3. Agro-forestry is…
… intensive land management that
optimizes the benefits (physical,
biological, ecological, economic,
social) arising from biophysical
interactions created when trees
and/or shrubs are deliberately
combined with crops and/or
livestock.
4. Why Agro forestry?
Improves water quality
Improves wildlife habitat
Reduce the pressure on Forest
Improve the micro-climate in the
field.
Improve the Physical &
Chemical properties of Field /
Soil.
5. • Structural basis:
refers to the composition of the components, including spatial arrangement of the
woody component, vertical stratification of all the components, and temporal
arrangement of the different components.
• Functional basis:
refers to the major function or role of the system, usually furnished by the woody
components (these can be of a service or protective nature, e.g., windbreak,
shelterbelt, soil conservation).
• Socioeconomic basis:
refers to the level of inputs of management (low input, high input) or intensity or
scale of management and commercial goals (subsistence, commercial,
intermediate).
• Ecological basis:
refers to the environmental condition and ecological suitability of systems, based
on the assumption that certain types of systems can be more appropriate for
certain ecological conditions; i.e., there can be separate sets of agroforestry
systems for arid and semiarid lands, tropical highlands, lowland humid tropics,
etc.
BASIS OF AGROFORESTRY CLASSIFICATION
6. On the basis of structure agro forestry systems can be
grouped into two categories:
1. Nature of component.
2. Arrangement of component
A.On the basis of nature of component.
1. Agri-silvicultural System.
2. Silvopastoral System.
3. Agrisilvopastoral System.
4. Other Systems (Apiculture & Aquaculture Forestry)
7. Agri-silvicultural System further divide in to following
Agroforestry practice Arrangement of components Agroecological adaptability
Improved fallow
Woody species planted and left to grow
during the 'fallow phase'
In shifting cultivation areas
Taungya
Combined stand of woody and
agricultural species during early stages
of establishment of plantations
All ecological regions (where
taungya is practiced
Alley cropping
Woody species in hedges; agricultural
species in alleys in between hedges;
microzonal or strip arrangement
Subhumid to humid areas
Multilayer tree gardens
Multispecies, multilayer dense plant
associations with no organized planting
arrangements
Areas with fertile soils, good
availability of labour
Multipurpose trees & shrubs
on farmlands
Trees planted according to some
systematic patterns on bunds, terraces
or plot/field boundaries
In all ecological regions esp. in
subsistence farming; also
commonly integrated with
animals
Crop combinations with
Plantation crop
Mixtures of plantation crops in
alternate or other regular arrangement
In humid lowlands or tropical
humid/subhumid highlands
Trees in soil conservation
and reclamation
Trees on bunds, terraces, raisers, etc.
with or without grass strips; trees for
soil reclamation.
In sloping areas, esp. in
highlands, reclamation of
degraded, acid, alkali soils
8. Cont..
Agroforestry practice Arrangement of components Agroecological adaptability
Shelterbelts
A belt of several rows of trees around
farmland/plots
In wind/snow-prone areas
Windbreak
Strips of trees/shrubs planted to protect
Field.
In wind/snow-prone areas
Fuelwood production
Interplanting firewood species on or
around agricultural lands
In all ecological regions
Silvopastoral systems (trees + pasture and/or animals)
Agroforestry practice Arrangement of components Agroecological adaptability
Trees on rangeland or
pastures
Trees scattered irregularly or arranged
according to some systematic pattern
Extensive grazing areas
Protein banks Cultivation of protein-rich tree fodder on
farm lands for cut-and-carry fodder.
Areas with high
person: land ratio
Live fence of fodder trees
and hedge
Fodder trees are planted as live fence to
protect property or farm (Acacia, Erythina)
In areas with less pressure on
plantation crop lands
9. Agrosilvopastoral systems (trees + crops + pasture/animals)
Agroforestry
practices
Arrangement of components Agroecological adaptability
Homegarden involving
animals
Intimate, multistorey combination
of various trees and crops, and
animals, around homesteads
In all ecological regions with
high density of human
population
Multipurpose woody
hedgerows
Woody hedges for browse, mulch,
green manure, soil conservation,
etc.
Humid to subhumid areas
with hilly and sloping terrain
Apiculture with trees Trees for honey production Depending on the feasibility
of apiculture
Aquaforestry Trees lining fish ponds, tree leaves
being used as 'forage' for fish
Lowlands
Multipurpose woodlots For various purposes (wood,
fodder, soil protection, soil
reclamation, etc.)
Various
Other Systems
10. B. On the basis of Arrangement of component AFS
classified into the following classes:
1. Spatial Arrangement.
Plant arrangements in multispecies combinations can involve the
dimensions of space and time. Spatial arrangements of plants in
agroforestry mixtures vary from dense mixed stands (as in home gardens)
to sparsely mixed stands (as in most silvopastoral systems).
2. Temporary Arrangement.
Temporal arrangements of plants in Agroforestry may also take various
forms. An extreme example is the conventional shifting cultivation cycles
involving 2-4 years of cropping and more than 15 years of fallow cycle,
when a selected woody species or mixtures of species may be planted.
coincident, concomitant, Intermittent, separate and interpolated.
11. In respect of time
1. Coincident:
When two components woody and non woody occupy the land
together as coffee under shade tree and pasture under shade trees
2. Concomitant:
When two components woody or non woody stays together for
some part of life as in taungya
3. Intermittent (Space dominated):
When annual crops are grown with perennial crops such as paddy
with coconut
4. Interpolated (Space and time dominant):
When different components occupy space during different time as
in home garden
Overlapping Black pepper and rubber
5. Separate (time-dominant):
When components occupy space during separate time such as
improved fallow species in shifting cultivation
Temporal arrangement of plant in agroforestry
systems
12. C. Functional classification of Afs.
1. Productive Function
The various productive functions (producing one and more product) like
Food
Fodder
Fuelwood
Industrial woods
2. Protective Function
The various protective functions (Protect natural resource and human) like
Wind break
Shelter belt
Soil conservation
Moisture conservation
Soil improvement
13. SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITION
Commercial
In these systems, the scale of operations is often medium to large
and land ownership may be government, corporate or private; labor
is normally paid or otherwise contracted. Rubber + Agri. crop
Intermediate AF System
Those between commercial and subsistence scale of production.
This system is very useful for medium to small size farmer wherein
the cash crops cater for the cash needs and food crops meet the
family’s food needs. { cocoa, coconut & fruit trees. }
Subsistence system
Those wherein the use of land is directed towards satisfying basic needs
and is managed mostly by the owner and his family. Shifting cultivation.
14. ECOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION AF
Humid/ Subhumid lowland
Semi-arid/ arid land
Highlands
The environmental condition and ecological suitability of systems,
based on the assumption that certain types of systems can be more
appropriate for certain ecological conditions; i.e., there can be
separate sets of agroforestry systems for arid and semiarid lands,
tropical highlands, lowland humid tropics, etc.
15. Produces salable products
Provides value-added opportunities
Diversifies risk
Increases property values
Increases crop yields & livestock production
Eligible for cost-share & land rental payments
Benefits of Agro-forestry?
