Opportunities through Eucalyptus Agroforestry for Sustainable Development in Haryana, India

摘要

This paper examines the role of agroforestry in sustainable development, leading to increased farmers income, employment generation, opportunities for value addition by the industries, and environmental benefits in the state of Haryana, India. This state is primarily an agricultural state with only about 3,5% of its geographical area as natural forests. Subsequent to the introduction of a network of irrigation canals, farmers of Haryana have achieved a significant increase in productivity of wheat and paddy-fields following progressive farming systems, The Haryana Forest Department introduced Eucalyptus and Poplar based agroforestry models in the 1970s, which have been well received and adopted, initially by large and absentee farmers. The gradual establishment of backward and forward linkages has made agroforestry an economically viable activity leading to enormous development in the State. Consequently, even the small and marginal farmers have recognized agroforestry as a profitable venture. A facilitating legal policy environment, availability of adequate infrastructure and micro-finance resulted in the establishment of 300 veneer mills in the city of Yamunanagar, in Haryana, Today, the daily arrival of wood (grown in agro-forests) in this city alone is worth US