From the CPO's Desk
Rooting Resilience: Sustainable Agroforestry Models for Climate Change in Vidarbha
Vidarbha, the eastern region of Maharashtra, known for its agrarian backbone and forest-dependent communities, is facing intensifying climate vulnerabilities—erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, soil degradation, and recurring droughts. Traditional agriculture is increasingly unsustainable under such stress. In this context, agroforestry—the integration of trees with crops and livestock—offers a transformative solution to ensure climate resilience, livelihood security, and ecological restoration.
Why Agroforestry?
Agroforestry systems create microclimates, improve soil fertility, enhance water retention, and sequester carbon—all while generating income from diversified sources such as timber, fruits, fodder, and non-timber forest produce (NTFPs). These systems can also reduce pressure on natural forests and support biodiversity corridors across fragmented landscapes.
Key Agroforestry Models for Vidarbha
Agri-Horti-Silvi Model
Components: Fruit trees Mango, Custard apple, Tamarind, leguminous crops Pigeon pea (Tur), Mung bean (moong) and native tree species (Bamboo, Teak, Neem).
Impact: Ensures seasonal income, improves soil health through nitrogen fixation, and builds long-term asset base for smallholders.
NTFP-based Agroforestry Systems
Focus Species: Mahua, Indian ebony (Tendu), Bamboo, Karanja (Indian beech) and Custard apple (Sitaphal) — species with traditional value and market potential.
Best suited for: Tribal areas with customary forest rights and community knowledge of forest product processing.
Alley Cropping with Nitrogen Fixing Trees
Example: Gliricidia and Leucaena planted in rows interspersed with millets, pulses, and oilseeds.
Benefits: Enhances soil fertility, acts as windbreak, provides fodder and green manure.
Silvi-Pastoral Systems
Model: Tree species like Neem, White tamarind (Subabul) and Acacia catechu (Khair) combined with improved grass varieties for fodder (Stylo, Guinea grass).
Relevance: Ideal for farmers with livestock; boosts milk productivity and reduces overgrazing in commons.
Community Agroforestry Clusters
The Community Agroforestry Clusters Approach emphasizes the formation of cohesive farmer groups—typically 50 to 100 farmers—adopting integrated agroforestry models across contiguous patches of land. This collective model enhances ecological resilience and economic viability through mixed cropping of trees, fruits, NTFPs, and seasonal crops. Success depends on critical enablers such as institutional facilitation, access to quality planting materials, and robust market linkages. The approach fosters a shared sense of purpose among farmers while maximizing land productivity and climate resilience at a landscape level.
Implementation begins with participatory planning, co-designing agroforestry models in collaboration with local communities by drawing upon indigenous knowledge systems and historical land-use practices. Capacity building is a cornerstone—particularly through training local youth and women as Agroforestry Fellows to manage nurseries, plantations, and harvesting operations. For sustained implementation, the model encourages convergence with existing schemes like MGNREGS, NRLM, and the Forest Rights Act, ensuring financial and legal support. To ensure long-term viability, market linkages are fortified through Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) that focus on aggregation, value addition, and marketing of NTFPs, fruits, and organic farm produce.
Policy Recommendations
- Integrate Agroforestry in District Climate Action Plans (DCAPs).
- Promote agroforestry under PMKSY, NABARD schemes, and carbon finance platforms.
- Support localized research on agroforestry performance under dryland Vidarbha conditions.
- Enable tenure security through recognition of Community Forest Resource rights.
Conclusion
Sustainable agroforestry in Vidarbha is more than a climate adaptation measure—it is a bridge between ecology and economy, blending resilience with regeneration. With the right policy push, institutional support, and community participation, agroforestry can help Vidarbha root its future in sustainability.