Agroforestry in India, Types, Policies, Challenges, Coverage

Agroforestry in India refers to the deliberate integration of trees with crops and/or livestock in farming systems to attain ecological, economic, and social benefits. It is being promoted as a strategic response to land degradation, climate change, livelihood insecurity, and declining agricultural productivity. India’s policies have recognized agroforestry both as a means to restore degraded lands and to increase farmers’ income through diversified production. It aligns with national goals like increasing tree cover, reducing carbon intensity, and enhancing rural resilience.

Agroforestry in India

India formally adopted a National Agroforestry Policy in 2014, becoming the first country globally to enact such a policy. The policy aims to remove regulatory barriers such as those for tree-felling and transportation of timber from farm lands, and to build institutional capacity through research, extension, and market development. Key implementing bodies include the Central Agroforestry Research Institute (CAFRI), MoA&FW, ICRAF, and state governments. Agroforestry is increasingly considered in major environmental and agricultural programmes for its multi-faceted benefits.

Agroforestry in India Types

Agroforestry in India is highly diverse and region-specific, varying with ecological conditions, land use, and socio-economic objectives. The five major types, each integrating trees, crops, and livestock in distinct combinations is given below:

1. Agrisilviculture System

Combines trees and crops on the same land. Common in the Indo-Gangetic plains, this system integrates species like poplar, eucalyptus, neem, and acacia with crops such as wheat, sugarcane, and mustard.

2. Silvopastoral System

Integrates tree planting with livestock grazing, improving fodder supply and preventing land degradation. Practiced in Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Karnataka, where grasses and leguminous species coexist with hardy trees like prosopis and leucaena.

3. Agrihorticultural System

Combines food crops with fruit trees like mango, guava, and banana to ensure short-term and long-term income security. Common in southern and northeastern India.

4. Hortipastoral System

Links fruit trees and pasture species, promoting both food and fodder security. This is effective in rainfed and drought-prone regions where mixed systems ensure resilience.

5. Agrosilvopastoral System

A more complex system combining trees, crops, and livestock on the same land. Common in Traditional home gardens in high-rainfall areas, particularly Kerala and Tamil Nadu, represent this type of integration.

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Agroforestry in India Objectives

India’s agroforestry aims to achieve multiple interlinked goals:

• Environmental sustainability: Restore degraded land; increase tree cover outside forests; sequester carbon to mitigate climate change.
• Livelihood improvement: Provide additional income sources through timber, fuelwood, fruits and fodder; cushion farmers against crop failure.
• Policy and regulatory reforms: Simplify rules regarding harvesting, transit, tree felling; secure land tenure and streamline institutional coordination.
• Research, innovation & capacity building: Increase institutional capability (e.g. CAFRI), quality planting material, extension services for diverse agro-ecological zones.

Agroforestry Practices in India

Agroforestry practices in India vary by region, farmer type, and purpose. Some of the working models and practices include:

• Home gardens & boundary planting: Small trees or shrubs around fields or homesteads supplying fruits, fodder, fuelwood.
• Silvi-pastoral and agri-silvicultural systems: Crops intercropped with trees like legumes, nitrogen fixers, or timber species; livestock grazing under tree cover.
• Agroforestry in watershed development: ICAR-CAFRI’s Parasai-Sindh watershed in Jhansi and Tikamgarh shows that integrating trees with natural resource management improves groundwater recharge, reduces storm flows, and enhances drought resilience.
• Use of multipurpose tree species: Farmers are encouraged to plant short, medium, and long-term returning trees (fruit, fodder, medicinal, timber) within farmland under schemes such as Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF).

Agroforestry in India Government Policies

India’s government has progressively introduced several policies to promote agroforestry as a sustainable and income-generating land-use system. These policies aim to integrate trees into farmlands, improve ecosystem health, and boost farmer incomes. 

Key Policies:

• National Agroforestry Policy (2014): The first of its kind globally, this policy encourages tree cultivation on farmland and simplifies tree-felling and transit regulations.
• National Forest Policy (1988): Emphasized increasing tree cover outside forests through farm forestry and community-based plantations.
• National Bamboo Mission (2006): Promotes bamboo cultivation under agroforestry systems, creating livelihood and industrial linkages.
• Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF)- 2016: Provides financial support for sapling distribution, nursery development, and farmer training.
• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): Integrates agroforestry with soil, water, and nutrient management to ensure sustainability in agriculture.

