Why Agroforestry Has Become the Need of the Hour

Agroforestry is a very wise way of using and managing land as it involves growing trees around or among the crops. The combination of agriculture and forestry results in varied benefits such as increased biodiversity and reduced soil erosion. The practice of planting trees in farmlands is not only lucrative to the farmer but also helps in re-establishing the ecological balance. Boon To Farmers For farmers, growing trees in their farms is like an investment. In present times, there is growing demand for timber in India and abroad. Timber is used everywhere including paper, furniture, firewood, flooring, sports equipment, musical instruments etc. There is a large market for wood and farmers can exploit this opportunity to increase their income. Farmers can grow trees on their farms and whenever, the need for money arises, they can fell trees and sell them. In the initial years, when the trees are growing, income can be earned by intercropping with year-round crops like banana, papaya etc or with seasonal crops like black gram and groundnuts. Creepers like pepper vines or betel leaves can also be cultivated on them where income keeps increasing as the vine matures. Farmers can plant long term trees like teak, mahogany and red sandalwood which act as an insurance policy (without premium) or as a retirement plan. Short term trees like Malabar Kino, Melia Dubia can be harvested in five years and are quite lucrative. Benefits To The Environment In recent years we have seen instances where in summer, the river bed is so dry that people can walk on it while in the rainy season, the same river is breaking its banks causing floods leading to the destruction of property and life. Why is it so? Well, the reason is the loss of vegetation near the rivers. Trees hold water in the soil and allow it to slowly trickle into the river. Trees thus, slow down the river runoff preventing it from causing floods. Soil is able to absorb the rainwater which recharges the groundwater helping to prevent water scarcity in summer. Another benefit of trees is that the fallen leaves, flowers, stems, barks etc. nourishes the soil and enriches it with organic matter. If this was not enough, trees also help to purify the air and reverse the adverse effects of global warming. Therefore, agroforestry is the need of the hour- for our rivers to flow, for the well being of farmers and to restore and replenish our ecosystem.