18 Jun, 2022
Unsustainable agriculture has become one of the major challenges in the drylands of the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.). Farmers face various issues in the production, protection and marketing of their produce. Soil fertility has also declined due to increasing land degradation. Considering this aspect, a one-day workshop on ‘Understanding Priorities, Challenges and Opportunities for Agroforestry in Bundelkhand Region’ was organised at Jhansi, Madhya Pradesh, on 17 June by the Indo-German “Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystem Services (FES)” project. The workshop was oriented toward officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the U.P. Forest Department. The workshop intended to highlight the role and integration of agroforestry in enhancing farmers’ income and increasing risk-bearing capacities.
It commenced with opening remarks by Dr Suneesh Buxy, Inspector General of Forests (IGF) Externally Aided Projects, MoEF&CC. He urged for the adoption of best management practices including system diversification for the better management of agroforests. He suggested that fodder species play an important role in providing fodder and enhanced soil conversation, which can be integrated with the system approach. This suggestion was seconded by Mr P.P Singh, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Bundelkhand zone, Jhansi, U.P. who also focused on the importance of established market linkages in increasing farmer’s income.
Subsequently, a technical session was held where experts from various institutes made presentations on prime topics pertaining to agroforestry. Dr A Chandra, Director of Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute (IGFRI) presented the institute’s contribution to developing improved fodder varieties by supplying quality planting materials of fodder seeds and grasses. Dr Sunil Seth, Principal Scientist, IGFRI presented good fodder production practices and rationalised how fodder can contribute to increasing milk production which can further improve farmers’ household income. Representatives from The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) shared their learnings from the ‘Doubling Farmers’ Income’ initiative which was implemented in eight pilot locations of Bundelkhand. Dr Ramesh, Principal Scientist-NRM, ICRISAT, Jhansi described how the implementation of integrated natural resource management interventions has influenced bringing a large extent of the degraded landscape into productive cultivation. The session was concluded with the idea that landscape rejuvenation interventions are a precursor for realising the full potential of agroforestry systems in drylands.
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A field visit was also organised to Birdha Village of District Lalitpur, U.P. where interventions undertaken by ICRISAT for landscape rejuvenation and agroforestry were observed and various agroforestry models were found in selected farmers’ fields. The delegates interacted with some tribal farmers and comprehended the impact generated in terms of increased groundwater availability, crop intensification, crop production and improved income levels.
As for the next steps, convergence opportunities will be further explored by GIZ, for faster upscaling and establishing model agroforestry systems.
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Photos Credits: GIZ/Jyoti Kashyap
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Integrating the lessons from HP-FES, a follow-up project on ‘Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystem Services (FES)’ is being implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, State Forest Departments of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and GIZ India on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It aims to strengthen forest and agroforest management to integrate the Forest Ecosystem Services approach with a focus on water availability. Read More
For more information contact: biodiv.india@giz.de
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