Support Implementation of National Agroforestry Policy by Enhancing Tree Cover & Production of Wood
| Project's full title | Support Implementation of National Agroforestry Policy by Enhancing Tree Cover & Production of Wood |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Start date | 01/11/2019 |
| End date | 31/12/2021 |
| Status | Completed |
| Project Code | TCP/IND/3710 |
| Objective / Goal |
Strategic Objective 2: Make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable Objectives: Improved tree cover outside forest and augmented farmers’ income through a strengthened extension machinery at grass-root level and efficient value chains of agroforestry products. Description: Agroforestry has a long tradition in the Indian subcontinent. The Government of India (GoI) formulated the National Agroforestry Policy in 2014. The major highlights of the Policy are: i) establishment of institutional set-up at the national level to promote agroforestry under the mandate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW); ii) simplify regulations related to harvesting, felling and transportation of trees grown on farmlands; iii) ensuring security of land tenure and iv) creating a sound base of land records and data for developing an market information system (MIS) for agroforestry. Despite being an inherent part of several policies and programmes of the country, there are several factors that seem to impede the operationalization of agroforestry approaches. These factors include: Weak extension mechanisms; Poor institutional coordination across departments and programmes ; Lack of quality planting material; Inadequate research and available knowledge on agroforestry models suitable across various ecological regions of the country and absence of marketing infrastructure and price discovery mechanisms. Creating more favourable conditions for the cultivation of trees outside of protected forestlands will help to improve the productivity, quality and sustainability of wood and other tree products to meet India’s growing needs, and potentially contribute to export markets. This will reduce pressure on natural forests as also enhance tree cover. It will also help diversify income streams of smallholders who earn little from food crops alone. Through this project, FAO has supported the Government of India in enhancing the tree cover outside protected forest land and strengthening the sustainable production of wood and related products from the agricultural landscape by building on its expertise and experience with silviculture, plantations, agroforestry, work with smallholder foresters and producer organizations, wood based enterprises, value chains and establishing the legality and traceability of wood products. In doing so, the project has worked with the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) and supported the implementation of the National Agroforestry Policy and other related initiatives to fill critical gaps identified. Donor: FAO Expected Outputs:
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