History Project
AGROFORESTRY
Done By
G. Kiruthika Devi –IX B
CERTIFICATE
This is to inform that the project entitled “AGROFORESTRY” is
authentic work carried out under the supervision as part of the CBSE
curriculum of class –IX history and that it is as per the guidelines issued
by CBSE. To the best of my knowledge, project is original, and a
bonafide work undertaken by G. kiruthika devi.
Internal Examiner External Examiner
Principal
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I Kiruthika Devi. G of class IX of The Pioneer School do here by declaring
that this project is my original work. I extent my appreciation and
gratitude to my social teacher, for whole hearted support and guidance
and also to my parents and friends in the successful completion of the
project.
Name of the student : Kiruthika Devi . G
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title
Certificate
Acknowledgement
Introduction
1. Benefits of agroforestry
2. Agroforestry Practices
3. Components of an agroforestry system
4. Types of agroforestry
5. Conclusion
Introduction
Agroforestry is a type of land management where trees or
shrubs are planted around or amid crops or pastureland. This
heterogeneity of the agricultural system commences an
agroecological succession, similar to that found in natural
ecosystems, and so begins a cycle of events that improve the
agricultural system’s functioning and sustainability.
Agroforestry seeks positive interactions between its
components, aiming to achieve a more
ecologically diverse and socially productive output from
the land than is possible through
conventional agriculture. Agroforestry is a practical and
low-cost means of implementing many forms
of integrated land management (which seeks to reduce
human impacts on land), and it contributes to a green
economy by promoting long-term, sustainable, and
renewable forest management, especially for small-scale
producers.
Benefits of
agroforestry
Agroforestry can occur at a variety of spatial scales
(e.g., field or woodlot, farm, watershed) in
different ecosystems and cultures. When properly
applied, agroforestry can improve livelihoods
through enhanced health and nutrition,
increased economic growth, and strengthened
environmental resilience and ecosystem sustainability. In
turn, such improvements can contribute to increased
social sustainability in which human needs are satisfied
in a way that fosters environmental health. Farm
diversification is a growing strategy for economic
competitiveness, especially throughout the industrialized
temperate zone, and agroforestry offers great promise
for the sustainable production of specialty nut and fruit
crops, high-value medicinals, dairy and
beef cattle, sheep, goats, and biomass for biofuel.
Agroforestry systems also yield proven strategies for
long-term carbon
sequestration, soil enrichment, biodiversity conservation,
and air- and water-quality improvements, benefiting both
the landowners and society.
Agroforestry practices
Agroforestry systems are intensively managed to
maintain their productive and protective functions
through cultivation, fertilization, irrigation, pruning, and
thinning. Ideally, components are structurally and
functionally combined and actively managed to optimize
the positive biophysical interactions between them. In
some systems, for example, the trees are regularly
coppiced (severely cut back), and the cuttings are
applied as mulch to the soil. Such management not only
encourages new tree growth but also augments the light
levels reaching shaded crops, reduces weeds, and helps
to maintain soil moisture.
Components of
an agroforestry
system
Land:
Agroforestry is a method of managing land as an
agricultural resource for the long-term benefit of society.
While it may be used on all types of terrain, hillside
farming, where agriculture may cause a rapid loss of soil,
requires specific consideration.
Trees:
Perennial shrubs are the main emphasis. Because they
can fix nitrogen and make it available to other plants,
legumes are the most important of these trees. On a
small farm, trees may play the following roles:
1. Food sources, such as edible leaves, nuts, and fruits.
2. Building supplies, such as posts, lumber, and
branches for wattle (a structure constructed of thin
poles entwined with branches, etc.).
3. Supplies of non-edible materials include sap, resins,
tannins, insecticides, and medications.
4. Energy sources.Ex: Eucalyptus camaldulensis,
Tectona grandis, Alnus nepalensis, Prunus
ceramides, etc.
Non-tree crops:
The crop plants are chosen that are already cultivated
in a certain area for marketing, animal feeding, or
domestic use or those that show high promise for
production in the area. However, in keeping with the
agroforestry philosophy, other values should be sought
while choosing crops, such as:
Crops for economic gain.
Crops for the farmer’s food.
Nutritious Crops.
As a result, selecting a crop requires making a choice
based on knowledge about the crop, adaptations, and
production goals.
Animals:
Any domestic animal may be used in agroforestry
systems. The choice of animal will depend on values like
using animals for non-food items, for work, for making
money, and for farmers’ food.
Multi-story cropping
Forest farming, sometimes referred to as multi-story
cropping, is an agroforestry practice that is suitable for many of
the forested areas of the United States. Forest farming is the
intentional manipulation, integration, and intensive management
of woodlands that capitalize on specific plant interactions to
produce non-timber products.
Silvopasture
Silvopasture is a category of agroforestry in which trees are
integrated with grazing animals to create a managed woodland
pasture. There are two ways to achieve a silvopasture, either by
planting trees in a pasture or by thinning a forest enough to
establish pasture plants.
ALLEY CROPPING
Alley cropping is an agroforestry practice that places trees within
agricultural cropland systems. This system is sometimes called
intercropping, especially in tropical areas. It is especially attractive to
producers interested in growing multiple crops on the same acreage to
improve whole-farm yield. Growing a variety of crops in close proximity
to each other can create significant benefits to producers and help
them manage risk. Alley cropping systems change over time. As trees
and shrubs grow, they influence the light, water, and nutrient regimes
in the field. These interactions are what sets alley cropping apart from
more common monocropping systems. Some producers plan alley
cropping systems to provide additional functions that support and
enhance other aspects of their operation. For example, a livestock
producer might grow crops that supply fodder, bedding, or mast crops
for their livestock. Other producers may want to produce biomass for
on-farm use. Organic producers may choose tree species that fix
nitrogen. Like all agroforestry systems, alley cropping systems should
be considered as part of the whole farm operation.
AGRI-SILVICULTURE
Agri‐silviculture is the intercropping of timber and fuelwood
species and/or fruit and other useful trees with vegetables and other
crops in a common space, at the same time. It may characterize a
harmonic swidden (see Agroforestry: Harmonic Swiddens) where
fallow periods are sped on their way toward full fertility and a forest
architecture by the purposive planting and protection of leguminous
and fruit trees in the cropping period or afterwards. Or it may be
found in permanent farms. In the first case, we can refer to such
swiddens as accelerated swiddens, to be distinguished as a term
from the Food and Agriculture Organization's “accelerated fallow” to
refer to swidden fallows which, because of population pressure,
must be planted to food crops before they have recovered full
fertility. In agri‐silviculture, the sylvan component of the field is
cultivated through practices like weeding and thinning. Agri‐
silviculture is an example of Alternative Forest‐like Structures
Riparian Forest Buffers
A number of factors can impact the effectiveness of riparian forest
buffers in meeting these objectives. These include site conditions such
as adjacent agricultural practices and crop types, stream size,
topography, and soils; landscape conditions such as position in the
watershed, adjacent land use, and buffer continuity; and other
conditions such as markets, processing infrastructure, and public
interest. The application of riparian buffers varies across the U.S.
according to geography, land use, and conservation priorities. In the
northwest, for example, buffers are employed primarily to restore and
protect migratory fish habitat, while in the arid southwest, most buffers
are established to improve habitat for at-risk aquatic and terrestrial
species. In the east, buffers are often used to reduce nutrients and
sediments flowing into streams and estuaries, while in the Midwest,
buffers are generally used to stabilize stream banks, reduce pollutant
runoff, and restore habitat for fish and wildlife in extensively cultivated
landscapes.
Conclusion
The articles in this special issue collate the latest
knowledge on important environmental issues providing
evidence on the potential of agroforestry to address and
provide viable and sustainable solutions on current
environmental issues, and its ability to mitigate and
confront climate change and its impacts on our natural
environment, our societies and food production systems.
Agriculture is currently a major net producer of
greenhouse gasses and one of the reasons for the
current biodiversity crises. There is little prospect of
improvement unless things change dramatically.
Agroforestry systems incorporating trees in crop
cultivation or livestock systems can help to enhance
carbon sequestration and to compensate for ongoing
biodiversity loss. This special issue has brought together
a range of articles that are useful in the tropics as well
as in cooler northern regions. There are suitable crops
and trees for most climate types and hopefully this
special issue will be a source of inspiration and hope by
providing reasoned arguments for integrating more trees
in agricultural landscapes to feed people and preserve
our natural legacy.
