National Agroforestry Policy


The majority of agroforestry methods have been utilized globally since the Neolithic era. Indians cite Ashok Vatika, a garden with plants and fruit-bearing trees from the Hindu epic Ramayana, as an example of an agroforestry system. There are still numerous rituals in India that are connected to farms and trees.

What is Agroforestry?

Agroforestry is a strategy of land use that incorporates trees and shrubs into rural and agricultural landscapes to increase ecosystem resilience, diversity, and production.

It is a dynamic, ecologically oriented natural resource management strategy that diversifies and sustains production while fostering social institutions through the incorporation of woody perennials on farms and in the agricultural landscape.

What is National Agroforestry Policy?

The National Agroforestry Policy of India is a comprehensive policy framework created to enhance agricultural livelihoods by increasing agricultural productivity for climate change mitigation. The policy was introduced by the Indian government in February 2014 in Delhi during the World Congress on Agroforestry.

  • India was the first nation to enact an agroforestry policy.

By combining trees, crops, and cattle on the same piece of land, the strategy seeks to increase productivity and environmental sustainability. It was developed to address low agricultural productivity brought on by farmers' shares of land ownership steadily declining as a result of both fast population growth and agriculture's reliance on seasonal rainfall.

Basic Objectives of National Agroforestry Policy

The following are the basic objectives of NAP −

  • To increase productivity, employment, income, and the standard of living for rural households, particularly small-scale farmers, encourage and promote tree planting in a complementary and integrated manner with crops and livestock.

  • To reduce risk during catastrophic climatic events, protect and maintain ecosystems, and create resilient agricultural and farming systems.To save money on imports of wood and wood products, fulfill the raw material needs of industries dependent on wood.

  • The burden on existing forests is reduced by increasing the supply of agroforestry products (AFPs), such as fuel wood, fodder, non-timber forest produce, and small timber, for rural and tribal communities.

  • Boost ecological stability by fulfilling the goal of increasing tree cover, especially in sensitive areas.

  • Create a large-scale people's movement, strengthen agroforestry research, and build capacity to achieve these goals and lessen pressure on already-existing forests.

Goals of National Agroforestry Policy

The following are the goals of NAP −

  • By bringing coordination, convergence, and synergy among various elements of agroforestry scattered across various existing missions, programs, schemes, and agencies connected with the agriculture, environment, forestry, and rural development sectors of the government, it is possible to implement the national policy by establishing a national agroforestry mission or an agroforestry board.

  • By using agroforestry, rural households, especially those with smaller farms, can increase their productivity, employment, income, and opportunities for a living.

  • Providing for the demand for wood, fodder, food, fuel, and other agroforestry products; protecting natural resources and the forest; providing for environmental security; and expanding the amount of forest or tree cover

Criticism of National Agroforestry Policy

According to several experts, the National Forest Act of 2006, which aims to give tribal people access to forest land so they can engage in agriculture, is being countered by the agroforestry program. A former National Board for Wildlife member, Kishore Rithe, notes that indigenous people would eventually engage in agriculture and tree-cutting. Both policies are at odds with each other.

The profit-sharing approach, which enlists private owners in afforestation operations, has been contested by certain critics. They think the government is turning agricultural land into an industrial facility through this program, which could upset the ecosystem in the area.

Conclusion

The objective of the Policy is to create a mission or board to carry out the national agroforestry policy. This is because the institutional framework will provide a forum for many stakeholders to cooperate and develop priorities and strategies to ensure that agroforestry receives the same consideration as other agricultural enterprises.

FAQs

Q1. What is National Agroforestry Policy of India?

Ans. For the financial gain of farmers, to establish an environment that will facilitate the implementation of measures for quantifying carbon sequestration and other environmental benefits. For the promotion of agroforestry products, value chain growth, technology development, market information, etc., industries should be supported as end users.

Q2. What is the major objective of National Agroforestry Policy 2014?

Ans. To reduce risk during catastrophic climatic events, protect and maintain ecosystems, and create resilient agricultural and farming systems. To save money on imports of wood and wood products, fulfill the raw material needs of industries dependent on wood.

Q3. Which is the first national agroforestry policy?

Ans. In 2014 India became the first country to adopt a national agroforestry policy.

Q4. What is the principle of agroforestry?

Ans. Agroforestry techniques utilize the land to the fullest. All areas of the land are thought to be appropriate for valuable plants. The focus is on perennial, multipurpose plants that may be planted just once and provide benefits over an extended period of time.

Updated on: 16-Mar-2023

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