Agroforestry needs & practices for adoption in Pakistan

Trees and crops are cultivated together for eras throughout the globe. In several parts of the globe trees and therefore the traditional crops are grownup on one piece of land. Trees play a key role altogether terrestrial ecosystems and provides many merchandise and services to the human community throughout the globe. Agroforestry could be a natural system that makes sure the protection of soil and atmosphere on sustainable basis.

Agroforestry needs & practices for adoption in Pakistan

Agroforestry is outlined as a sustainable management system for land that will increase overall production, combines agricultural crops, tree crops and forest plants and/or animals at the same time applies management practices that square measure compatible with cultural patterns of native population. 

In Europe till the center Ages it absolutely was a typical observe to grow the trees in agricultural lands with traditional crops. In few areas of European country it had been practiced around 1920th. In Africa, southern Nigerians grow their crops underneath a canopy of scattered trees. In Asia, Hanunno farming system provided a replacement construct of shifting cultivation that preserved the forest and land farm degradation.

In Islamic Republic of Pakistan fodder and cereal crops area unit mature together with mango, guava and citrus orchards. Islamic Republic of Pakistan and significantly Punjab province have very little forest resources.

Forest space (% of land area) in Islamic Republic of Pakistan was reportable at 1.91%  you interested by 2015 in keeping with the world Bank assortment of development indicators, compiled from formally recognized sources, total forests resources of Islamic Republic of Pakistan area unit 4.2 million hectares at that regarding 152.53 million population depends for its wood and wood product necessities in line with this estimate per capita forest Area is just 0.0265 ha as compared to world average of 1 ha.

This distinction is any exaggerated because of enhanced population of Islamic Republic of Pakistan whereas forest are cleared to fulfill the increasing demand of wood, fuel, agricultural implements and material needed in wood primarily based industries in keeping with crucial estimates concerning 90th of the fuel wood and 72nd of the timber needs are met from trees grownup on personal landforms that area unit primarily supported agroforestry/social biological science/community forestry as compared to state forests in keeping with FAO’s report 2011 solely 200th area of Islamic Republic of Pakistan is underneath forest cowl thus agroforestry could be a best choice to extend space underneath tree plantation while not decreasing space for traditional cultivation. From the 22.15 million ha of total plough land solely 200th is below tree cover which might be simply raised to 10.

Agroforestry could be a reliable technique for the sustainability of land in low fertility or once soil is sensitive to erosion. Trees and shrubs play key ecological and economical role during this form of farming system. Many systems and practices are enclosed in agroforestry to boost its efficiency on scientific basis and improve the atmosphere by decreasing harmful gasses like as (CO2, Chlorofloro Carbon, methane series emission etc.)

Additionally decrease the pollution by adopting completely different planting techniques that includes; Silvo-pasture, Improved fallows, Taungya system, Plantation crop combination, Home garden, Allay farming, Planting on terraces, and Shelterbelts. Agroforestry may be a better choice to grow trees, increase forest cover without reserving land for forests. 

It’s a supply of employment for local people, increase farmer financial gain and improves status of each area and country. It will fulfill wood demand of the country for furnishings, timber and fuel functions. Forage made by trees may be used as replacement for traditional fodder which is able to encourage rearing of animals.

Agroforestry don’t have any or very little impact on traditional crops whereas financial gain generated from them is high with limited inputs. It will preserve soil cover from erosion, protect it from erosion and might increase soil fertility status. 

This method ought to be adopted a lot of particularly in barren land wherever vegetation isn’t economical by increasing soil fertility standing, crops between the trees are potential to cultivate, and then barren land is recovered. Islamic Republic of Pakistan have plenty of barren land thus agroforestry is appropriate in those areas by increasing awareness of agroforestry, not only financial gain of farmer can improve however additionally it’ll improve climatically condition of that area and conserve that soil.

Agricultural sustainability and judicious use of soil and water resources within Agricultural sustainability and judicious use of soil and water resources within the humid tropics are major international problems with present time as a result of the interaction among human population, socio-economic and political factors, and natural resources of the delicate eco-region. 

Management of soil resources and inefficient, resource-based agricultural systems are inflicting serious degradation of the eco-region and perpetuating food deficit, deficiency disease, and poor standard of living. In an endeavor to develop the “last frontier”, immense area unit as of tropical rain forest (TRF) are desolate annually by hearth, machete, axe, chainsaw, bulldozers and defoliants to grow food for the ever-growing population manufacture industrial material, and develop the infrastructure for brand new migrants into the region.

Ecologically incompatible strategies of forest conversion, inappropriate land uses, and pseudo scientific systems of soil and crop management supported fertility-mining techniques accelerate eroding, contaminate natural waters, disrupt water and energy balances at micro- and meso-scales among the system, and disrupt cycles of components (e.g., C, N, and S) with international ecological consequences a serious international consequence of deforestation, burning, and conversion to unsustainable land uses is that the release of staggering amounts of CO2 and different radiatively active or greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

If improved and scientific strategies of forest conversion, land uses and agricultural systems aren’t adopted within the near future, gross disturbance of the delicate thyrotropin-releasing factor eco-region will cause irreversible degradation of soil and therefore the atmosphere. Therefore we are able to solve all above mentioned issues by adopting agroforestry as presently as potential and it’s imperative ought to overcome the agriculture and atmosphere related problems.

Hafiz Muhammad Waseem*1, Abdur Rehman1, Naeem Ahmad1,

Muhammad Usman Gani1 and Ahmad Ali2

1 Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad

2 Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad

Corresponding Author Email; m.waseem2279@gmail.com

By Naeem Ahmad

An Agriculture/ Agronomy/ Climate Change Researcher