Production Technology and Management of Agroforestry Models

About this eBook

PREFACE Increasing population pressure and eventual constrains in the availability of foodstuff and forest based services are among the major concerns o f the society today. Environmental security is another issue of concern. In India, the crisis is too acute. With 2.3 and 1.6 per cent of global land and area under forests, the requirements to be met are o f 16 per cent o f world population living in the country. This eventually calls for an increase in area both under agriculture as well as under forest trees, which does not seem to be feasible per se for the obvious reasons, for land being a limited resource. In order to meet the increasing requirements o f forest based services, and simultaneously m aintaining the agricultural production and sustainable basis, agroforestry has been identified as a useful alternative to pure cropping or pure forest farming on agricultural lands. The observations recorded across the country support this concept. Various agroforestry models advocated and adopted by the farmers have proved tenable on economic bases, in addition to their other benefits. Adopting suitable agroforestry models can also avert a threat to the fast depletion of the natural resources. Agroforestry practices are highly specific and specialized. To adopt it on ones land, one has to have a specific prescription with a complete package o f operations. As it involves management o f both crops and trees, integrated administration is the obvious requirement. It was with this objective a training programme on Production Technology and Management of Agroforestry Models was organized in the Department o f Forestry Natural Resources and this book is the result of contributions from our esteemed resource persons. We acknowledge the support and cooperation o f all the resource persons. The opinion expressed in this publication are those o f the authors alone, and do not imply any opinion whatso ever on the part of the Department of Forestry Natural Resources, PAU Ludhiana, Editors and the Publisher. We acknowledge the support from the Agrotech Pubishing Academy, Udaipur to bringout this compendium in the present form for the benefit o f all associated with agroforestry concern. It will be useful docum ent for the scientists, officials, students and farmers associated with agroforestry programmes. E d itors
RESOURCE PERSONS
Dr. A.K. Handa
National Research Centre for Agroforestry, Jhansi
Dr. A.S. Sohi
Department of Entomology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Mr. Ajay Sharma
Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Austrilia
Dr. Allha Rang
Department of Plant Breeding, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Dr. B.D. Kansal