Track 3-1-1: Multi‐Stakeholder Platforms for Addressing Grassland Issues and Sustainable Use of Forage and Grassland Resources
Description
Agroforestry encompasses land use systems where woody perennials are intentionally grown on the same piece of land with agricultural crops and/or animals either in form of special arrangement of temporal sequence. A good deal of work has been done on the subject during last one and half decade. Agroforestry is an age-old land use that has been practiced for thousand of years by farmers the world over. Agroforestry is a land use that involves deliberate retention, introduction or mixture of trees or other woody perennials in crop/ animal production fields to benefit from the resultant ecological and economic interactions (Nair, 1985). Bundelkhand region of central India comprises seven district of Uttar Pradesh (Jhansi, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba and Chitrakutdam Karvi) and six districts of Madhya Pradesh (Datia, Tikamgarth, Panna, Sagar and Damoh) including Lahar and Bhander subdivision of Bhind and Gwalior districts respectively. The total geographical area of Bundelkhand is 7.85 million hectares. The region is located between 250 26’23’’ to 250 28’ 32’’ N latitude and 780 52’ 39’’ to 780 54’ 44’’E longitude and at 300 m above sea level (ASL). The climate of the region is semi arid. The region is characterized by extremely harsh and hostile climatic conditions. The mean annual temperature is 26.50C characterized with May and June being the hottest months, January being the coldest month. The annual rainfall varies from 800-1300 mm with an average 900 mm of which 90 percent is received during monsoon season. The distribution of rainfall is erratic and uncertain; Annual potential evaporation of 1400 to1700 mm is higher than the annual precipitation, leaving thereby a shortage of soil moisture for growing crops. Bundelkhand is predominantly mono cropped region. The crops are grown in monsoon (Kharif) season on red soil and Rabi season on black soil with conserved moisture. Land of Bundelkhand region is undulating, poor in fertility status, shallow depth with poor water holding capacity. Irrigation facilities are limited and are primarily through open wells having poor water discharge capacity on the basis of colour, texture, depth etc. The soil of this region can be classified in two major group i.e. red soil (includes rakkar and parwa) and black soil (includes mar and kabar), it has been reported that 56% areas of Bundelkhand region of U.P. is under red soil group. The dwindling forest cover in the region resulted in shortage of fodder and fuel wood and therefore, animal dung, the valuable source of well rotten farm yard manure, is diverted for making dung cakes for fuel purpose. The available trees are heavily lopped in proportion to their age and size resulting in the death of the trees. As a result of prevailing climatic condition, large area of the region is under rainfed agriculture the socio-economic status of the farming community is very poor in this region. One of the important areas of research in agroforestry extension is the manner in which farmers participate in management of natural resources. Farmers’ choice of fodder trees is an important component in the process of tree plantation. Every agroforestry extension research activity should begin with a study of socio cultural environment to answer basic questions.
Citation
Dwivedi, Raghunandan Prasad and Kumar, Sanjeev, "Famers’ Preferences for Fodder Trees in Agroforestry" (2020). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 9.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/23/3-1-1/9
Included in
Famers’ Preferences for Fodder Trees in Agroforestry
Agroforestry encompasses land use systems where woody perennials are intentionally grown on the same piece of land with agricultural crops and/or animals either in form of special arrangement of temporal sequence. A good deal of work has been done on the subject during last one and half decade. Agroforestry is an age-old land use that has been practiced for thousand of years by farmers the world over. Agroforestry is a land use that involves deliberate retention, introduction or mixture of trees or other woody perennials in crop/ animal production fields to benefit from the resultant ecological and economic interactions (Nair, 1985). Bundelkhand region of central India comprises seven district of Uttar Pradesh (Jhansi, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba and Chitrakutdam Karvi) and six districts of Madhya Pradesh (Datia, Tikamgarth, Panna, Sagar and Damoh) including Lahar and Bhander subdivision of Bhind and Gwalior districts respectively. The total geographical area of Bundelkhand is 7.85 million hectares. The region is located between 250 26’23’’ to 250 28’ 32’’ N latitude and 780 52’ 39’’ to 780 54’ 44’’E longitude and at 300 m above sea level (ASL). The climate of the region is semi arid. The region is characterized by extremely harsh and hostile climatic conditions. The mean annual temperature is 26.50C characterized with May and June being the hottest months, January being the coldest month. The annual rainfall varies from 800-1300 mm with an average 900 mm of which 90 percent is received during monsoon season. The distribution of rainfall is erratic and uncertain; Annual potential evaporation of 1400 to1700 mm is higher than the annual precipitation, leaving thereby a shortage of soil moisture for growing crops. Bundelkhand is predominantly mono cropped region. The crops are grown in monsoon (Kharif) season on red soil and Rabi season on black soil with conserved moisture. Land of Bundelkhand region is undulating, poor in fertility status, shallow depth with poor water holding capacity. Irrigation facilities are limited and are primarily through open wells having poor water discharge capacity on the basis of colour, texture, depth etc. The soil of this region can be classified in two major group i.e. red soil (includes rakkar and parwa) and black soil (includes mar and kabar), it has been reported that 56% areas of Bundelkhand region of U.P. is under red soil group. The dwindling forest cover in the region resulted in shortage of fodder and fuel wood and therefore, animal dung, the valuable source of well rotten farm yard manure, is diverted for making dung cakes for fuel purpose. The available trees are heavily lopped in proportion to their age and size resulting in the death of the trees. As a result of prevailing climatic condition, large area of the region is under rainfed agriculture the socio-economic status of the farming community is very poor in this region. One of the important areas of research in agroforestry extension is the manner in which farmers participate in management of natural resources. Farmers’ choice of fodder trees is an important component in the process of tree plantation. Every agroforestry extension research activity should begin with a study of socio cultural environment to answer basic questions.