National Agroforestry Policy 2014

The National Agroforestry Policy of 2014 laid out the legal and institutional architecture needed for agroforestry expansion. Key measures include:

• Regulatory simplification, allowing felling, harvesting, transportation of trees from farmland across states.
• Institutional setup, with CAFRI, MoA&FW, ICRAF and state governments collaborating; formation of state agroforestry plans.
• Budget and financial allocations,The policy recommended setting up a Mission or Board with a proposed corpus of Rs 4000-5000 crore annually.
• Quality planting material, extension services, training of farmers and women in agroforestry techniques.

Agroforestry in India Government Initiatives

Several large-scale initiatives have been implemented to mainstream agroforestry practices and enhance India’s green economy. These programs combine technology, research, and rural livelihood development through public-private partnerships and institutional collaboration.

Major Initiatives:

• GROW Portal (2024): Launched by NITI Aayog, it uses GIS and remote sensing to map 28.42 million hectares under agroforestry and identify 75.6 million hectares of potential area for expansion.
• Green India Mission (GIM): Seeks to increase forest and tree cover by 5 million hectares through agroforestry and reforestation programs.
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): Encourages organic and agroforestry-based systems to enhance soil fertility and biodiversity.
• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA): Supports rural afforestation and tree plantation on fallow lands as part of wage-employment generation.
• State-level Policies: States like Haryana, Assam, and Karnataka have introduced regional agroforestry policies aligned with national guidelines to boost local implementation.

Agroforestry in India Legal Framework

The legal framework governing agroforestry in India has evolved to balance environmental conservation with economic incentives for farmers. Earlier, stringent forest laws made it difficult to harvest and transport farm-grown timber, discouraging tree planting. The 2014 policy and subsequent amendments have eased these constraints through national and state-level regulations.

Key Legal Provisions:

• Tree Felling and Transit Rules: Many states have exempted select tree species (e.g., neem, poplar, eucalyptus, subabul) from felling/ transit permits to promote farm forestry. Each state government maintains its own list of exempted species based on local conditions and ecology. In June 2025, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued Model Rules for ‘Felling of Trees in Agricultural Land’ to standardize and liberalize the regulatory framework for agroforestry across states.
• Forest Rights Act (2006): Recognizes the rights of forest dwellers and tribal communities to manage and utilize forest produce sustainably. The Act defines Minor Forest Produce (MFP) to include items like bamboo, tendu leaves, honey, and medicinal plants, which forest dwellers can collect, use, and sell. It does not include timber. 
• Environmental Protection Act (1986): Supports afforestation and agroforestry to reduce soil erosion and mitigate carbon emissions. The Act focuses on controlling pollutants and setting environmental standards, primarily as a response to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. 
• Biodiversity Act (2002): Encourages the cultivation of indigenous species to conserve ecosystem diversity.
• The NITI Aayog‘s “Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act, 2016”: Certain state amendments now allow farmers to plant and harvest trees even on leased or community lands.

Agroforestry in India Historical Background

India has long traditions of integrating trees into farmland, home gardens, boundary planting, silvipastoral systems, and informal practice of “trees outside forests” (TOF). In response to increasing recognition of ecological and livelihood benefits, the Government launched the National Agroforestry Policy (NAP) in February 2014, developed with ICRAF and partner institutions. The policy established institutional frameworks, addressed regulatory bottlenecks, and upgraded research capacity including transforming the National Research Centre for Agroforestry into CAFRI.

Agroforestry in India Coverage

Current estimates suggest agroforestry covers around 28.42 million hectares (about 8.65% of India’s total geographical area), as per the Greening and Restoration of Wasteland with Agroforestry (GROW) initiative. Earlier estimates (2013) placed it at ~25.32 million hectares or 8.2%. The potential area identified as “High Suitability” (cropland suitable for agroforestry) is approximately 75.6 million hectares, almost 2.7 times the current extent. This shows large untapped potential, particularly in Eastern Plains and other agro-climatic zones.

Some localized projects demonstrate agroforestry’s efficacy:

• Parasai-Sindh Watershed (Jhansi, U.P.): With ICAR-CAFRI and ICRISAT’s collaboration, over ~115 hectares were brought under tree-crop systems. Check dams, field bunds raised groundwater, reduced risk during drought years.
• SMAF plantations since 2016-17: Under the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry, 1.21 lakh hectares have been planted with 5.32 crore trees with multipurpose species, giving farmers alternate sources of income and enhancing soil health.

