by Tanveer Rather
States are permitted to utilise up to five per cent of allocated funds for capacity building and training. All training materials and reports are to be made publicly available for the benefit of stakeholders.
Jammu and Kashmir is facing multiple challenges in the wake of rising climatic risks, frequent natural disasters, biodiversity loss, degradation of natural resources, and increasing pressure on natural forests. Alongside these pressures, high unemployment and shrinking livelihood opportunities threaten not only the ecological balance but also the social and economic stability of the region. In this setting, agroforestry emerges as a practical and sustainable solution, offering both environmental conservation and livelihood generation.
Agroforestry is the planned integration of trees or shrubs with crops and livestock on the same land. India was the first country to adopt a dedicated National Agroforestry Policy in 2014, which encouraged other nations to create similar strategies. Agroforestry contributes to climate change mitigation by modifying microclimates, conserving biodiversity, sequestering carbon, generating livelihoods, and reducing pressure on natural forests. Strengthened by the National Agroforestry Policy (2014) and the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (2016-17), the practice supports farm resilience through quality planting material, crop integration, market support, and institutional backing.
Three Indian states have so far adopted a state agroforestry policy. In a significant step toward sustainable agriculture and climate resilience, Odisha has recently become the third, joining Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. The Odisha State Agroforestry Policy 2025 promotes integrated tree-crop farming systems that aim to raise farmer income, improve soil health, and help meet climate targets. Developed with the support of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s Central Agroforestry Research Institute (ICAR-CAFRI) in collaboration with CIFOR-ICRAF, the policy is aligned with India’s wider commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It contributes to nine of these, including climate action, sustainable land use, and poverty reduction.
A dedicated agroforestry policy for Jammu and Kashmir is urgently required. Such a policy would align with India’s National Agroforestry Policy (2014) while responding to the specific challenges of the Western Himalayan agro-climatic zone. The temperate conditions and distinctive biodiversity of the region demand tailored models of tree-crop integration. A state policy could stimulate the development of quality planting material, expand market support for tree-based products, and create skill development programmes for farmers, enabling the adoption of agroforestry at a larger scale.
By turning wastelands and underutilised lands into productive resources, the policy could play a vital role in employment generation, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation. It would also contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation while supporting initiatives such as Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), which seeks to involve communities in participatory environmental protection and sustainable resource use.
The policy should promote tree plantation alongside crops and livestock to enhance farm productivity, diversify income, and improve rural livelihoods, particularly for small and marginal farmers. ICAR-Central Agroforestry Research Institute (CAFRI) would serve as the nodal agency for technical support, capacity building, nursery establishment, production, registration, and certification of quality planting material. Public nurseries would be accredited under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare’s agroforestry nursery accreditation protocol.
CAFRI extends support through its All India Coordinated Research Project centres and state nodal agencies and institutes such as ICFRE, state agricultural universities, farmer-producer organisations, and Krishi Vigyan Kendras. Region-specific agroforestry practices and models are to be demonstrated and promoted, with particular focus on the Jammu and Kashmir part of the north-western Himalayan region. The adoption of site-specific models recommended by ICAR-CAFRI is central to this effort.
Research, training, and extension support are provided through institutions including ICAR-CAFRI, ICFRE, local agricultural universities, and the Agriculture and Forest Department. These bodies build farmer skills and encourage the adoption of agroforestry practices. The induction of agroforestry and forestry as compulsory courses in all educational and training institutes is essential, alongside the creation of a dedicated agroforestry support wing within the Agriculture Department and allied agencies.
Marketing, value addition, and processing of timber and non-timber forest products must be facilitated, with buy-back guarantees and the active involvement of the private sector. Databases and geo-tagged plantations, combined with modern monitoring systems such as geo-spatial technology and satellite imagery, are to be employed in collaboration with the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre and ICAR-CAFRI. These tools enable accurate assessment of agroforestry’s ecological and economic impact. Support for agroforestry under MNREGA is also considered critical.
Specific demonstration projects, developed for extension purposes, are to be undertaken by ICAR-CAFRI, state agricultural universities, central agricultural universities, CSIR, ICFRE, state government agencies, other national and international organisations, and private partners. Project-based studies on carbon sequestration, soil health improvement, and related areas are to be supported within the scheme.
Training of farmers and field workers is essential to ensure the raising of quality planting material. Skill development for young people provides business opportunities within the agroforestry sector. Awareness campaigns, publications, information sharing, exposure visits, and seminars at national and international levels will be supported. States are permitted to utilise up to five per cent of allocated funds for capacity building and training. All training materials and reports are to be made publicly available for the benefit of stakeholders.
Carbon sequestration remains a central goal, directly supporting India’s Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement, with carbon credit facilities forming part of this strategy.
A systematic review of literature published up to June 2025, including research by Banyal et al. (2016) and Rather et al. (2025), suggested that hortipastoral models, particularly those based on apricot, are suitable for marginal or uncultivated land. This was published in the journal Range Management and Agroforestry in 2025. The Central Agroforestry Research Institute, through the All India Coordinated Research Project on Agroforestry, has developed successful models tailored to different agro-climatic zones. Jammu and Kashmir lies in the Western Himalayan zone, with the Kashmir region marked by a temperate climate of mild summers and cold, snowy winters. These conditions require careful consideration when selecting appropriate agroforestry models.
Models recommended for Kashmir include agrisilviculture, where trees such as Populus nigra, Salix alba, Aesculus indica, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Ailanthus excels are combined with crops. Silvipastoral systems integrate trees, including Populus nigra, Salix alba, Aesculus indica, Robinia pseudoacacia, Ailanthus excels, and Ulmus villosa, with grasses such as Napier, Dactylis, Festuca, and Trifolium species. Boundary plantations involve Populus deltoides, Populus nigra, elm, and Aesculus indica. Hortipastoral systems combine fruit trees with hybrid grasses, while horti-agricultural systems integrate fruit trees with crops.
Further models include horti-agrisilviculture, where fruit trees are combined with forest trees around orchards and crops. Hortisilvipastoral systems combine fruit trees with forest trees around orchards and grasses, while hortisilviculture links fruit trees with forest trees. The horti-medicinal model involves fruit trees such as apple, almond, cherry, apricot, pear, and peach, integrated with medicinal and aromatic plants including lavender, rosemary, Achillea millefolium, saffron, iris, dandelion, and Tethwan.
The Government of Jammu and Kashmir must take proactive steps to frame and implement a state agroforestry policy. Such a move will strengthen the resilience of farming systems against climate change, while opening new avenues for income generation, ecological restoration, and sustainable rural development.
(The writer holds a PhD in Forestry and is affiliated with Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K). Views are personal.)
