Agroforestry as a Strategy for Livelihood Security in the Rainfed Areas: Experience and Expectations
Agroforestry in rainfed areas increases livelihood security through simultaneous production of food, fodder, and firewood, and an increase in total productivity per unit area of land. Management of trees in conjunction with crops in rainfed areas minimize
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Agroforestry as a Strategy for Livelihood Security in the Rainfed Areas: Experience and Expectations G. R. Korwar, J. V. N. S. Prasad, G. Rajeshwara Rao, G. Venkatesh, G. Pratibha, and B. Venkateswarlu
Abstract
Agroforestry in rainfed areas increases livelihood security through simultaneous production of food, fodder, and firewood, and an increase in total productivity per unit area of land. Management of trees in conjunction with crops in rainfed areas minimizes the risk associated with stress period through diversified components and through efficient utilization of limited natural resources. The major objective of agroforestry in rainfed areas is gainful utilization of off-season precipitation, income stabilization, soil and water conservation, insurance against weather aberrations and mitigation of climate change. In India, agroforestry practices in rainfed agriculture have been used to manage scattered trees on farm lands, trees on farm bunds, wood lots as block plantations, trees on range lands, and vegetative live hedges for ecological, social, and economic functions. To enhance rural livelihood security among the dryland farmers, several improved agroforestry systems, commercial plantations and biofuels and bioenergy systems came into being for adoption. Agroforestry plantation-based success stories reveal livelihood security of small, marginal, and landless farmers. Steps to promote basic and promotional agroforestry research in dryland agriculture and appropriate policy responses with extension outreach may potentially deliver better results in rainfed agriculture. Rainfed agroforestry for livelihood security reflects the positive way in utilization of rainfed area resources.
Introduction
G. R. Korwar (&) J. V. N. S. Prasad G. R. Rao G.Venkatesh G. Pratibha B. Venkateswarlu Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Santoshnagar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500059, India e-mail: [email protected]
Dryland or rainfed areas are the areas of meager or undependable rainfall in which the average precipitation is deficient in relation to water requirements (Srinivas et al. 1999). Rainfed agriculture is, by definition, agriculture dependent upon the vagaries of weather, especially rainfall (Ramakrishna et al. 1999). Rainfed
J. C. Dagar et al. (eds.), Agroforestry Systems in India: Livelihood Security & Ecosystem Services, Advances in Agroforestry 10, DOI: 10.1007/978-81-322-1662-9_5, Springer India 2014
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agriculture is challenged with several biophysical and socioeconomic problems. Population explosion has forced marginal and submarginal lands into cultivation, posing a serious threat to natural ecosystem. Dryland are fragile and less productive, resulting in low and uneconomic yields. They are characterized by high soil and climatic variability, land degradation, and resource poor farmers. Agroforestry is a land use practice, which integrates trees with agricultural production systems enabling diversification for increased social, economic, and environmental bene
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