Scribd
Upload
33 views2 pages

Agroforestry Benefits for Indian Farmers

Farmers in Haryana and Punjab are increasingly adopting agroforestry due to its financial benefits over traditional crops. Agroforestry provides higher returns with lower risks than crops like wheat and sugarcane due to reduced input costs and the assurance of harvest. Farmers can harvest trees from as early as three years when using cloned varieties that grow faster. Many marginal farmers have taken to agroforestry because inter-cropping trees with crops like wheat and maize provides normal yields for the first two years before the trees mature.

Uploaded by

Swarup Mishra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
33 views2 pages

Agroforestry Benefits for Indian Farmers

Farmers in Haryana and Punjab are increasingly adopting agroforestry due to its financial benefits over traditional crops. Agroforestry provides higher returns with lower risks than crops like wheat and sugarcane due to reduced input costs and the assurance of harvest. Farmers can harvest trees from as early as three years when using cloned varieties that grow faster. Many marginal farmers have taken to agroforestry because inter-cropping trees with crops like wheat and maize provides normal yields for the first two years before the trees mature.

Uploaded by

Swarup Mishra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.

com/2012-11-11/news/35034149_1_indian-farmers-cropmarginal-farmers
agroforestry, a land of milk and honey where the seed investment is rock bottom, market is assured, crop
failures are unheard-of, and harvest is at your own convenience.
Remuneration from agroforestry far exceeds that from traditional crops. Also, the rising input costs of the
latter and shortage of labour play out in favour of growing trees.
Farmers are taking to agroforestry as small-term (three-four years) and long-term (six-seven years)
investment options in Haryana and Punjab. With cloned varieties of eucalyptuses and poplars growing
almost 25% taller than the ordinary ones, farmers have the option of harvesting trees from the third year.
the flexibility of inter-cropping drove many marginal farmers into agroforestry, a domain of big farmers. "In
the first two years, farmers get normal yields from crops like wheat, sugarcane and maize planted along
the trees," says an official in Haryana's Forest Department. Farmers are growing vegetables and
sugarcane as intercrops to see them through the first two years of agroforestry, he says.

Plan: Integrated Farming

Land: 10-20 acres (Lease / Purchase)


Capital: 10 Lakhs (for preparation of the property)
o Look for equity / debt participation by friends
o Try to keep the cost of capital low

Timeline:

Make a working plan by Dec-16


o Visit important villages
o Learn farming (Take holidays if possible)
Apply for transfer by Jun-17
Understand the modalities of Lease agreement (Min: 10 acres)
o Harishankar buy land
Pay as much loan as possible by Jun-17

Long term Plans (20 years)

Integrated farming
Boarding school on the lines of JNV (Self-sustaining)

Places to Visit
Skill India (Jabalpur / Kanha)
Sonipat
Ralegaon Siddhi
Padampur (Tomato farmer)
Broad ideas:

3 month work
Development of local ecosystem

Allied plans: Skill India, School, Cold storage, Fly ash brick
Affordable housing

Labour to be provided by eventual owners


Land by eventual owners
Important raw materials to be produced in-house (Fly ash bricks etc)
Low cost, Subsidize wherever possible
All amenities, water harvesting
Smart city model / research on low cost housing

You might also like