Agroforestry: An Effective Potential Tool for Ensuring Quality Life for the Indian Farmers: A Review

Abstract

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the succeeding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been at the heart of the global development agenda. Where half of the population is being employed in the agriculture sector in a rapidly growing demographics like India, the pressure is very tense on the natural resources in order to make harmony between economy and environment. Uplifting the majority of farming families from the poverty line (doubling farmer’s income by 2022 is a time frame set up by NITI Aayog) and ensuring a quality of life in the line of globally standardised development goals has been reflected in governments’ policies. The potential of tangible and intangible benefits referred to as an ecosystem service, delivered by agroforestry systems have been widely accepted all over the world. The need for a climate-resilient and sustainable system of land use for food security is the aim of the new world. The present review discusses the scope of agroforestry for food, environment and economic security that will be helpful for an all-round development of farmer’s life in a rapidly developing country like India, which has a diversified agricultural scenario throughout the length and breadth of the country. We referred peer-reviewed research papers and government publications to come into a conclusion regarding the status of agroforestry as a potential tool in Indian agricultural scenario to ensure a quality of life to the farmers and further suggestions. The potentiality of taking traditional agroforestry practices to a new level through contract tree farming, financing through banking institutions, integrating agroforestry farmers with industries and a tree insurance approach may be a way forward in the country to augment’s farm income and adaption of suitable agroforestry practices as compatible to agro-climatic zones.