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

AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS FOR FODDER PRODUCTION IN TEMPERATE
AGROCLIMATIC ZONE OF INDIA

Punam, Principal Scientist (Agroforestry)
Department of Horticulture & Agroforestry, College of Agriculture,
CSK HP Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur 176062
Keynote Address National e-symposium on “Agroforestry systems for augmenting livestock productivity
and empowering resource poor rural farmers” March 10 - 11, 2021

The Himalayas, as a great climatic divide affecting large systems of air and water circulation, help
determine meteorological conditions in the Indian subcontinent to the south and in the Central Asian highlands
to the north. By virtue of its location and stupendous height, the Great Himalaya Range obstructs the passage
of cold continental air from the north into India in winter and also forces the southwesterly monsoon (rain-
bearing) winds to give up most of their moisture before crossing the range northward. The Indian Himalayan
Region covers 14 Indian states (either fully or partly) in two distinct geographical rims of western and
eastern regions. While the Western Himalayan Ranges extend from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Shivaliks of Punjab and Haryana, and Uttarakhand up to the western border of Nepal, the Eastern Himalayas
cover India’s northeastern hill (NEH) states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Sikkim, Tripura and parts of Assam and West Bengal. The Indian Himalayan Region exhibits great diversity
in climate, land forms, ethnicity, resource availability and agricultural practices; in particular the temperate
areas, situated between 1000–4500 m altitude, exhibit profound diversity and experience a hostile and
prolonged winter.

Agriculture and animal husbandry in India are interwoven, with mixed farming and livestock rearing
being integral to rural livelihoods. India has one of the largest livestock populations in the world , and one of
its notable characteristics is that almost its entire feed requirement is met from crop residues and byproducts;
grasses, weeds and tree leaves gathered from cultivated and uncultivated lands; and grazing on common
lands and harvested fields. Land allocation to cultivation of green fodder crops is limited and has hardly
ever exceeded 5 per cent of the gross cropped area. Hence, the supply of feed has always remained short of
normative requirement, restricting realization of the true production potential of livestock. For example, the
actual milk yield of bovines is reported to be 26-51 per cent below the attainable yield under field conditions
which otherwise could have been realized with better feeding, breeding and disease management. Feed scarcity
has been found to be the main limiting factor to improving livestock. Given the large number of resource-poor
households dependent on open grazing for their livestock, revitalizing degraded common fodder and pasture
resources and improving their green fodder productivity are imperative. Fodder production and utilization
depend on cropping pattern, climate, type of livestock, and socio-economic conditions.
Temperate Zone in Himalayas

The temperate zone in Western Himalayas corresponds to zone III drawn up on agro-ecological basis
by the planning commission. It is physio-graphically a largely mountainous tract of varying altitudes and
steep slopes etc. Steeper slopes receive higher intensity of radiation and are not conducive to the growth of
vegetation. Conversely, vegetation abounds on the relatively gentler slopes. Moisture from snow-melt and
rich organic matter generate dense vegetation of fruit and forest trees. An average rainfall of about 100 cm

Institute of Animal Nutrition, Centre for Animal Production Studies, TANUVAS
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development 49