The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) joined forces in 2019, leveraging nearly five decades of trusted science on the role of forests and trees in solving critical global challenges.
New Delhi, India, 13 May 2020 — A new book, Mapping agroforestry and trees outside forest, was launched on 4 May 2020 by Trilochan Mohapatra, secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and director-general, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Government of India during an online meeting with 12 CGIAR centres operating in India.
‘This publication compiles the joint efforts of ICAR’s Central Agroforestry Research Institute and ICRAF to harmonize terminologies, definitions and techniques used to map trees outside forests or agroforestry; and development of a geospatial methodology to map a particular agroforestry tree species,’ said Mohapatra. ‘The information provided in the book is easy to understand and implement by promoters of agroforestry’.
India is at the forefront of agroforestry research and development through the implementation of its world-first national agroforestry policy, sub-mission on agroforestry and its national bamboo mission. World Agroforestry (ICRAF) is proud to be a technical partner with these three remarkable and game-changing initiatives.
Accurate mapping to estimate the extent of agroforestry in the country is of utmost importance for planners and policymakers, especially with the increase in area under agroforestry thanks to the national policy. The new book addresses the challenges of mapping agroforestry in a widely diverse and highly populated nation.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), its research institutes and its international partners, such as ICRAF, recognized that agroforestry practices already occupied a considerable area in the country as well as globally.
‘This technical bulletin is an attempt towards understanding and addressing various issues in mapping agroforestry, possible approaches and methods developed, and assessing the future scope of geospatial technology in agroforestry research’, said Javed Rizvi, director of the ICRAF South Asia Regional Program. ‘It will certainly be a ready reckoner for researchers and planners, covering important aspects of the extent of the area under agroforestry.’
ICAR’s Central Agroforestry Research Institute (CAFRI) at Jhansi began work on mapping agroforestry in 2007 and gained momentum when ICRAF joined the work in 2014. Joint work by ICAR-CAFRI and ICRAF lead to development of methodologies for both medium- and high-resolution remote-sensing data. Through these methodologies, encouragingly accurate results were obtained.
ICRAF’s role was formally recognised through a recommendation of the Expert Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to assist with development of a strategy to increase tree cover outside forest areas. ICAR-CAFRI, Forest Survey of India, National Remote Sensing Centre and ICRAF were mandated to work as a consortium to harmonise the definitions, techniques, and methodologies used in the country to map trees outside forests and in agroforestry.
Contributions by ICAR-CAFRI and ICRAF are leading the way in South Asia for agroforestry-based sustainable development.
Download the book
Rizvi RH, Handa AK, Sridhar KB, Kumar A, Bhaskar S, Chaudhari SK, Arunachalam A, Thomas N, Ashutosh S, Sapra RK, Pujar G, Kumar Singh R, Londhe S, Nayak D, Dogra A, Choudhary R, Dhyani SK, Rizvi J, Vagen T-G, Ahmad M, Prabhu R, Dongre G. 2020. Mapping agroforestry and trees outside forest. Jhansi, India: Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Indian Council of Agricultural Research; New Delhi, India: World Agroforestry (ICRAF) South Asia Regional Programme.
Read more
Promising agroforestry tree species in India
Successful agroforestry models for different agroecological regions in India
Guidelines to produce quality planting material of agroforestry species.
How to grow a national agroforestry policy
International training in agroforestry for policy makers
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
- Jeanne Finestone, Head of Communications, ICRAF, Nairobi, Kenya: j.finestone@cgiar.org; +254 711 946327.
- Javed Rizvi, director, South Asia Regional Programme, World Agroforestry (ICRAF), New Delhi, India: j.rizvi@cgiar.org; + 91 9999755192
- AK Handa, principal scientist, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi, India: orgsec@gmail.com; + 91 9415179658
About World Agroforestry (ICRAF)
ICRAF is a centre of scientific and development excellence that harnesses the benefits of trees for people and the environment. Knowledge produced by ICRAF enables governments, development agencies and farmers to utilize the power of trees to make farming and livelihoods more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable at multiple scales. ICRAF is one of the 15 members of the CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. We thank all donors who support research in development through their contributions to the CGIAR Fund.
About the Central Agroforestry Research Institute
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research established the Central Agroforestry Research Institute, formerly known as the National Research Centre for Agroforestry at Jhansi on 8 May 1988 to cater to basic, strategic and applied research needs in the field of agroforestry. The institute coordinates a large research network — the All-India Coordinated Project on Agroforestry — with 37 centres located in different agro-climatic zones.
About the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research is an autonomous organization under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. ICAR was established on 16 July 1929 with headquarters in New Delhi. It is the apex body for coordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture, including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in India. With 101 institutes and 71 agricultural universities spread across the country, ICAR is one of the largest national agricultural systems in the world. ICAR played a pioneering role in ushering in the Green Revolution and subsequent developments in agriculture in India, through its research and technology development, and has actively contributed to formulation and implementation of agroforestry policy and mission.
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