Page 28 - Agroforestry system - book inner (final corrected) - 9.-3-21_Neat

National level e-symposium on “Agroforestry system for augmenting livestock
productivity and empowering resource poor rural farmers”

as fodder for camel and goats and berries for edible purposes. Acacia tortilis, A. nilotica, A. senegal, A.
leucophloea, Capparis decidua, Tecomella undulata, Salvadora persica and S. oleoides are other common
trees found on various grazing lands or as sand stabilizers. Calligonum polygonoides is another interesting
bush in Bikaner region. Lasiurus sindicus and Cenchrus ciliaris are prominent grasses in grazing fields as
well as in sand dunes. In Arid regions of Western India, introduction of compatible fuel, fodder and fruit trees
in pastures as in agricultural fields acts as an insurance against frequent crop failures, and trees play a pivotal
role towards peoples’ survival and sustenance in such fragile ecosystems.

In Central India, Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia nilotica, A. eburnea, A. leucophloea, A. catechu, Albizia
lebbeck, Azadirachta indica, Butea monosperma, Pongamia pinnata, Holoptelea integrifolia, Balanites
roxburghii and Dichrostachys cinerea form important constituents of a silvi-pastoral system. In semi arid
regions of Peninsular India the systems are more complex as the problem of frost does not exist, therefore,
a vast number of trees (both fruit yielding and MPTs) exist on agricultural fields. Borassus flabellifer,
Tamarindus indica, Acacia leucophloea, A. catechu, Casuarina equisetifolia, Cassia siamea, Eucalyptus
tereticornis, Albizia lebbeck, and many others are frequent trees on farms. Leucaena leucocephala has also
been adopted as a common hedge-row-crop in many areas.
Agroforestry Systems for Coastal and Island Regions

Low lying water logged marshy areas, flood plains, and ill-drained lands are the common features in the
coastal areas swamps and river banks are occupied by the mangroves and associate halophytes. Other natural
vegetation includes evergreen, semi-evergreen and deciduous forests on uplands and grazing lands in pockets.
Plantation crops integrated with livestock and poultry and rice fields are main features of this region.
The systems and practices of Agroforestry range from apparently ‘simple’ forms of shifting cultivation
and farming in forests to sophisticated hedgerow intercropping systems, from systems involving sparse
stands of trees on farm lands to high density, complex multistoryed home- gardens of lowland; and from
systems in which trees play a predominantly ‘service’ role (e.g. shelterbelts) to those in which they provide
the main commercial product (e.g. intercropping with plantation crops). Though many scientific inputs are
given to plantation crops and multiple cropping systems are adopted but quite large areas under coconut
plantation are still neglected and remain open for grazing. These areas may be brought under multistoreyed
cropping systems. Spices like clove and cinnamon may be planted as middle storey crops and pineapple or
forage grasses like hybrid napier (Pennisetum purpureum), kazungula (Setaria anceps) and guinea (Panicum
maximum) and legumes like Stylosanthes guianensis or industrial grasses like lemon grass (Cymbopogon
fulvus) may be grown as cover crops. Rubber and red oil palm plantations may also be integrated with other
spice or forage crops particularly the legume covers. Monoculture of plantation crops should be discouraged
and a multi- storeyed plantation system should be raised as has been demonstrated in Jirka Tang Farm in
Andaman where even the forest-trees are retained in multi-storeyed plantations and almost all plantations
including spices, coffee and fruit trees have been accommodated as under-storey crops.

Institute of Animal Nutrition, Centre for Animal Production Studies, TANUVAS
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development 9