KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 27
nThe Ministry of Forest and Environment has issued a procedure for the implementation of various programmes in the provinces through utilisation of federal conditional grants.
As per the procedures, the conditional grants will be utilised by the provinces for silviculture, system-based sustainable forest management, control of forest encroachment, production of muti-year seedlings, agroforestry development, human-wildlife conflict management, among others. Of them, agroforestry development is on the top priority of the MoFE.
The MoFE said it had adopted a policy of encouraging the local communities to plant trees of agroforestry species on private and public land in an integrated manner. It aims to make contribution to the national economy through commercialisation of agroforestry and creation of employment opportunity for the local communities by enhancing land productivity in line with the 'Model Agroforestry Programme Implementation Procedure' endorsed by the MoFE.
Agroforestry system will incorporate cultivation, tree plantation and livestock farming simultaneously.
Agroforestry is an age-old practice of growing forest crops and shrubs in and around agricultural land to create environmental, economic and social benefits.
As per the procedure posted on the website of the MoFE, agroforestry programme can be pursued on government and public lands and forest areas that are free from encroachment, degraded forest area and land below electricity transmission line. "The government will provide saplings of medicinal plants, non-timber trees and multipurpose tree species to the communities for management and implementation of agroforestry programme. The local communities will also be entitled to goods in-kind and grant amount as well as technical support," the procedure says.
There is a provision of a five-member programme management committee led by the programme implementation agency under the MoFE to coordinate and facilitate the agroforestry programme in all the districts.
In order to be eligible to implement the agroforesty programme, the local community will be required to manage land covering an area of least 10 hectare individually or jointly. If the land belongs to more than one person, it should be adjoined to one another. After the selection of the communities for the agroforestry programme, the concerned programme implementation agency under the MoFE will sign an agreement with them. The selected community will plant trees of agroforestry, fodder and fruit along with crop farming and operation of fisheries in an integrated manner. According to the MoFE, agroforestry is a key to protecting land through control of soil erosion.
Agroforestry can also reclaim degraded or eroded land and regain its lost soil fertility. The local communities will also benefit from extra income generated by selling tree products. Trees provide the farmers with fertilisers, timber, livestock fodder which they would otherwise have to buy, consequently reducing their overhead expenses.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 28, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.