Deepthi R Shastry, Milind Bunyan, G. Ravikanth

The Hindu |  April 18, 2024

The adoption of agroforestry at scale in India must include smallholders, who hold most of India’s agricultural land. Yet this is currently stymied by both ecological and socio-economic factors. Although secure land tenure is a prerequisite for agroforestry uptake, ensuring economic viability through market linkages while meeting the criteria of sustainable agroforestry is crucial to empower these farmers. Through our research and stakeholder consultations, we have identified key impediments to enhancing trees-outside-forests (TOF) cover through agroforestry in seven states: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.