Social forestry aims to achieve environmental benefits and rural development through afforestation on barren lands. It involves managing and developing forests to meet the basic needs of rural populations like fuel, fodder, and manure. The objectives of social forestry in India are to increase forest area, restore ecological balance, meet rural needs, ensure better land use, generate employment, and check pollution. The components of social forestry include farm forestry, extension forestry, rural forestry, community forestry, and agroforestry.

1. Social Forestry
Rajeev Kumar
MSW (TISS, Mumbai)
M.Phil (CIP, Ranchi)
Doctoral Fellow, IIT Kharagpur

2. Social Forestry in India

3. What is Social forestry?
• Social forestry is management and development of
forest with afforestation on barren lands to achieve
environmental benefit and rural development.
• The term was first used by National Commission on
Agriculture, Government of India,in1976.
• The aim of taking the pressure of the forests and
making use of all unused and fallow land.
• This concept of village forests to meet the needs of the
rural people is not new. It has existed through the
centuries all over the country but it was now given a
new character.

4. Need of forestry in India
• Government forest areas that are close to human
settlement and have been degraded over the years due to
human activities needed to be afforested.
• Trees were to be planted in and around agricultural fields.
• Dominant rural population that still depends largely on fuel
wood and other biomass for their cooking and heating.
• Social forestry also aims at raising plantations by the
common man so as to meet these demands.
• Through the social forestry scheme, the government has
involved community participation, as part of a drive
towards afforestation, and rehabilitating the degraded
forest and common lands

5. Objectives of social forestry in India
• Increasing forest area and restoring ecological
balance
• Meeting basic rural needs: fuel, fodder,
manure
• Ensure better land use; checking soil erosion,
animal husbandry etc.,
• Generation of employment
• Checking pollution

6. Component of social forestry
Community
Forestry
Rural
Forestry
Agroforestry
Social
Forestry
Extension
Forestry
Farm
Forestry

7.  Farm Forestry
oIndividual farmers are being encouraged to plant trees
on their own farmland to meet the
family.
domestic needs of the
oShade for the agricultural crops, as wind shelters, soil
conservation or to use wasteland.
oEconomic benefits.
 Extension Forestry
oPlanting of trees on the sides of roads, canals and
railways, along with planting on wastelands for helping in
increasing boundaries of forests.

8.  Rural Forestry
 Community Forestry
oCollectively implemented on communal
land.
oLocal populations participate in the planning,
establishing, managing and harvesting of forest crops, and
so receive a major proportion of the socio-
economic and ecological benefits from the forest.
 Agro forestry
Land use system which integrates trees and shrubs on
farmlands and rural landscapes to enhance productivity,
profitability, diversity and ecosystem sustainability.
o

9. Thanks