Agroforestry in India Challenges

While agroforestry has strong policy support, multiple challenges limit its scale and effectiveness:

1. Fragmented land holdings and tenure issues: Many farmers do not have secure rights, making long-term investments risky.
2. Regulatory complexity across states, despite policy reforms; variation in tree felling, transit rules, and state permissions.
3. Insufficient extension and technical support for farmers, especially in remote areas. Quality planting material, market linkages, and knowledge of best practices are limited.
4. Market and income risks: Agroforestry produce (fruit, timber, medicinal trees) often face uncertain markets and price volatility.
5. Climate risks: Region-specific vulnerability (Eastern Plains, Western Ghats) to future temperature and precipitation changes that may reduce productivity.

Way Forward:

Strategies to overcome challenges and expand agroforestry effectively include:

• Strengthening state-level policy alignment so that agroforestry regulations are uniform and supportive across states.
• Scaling up remote sensing and GIS-based mapping (e.g. GROW portal) to identify high suitability areas and monitor tree cover.
• Improving access to credit, insurance, market mechanisms for agroforestry produce, ensuring price discovery and value chains.
• Enhancing research and innovation through CAFRI, ICAR and ICRAF, including improved species, climate resilient systems.
• Institutionally building capacity among farmers, especially small and marginal, and women, through training, participatory extension.
• Integrating agroforestry into national targets like achieving 33% tree and forest cover, restoring degraded lands (26 Mha goal by 2030) and using agroforestry for carbon sink creation.

Agroforestry in India Impact

Agroforestry has shown measurable impacts across environment, climate, and livelihoods:

• Increase in area under agroforestry from ~25.32 million hectares (2013), covering ~8.2%, to about 28.42 million hectares (~8.65% of India) under GROW mapping.
• Rough estimates of industrial wood production from Trees Outside Forests (TOF) (which includes agroforestry) meet about 85% of India’s demand for industrial wood, with ~915 lakh m³/year potential production estimated by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) in the ISFR 2023.
• Socio-economic upliftment: Income diversification; farmers get returns from tree crops in addition to annual crops; job creation (nurseries, planting, harvesting). Success in SMAF plantations shows farmers benefit from multipurpose species.
• Agroforestry in India Impact on Climate Change: Agroforestry contributes significantly to both climate change mitigation and adaptation. Studies by ICAR-CAFRI estimate the carbon sequestration potential of agroforestry systems is wide-ranging: above-ground tree components can sequester between 0.25 to 76.55 Mg C/ha/year, crop components 0.01 to 0.60, and soil carbon 0.003 to 3.98 Mg C/ha/year depending on species, system and site. 
• Impact on Environment: Agroforestry also helps in stabilizing soil, improving soil organic carbon, reducing erosion, buffering extreme temperatures, preserving moisture, and providing diversified livelihoods to cope with climate shocks.

Agroforestry in India International Commitments

India’s agroforestry practices are closely aligned with international frameworks and global sustainability goals. The country collaborates with multilateral organizations to promote agroforestry as a key tool for climate resilience, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity restoration. Global and Multilateral Linkages:

• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization): Recognizes India’s agroforestry as a model for integrating trees into agricultural landscapes to achieve the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030).
• ICRAF (World Agroforestry Centre): Partners with ICAR-CAFRI for research, training, and global policy dialogue on agroforestry systems.
• UNFCCC Commitments: Agroforestry is included in India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to increase forest and tree cover to 33-35% of geographical area.
• SDG Alignment: Agroforestry directly contributes to SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
• Bonn Challenge and Land Degradation Neutrality Goals: India has pledged to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, with agroforestry as a major component.

Agroforestry in India UPSC

Recent developments include digital tools like remote sensing for land mapping, AI-based agro-advisories, and climate-smart species selection. Agroforestry is increasingly part of carbon credit programs and sustainable supply chains, supported by public-private partnerships under the Green Credit Programme (2023). The integration of women self-help groups (SHGs) in nursery development and plantation management has further expanded the social impact of agroforestry in rural India.

As of early 2024, India is scaling agroforestry adoption through the GROW initiative led by NITI Aayog, which maps agroforestry suitability district-wise using GIS and remote sensing. The GROW portal warns of large potential yet to be realized- only 8.65% area currently, while about 75.6 million hectares are highly suitable. Policy reforms including simplified transit/ felling rules in ~25 states, strengthened research through CAFRI, and increasing attention from state governments (e.g Assam approved its own agroforestry policy). Agroforestry is also being seen in relation to India’s commitments to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, and reducing emission intensity of GDP by 33% over 2005 levels (aims 45% by 2030).