Chop The Dreck Rules

For farm forestry to grow, regulatory changes are the need of the hour, as this will not only benefit farmers but also help India meet its targets in the Paris climate pact

- Suneel Pandey & Jagmohan Sharma

THE NATIONAL Forest Policy, 1988, brought in a strategic policy change by shifting the focus of forest management—from a “source of revenue” to “forest conservation and enhancement”. This shift led to lower wood supply from forests and encouraged growing trees outside forest areas to meet the rising demand for wood. The massive afforestation drives launched since then have led to a gradual increase in trees outside notified forest areas. The industry has also adapted to these policy changes by establishing a partnership with farmers through farm forestry and is now growing trees for fuelwood, fodder, timber and industrial wood.

To make farm forestry an economically viable proposition, the industry has invested huge resources for the genetic improvement and clonal development of tree species suitable for various purposes. Massive efforts are underway to develop and extend a “package of practices” suitable for growing productive plantations under different agro-ecological regions.

Once the clonal species were planted on the fields, farmers began to realise its economic benefits—there was a 400 per cent increase in productivity as compared to seed-based plantations. This development brought an exponential growth in farm forestry plantations, especially in Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Success of farm forestry plantations has contributed immensely to the increase in trees outside forests (ToF), and according to the State of Forest Report published by the Forest Survey of India, tree cover of over 11,100 km2 was added between 2001 and 2015.

Changing the landscape