Quantification of Ecosystem Services from Agro-forestry

Jayanta ThokdarIARI

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Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem services - Benefits that people obtain from ecosystems

Provisioning services-Products obtained from ecosystems

Regulating services- Benefits from regulation of ecosystem

Supporting services- Necessary for production of all ecosystems

Cultural services- Nonmaterial benefits obtain from ecosystems

Agro-forestry

Dynamic, ecologically based, natural resource management system

Diversifies and sustains production

Increased social, economic and environmental benefits

Agro-forestry helps in-

Carbon sequestration

Bio diversity conservation

Improved air and water quality

Soil conservation and enrichment

Soil amelioration

Bio-fuel production

Fodder production

Carbon-sequestration : Agro-forestryCarbon sequestration- Removal and storage of carbon from atmosphere

in carbon sinks through physical or biological processes

Poplar agro-forestry in NW India increases SOC and aggregation

In south India home gardens increases soil carbon sequestration

Bio-diversity Conservation : Agro-forestry

Provides habitat for species

Helps preserving germplasm of sensitive species

Helps by reducing conversion rate of natural habitat by

providing a more productive, sustainable systems

Provides conservation of area-sensitive floral and faunal

species

Helps to conserve biological diversity by providing ecosystem

Improved Air & Water Quality: Agro-forestry Vegetative buffers can filter by removing dust, gas etc

Reducing velocity of runoff and sediment deposition on water

bodies

Reduce nutrient movement into ground water by taking up excess

nutrients

Soil conservation & Enrichment : Agro-forestryIncorporation of trees able to biologically fix nitrogen

Non N-fixing trees add organic matter

Reduce soil loss

Alley cropping system - Higher soil organic matter and microbial

biomass

(Source: Singh & Gill , 1992)

Species Original After 20 years

pH Organic C (%)

Ph Organic C (%)

Eucalyptus tereticomis 10.3 0.12 9.18 0.33

Acacia milotica 10.3 0.12 9.03 0.55

Albizzia lebbeck 10.3 0.12 8.67 0.47

Teminalia arjuma 10.3 0.12 8.15 0.58

Prosopis juliflora 10.3 0.12 8.03 0.58

Soil Amelioration: Agro-forestry

Pongamia pinnata, Azadirachta indica ,Calophyllum, Jatropha curcas

etc adapted in dry land to semi wet crop fields and provide for

production of energy from seed oil

Bio-fuel Production: Agro-forestry

Fodder Production: Agro-forestry

Fodder crop- Plants cultivated for feeding to animals

(e.g. fodder maize, guiena grass etc)

Case Study

Methodology-

Conducted in 2 districts of Eastern UP- Aligarh and Saharanpur

Four blocks ,16 villages and 320 farmers formed sample units for study

Data taken from harvest and sale of tree for past three years

Data analyzed mainly using tabular analysis, benefit-cost analysis

Aligarh district was selected as traditional agro-forestry region

Saharanpur district as intensive/ commercial agro-forestry region

Result and Discussion

Farm size category

No. of trees/farm

family

Tree stock density

(per ha)

Marginal 9.5 13.4

Small 17.0 12.7

Medium/large 27.2 7.9

Total 15.6 10.3

Contd..

Trees scattered on field bunds and boundaries

Dominant trees- Neem, babool, and eucalyptus

Farm size category

Avg. wood production

(q)

Avg. net income(Rs)

Net return per ha (Rs)

Marginal 3.94 702 989

Small 4.40 725 541

Medium 4.68 881 255

Total 4.24 751 440

Annual production of tree produce

Tree stock with farmers in Aliagarh

Trees with crops in farm bunds/ boundaries & within fields

Two modes of agro-forestry –

Trees on field bunds or farm boundaries

Tree cultivation with seasonal crops (agri-silviculture)

Dominant trees- Populus and eucalyptus

Tree density in boundary plantations - 146 trees ha-1

oPoplar trees-64%

oEucalyptus-33%

Tree density in agri-silviculture - 481 trees ha-1

Agro-forestrysystem

No. offarmers(%)

Major tree sp.

Boundary plantation

78.1 Poplar,eucalyptus

Agri-silviculture

21.9 Poplar

Contd..

Particulars Value (Rs/ha)

Input cost for tree

6569

Input cost for crop

67600

Total cost 74169

Return from trees

60256

Return from crops

152170

Total return 212426

Net return for rotation

138257

Annual avg. net return

17282

B:C ratio 2.84

Cost benefit for poplar based boundary plantation

Contd..

Particulars Value (Rs/ha)

Input cost for tree

8633

Input cost for crop

67600

Total cost 76233

Return from trees

53058

Return from crops

152170

Total return 205288

Net return for rotation

128995

Annual avg. net return

16124

B:C ratio 2.68

Cost benefit for eucalyptus based boundary plantation

Conclusion

Poplar & Eucalyptus based

commercial agro-forestry profitable

than both traditional agro-forestry &

conventional cropping system

Availability of fuel wood

Generate income and

employment to the farm

Livelihoods and industrial

development

Contd..

Particulars Value(Rs/ha)

Input cost for tree

195322

Input cost for crop

78493

Total cost 98025

Return from trees

152605

Return from crops

176450

Total return 329055

Net return for rotation

231030

Annual avg. net return

28879

B:C ratio 3.35

Cost benefit for poplar based agri-silviculture

ConclusionTwo trends almost universal in tropics:

No. of trees in forests is declining

No. of farms is increasing

Research is required to quantify benefits & examine impact of agro-

forestry practices on forest protection

Improving marketing and adding value to raw products enhanced

livelihoods of agro-forestry farmers

Community based institutional mechanisms are needed to help farmers in

acquiring information and improving business skills

Other issues involve identifying policies, institutional innovations and

extension strategies that facilitate spread of agro-forestry

Thank You