Due to increasing pressure of human interference in forest area, agroforestry is a viable option for minimising this pressure upto some extent and also for livelihood improvement with environment security. Experts said this while speaking at a seminar on opportunities and challenges in agroforestry organised by the Extension division of the Forest Research Institute (FRI) here on Friday.
The aim of the seminar was to provide a common platform for government and non governmental organisations, self help groups, farmers, traders, entrepreneurs, researchers and other stakeholders for discussion on various issues related to agroforestry. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) deputy director general (Research) SD Sharma informed about role of agroforestry in productivity enhancement and mitigating impacts of climate change besides increasing the forest cover to 33 per cent of the geographical area of the country.
Speaking on the occasion, the institute director Savita informed about the improved varieties of Poplar, Eucalyptus and Melia dubia suitable for agroforestry developed by the institute. She also emphasised on need to adopt agroforestry practices for a win-win situation for the farmers.
During the technical session, the Extension division head AK Pandey spoke of scientific interventions done by the institute in the field of agroforestry and their dissemination to different stakeholders.
Principal scientists from Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Harsh Mehta and Charan Singh informed about Bheemal-based agroforestry models suitable for the Himalayan region. VP Bhatt from the Herbal Drug Research Institute, Gopeshwar emphasised on importance of medicinal and aromatic plants in agroforestry while developing agroforestry models for mountainous regions. The seminar was attended by more than 50 persons including representatives of government, NGOs, SHGs, farmers, traders, entrepreneurs, researchers from Western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi.