, a programme titled 'Krishi Aranya Protsaha Yojane' has been initiated in the State. As per the programme, farmers are provided seedlings at subsidized rates from the nearest Departmental nurseries for planting in their lands. The farmers are paid an amount of Rs 30 as incentive for every surviving seedling at the end of the first year. A sum of Rs 30 and Rs 40 per seedling is provided for each surviving seedling after completion of second and third year respectively. The incentive is given to encourage the farmer not only to plant the seedling but also to nurture it at least for three years. The total amount of money provided (Rs 100/- per seedling) more than compensates the cost incurred by the farmer in procuring and planting the seedling. The incentive is quite substantial when the farmer plants more number of seedlings. Needless to say that apart from getting the financial incentive, the farmers are entitled to get handsome returns from the grown up trees in various forms such as fruits, seeds, fodder, firewood, pole, timber, etc.
In the interior Karnataka region and the eastern plains, the 'Krishi Aranya Protsaha Yojane' should be the flagship programme of the Forest Department both in terms of attention and investment. Availability of biomass and generation of additional income through farm forestry will reduce people's dependence on the natural forests. Such reduction of biotic pressures on our natural forests will be conducive to their rejuvenation and the Department's efforts at restoring these forests to their original glory will be more effective.
While raising seedlings for planting under agro-forestry programs, farmers' choice and preference need to be given the utmost importance. Focus should be more on woody tree species yielding annually harvestable produce such as oilseeds, fruits, flowers, medicine, gum, etc. Short rotation tree species such as silver oak, hebbevu, etc. should be encouraged. Wherever possible, bevu, karijali, honge, bage, teak, sandalwood and bamboo should be propagated. Most of the woody trees usually provide certain quantity of fuel wood by way of natural pruning. In Karnataka, sericulture is a prominent activity and vast extents of land are planted with mulberry. In recent years, tree-mulberry has become popular, as its leaf production is reported to be as good as that from ordinary mulberry crop. Therefore, tree-mulberry should be encouraged in agro-forestry. Trees like bevu, honge, etc. attract swarms of honey bees; therefore, bee-keeping should also be encouraged. Agro-forestry including dry-land horticulture generates huge quantities of biomass in the form of leaf-litter. Part of this biomass can contribute to development of organic farming. Vermi-composting is another option. By planting fodder yielding trees and high yielding fodder grasses, fodder production can be increased within the farmland, thereby helping in improved animal husbandry practices. Overall, agro-forestry can immensely contribute to development of viable and robust integrated farming systems (IFS).
The author is Mr. Dipak Sarmah, IFS (retd.)
