Handbook of Agroforestry

About this eBook

PREFACE
A
groforestry has been in practice since time immemorial. But it is currently being adopted for intensive scientific researches. It is
getting good momentum in India and elsewhere too due to awareness
for making landuse management efficient and effective. Agroforestry includes planting of tree species, raising of agricultural crops, grasses, animals etc. all are interacting on one another symbiotically. Such symbiotical relations bring about a balance in the existing landuse management system so that sufficient amount of firewood, fodder, food, feed, fruits,and several useful raw materials leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, bark, gum, resin, honey, oil, tannin, dye, timber are available for small cottage industries. Firewood will help in saving a large quantity of cow dung from burning and it will be available for application to agricultural crops to increase crop yield and to restore the productivity of the land. Similarly, fodder to animals which becomes precious during drought conditions when agricultural crops fail-to-grow tree species are only source for it. In fact, agroforestry helps in maintaining equilibrium between man, land, livestock and plants. Components of agroforestry are labour intensive which create employment opportunities to unskilled
unemployed rural people. Agroforestry increases vegetation cover on land hence it helps in creating favourable environment. Trees act as air purifier they reduce noise pollution reduce soil erosion, flood havoc and improves aesthetic value which makes life living better. If agroforestry programmes are implimented seriously and sincerely on war footing it can bring one third land under vegetation cover in India which in tern can help in increasing productivity, profitability and sus tainability of production. This book introduces preliminary aspects on Agroforestry which are very essential to the beginners for obtaining knowledge on agroforestry particularly to undergraduate students of Agricultural Sciences and for postgraduate students who just entered in the field of agroforestry knowing only little about the subject, Extension workers, Agroforesters, University teachers, educated cultivators who are intended in convert ing their unproductive, wasteland into green lands, and to those who are interested in agroforestry. I am thankful to all publishers, authors of various journals, periodicals books, and interaction with large number of experts which gave me a strong support and guidelines to systematize my scattered ideas and vision in the from of this hand book. I am very much thankful to my wife, daughter and son who have been very cooperative, and allowed me to work on holidays and during late night hours. Suggestions are welcome from readers for further improvements in the text for the next edition.