Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Agroforestry improves food security and reduces income variability in semi-arid tropics of central India

  • Published:
Agroforestry Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study, using cross sectional data from 170 farmers, empirically established that agroforestry positively affects food security and significantly reduces income variability among farmers in Bundelkhand region lying in semi-arid tropics of central India. A 1% increase in the tree density and tree diversity on farm significantly increases food security status by 0.231% and 0.141% points, respectively. Further variability in income reduces by around 0.38% and 0.16% with unit percentage increase in tree density and diversity, respectively. Therefore, amid the epoch of global climate change, agroforestry practice can be a crucial climate smart agriculture option. Farmers’ challenges were also identified and ranked by using Problem Confrontation Index (PCI). The study unveils that, efforts towards controlling stray animals, creating marketing environment, strengthening and streamlining the extension services for more technological and input support requires a strategic institutional framework as a key to upgrade agroforestry in the region.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Birthal PS, Negi DS, Kumar S, Aggarwal S, Suresh A, Khan T (2014) How sensitive is Indian agriculture to climate change? Ind J Agri Econ 69(4):474–487

    Google Scholar 

  • CAFRI (2013) Annual Report 2013. ICAR-Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi, India.

  • Chavan S, Newaj R, Keerthika A, Ram A, Jha A, Kumar A (2014) Agroforestry for adaptation and mitigation of climate change. Popular Kheti 2(3):214–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Chavan SB, Keerthika A, Dhyani SK, Handa AK, Newaj R, Rajarajan K (2015) National agroforestry policy in India: a low hanging fruit. Curr Sci 108(10):1826–1834

    Google Scholar 

  • Choudhary BB, Sirohi S (2020) Modelling climate sensitivity of agriculture in trans and upper gangetic plains of India. Theoret Appl Climato 142(1/2):381–391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-020-03297-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choudhary BB, Sirohi S (2022) Understanding vulnerability of agricultural production system to climatic stressors in North Indian Plains: a meso-analysis. Environ Dev Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01997-7

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwall A, Jewkes R (1995) What is participatory research? Social Sci Medi 41(12):1667–1676. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(95)00127-S

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dev I, Ram A, Bhaskar S, Chaturvedi OP (2019) Role of Agroforestry in Current Scenario. In: Dev et al. (eds) Agroforestry for Climate Resilience and Rural Livelihood, Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur, India, pp 1–10.

  • Dhyani SK, Handa AK (2013) India needs agroforestry policy urgently: issues and challenges. Ind J Agroforestry 15(2):1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Dhyani SK, Handa AK (2013) Agroforestry in India and its potential for ecosystem services. In: Dagar JC et al (eds) Agroforestry systems in India: livelihood security and ecosystem services. Advances in Agroforestry, Springer, India, pp 345–366

    Google Scholar 

  • Dinesh D, Campbell BM, Bonilla-findji O, Richards M (2017) 10 Best bet innovations for adaptation in agriculture: a supplement to the UNFCCC NAP Technical Guidelines. CCAFS Working Paper no. 215. Wageningen, The Netherlands: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)

  • Douyon A, Worou ON, Diama A, Badolo F, Denou RK, Touré S, Sidibé A, Nebie B, Tabo R (2022) Impact of crop diversification on household food and nutrition security in southern and central Mali. Front Sustain Food Syst 5:751349. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.751349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Falco SD, Chavas JP (2009) On crop biodiversity, risk exposure, and food security in the highlands of Ethiopia. Am J Agric Econ 91(3):599–611. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8276.2009.01265.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GoI (2001) Report of the Task Force on greening India for livelihood security and sustainable development. Planning Commission, GoI, pp. 254.

  • IFPRI (2022) 2022 Global food policy report: Climate change and food systems. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), pp 146–161. https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294257

  • Kidd PS, Parshall MB (2000) Getting the focus and the group: enhancing analytical rigour in focus group research. Qual Health Res 10(3):293–308. https://doi.org/10.1177/104973200129118453

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kraaijvanger R, Sonneveld M, Almekinders C, Veldkamp T (2015) Comparison of methods to identify crop productivity constraints in developing countries. A review. Agron Sust Dev 35(2):625–637. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-014-0254-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar KSK (2011) Climate sensitivity of Indian agriculture: do spatial effects matter? Cambridge J of Reg, Econ Soci 4:221–235. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsr004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar S, Sharma P, Satyapriya GP, Singh M, Kumar S, Halli HM, Choudhary BB, Bagavathiannan M (2022) Economic impression of on-farm research for sustainable crop production, milk yield, and livelihood options in semi-arid regions of central India. Agro J 114(3):1769–1781. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21062

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mango N, Makate C, Mapemba L, Mapembamm L, Sopo M (2018) The role of crop diversification in improving household food security in central Malawi. Agric Food Secur 7:7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-018-0160-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller DC, Muñoz-Mora JC, Rasmussen LV, Zezza A (2020) Do trees on farms improve household well-being? evidence from national panel data in Uganda. Front Glob Change 3:101. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2020.00101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Agroforestry Policy (2014) Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, pp. 1–13.

  • Ogle SM, Olander L, Wollenberg L, Rosenstock T, Tubiello F, Paustian K, Buendia L, Nihart A, Smith P (2014) Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting agricultural management for climate change in developing countries: providing the basis for action. Global Change Bio 20:1–6. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quandt A (2021) Agroforestry trees for improved food security on farms impacted by wildlife crop raiding in Kenya. Trees Forest People 4:100069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2021.100069

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ranjan R (2021) Payments for ecosystems services-based agroforestry and groundwater nitrate remediation: the case of Poplar deltoides in Uttar Pradesh, India. J of Cleaner Prod 287:1250–1259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125059

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rathod P, Dixit S (2020) Dairying in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh: constraints to realizing the potential. Ind J Anim Sci 90(1):3–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reppin S, Kuyah S, Neergaard AD, Oelofse M, Rosenstock TS (2020) Contribution of agroforestry to climate change mitigation and livelihoods in western Kenya. Agroforest Syst 94:203–220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-019-00383-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sapkota TB, Vetter SH, Jat ML, Sirohi S, Shirsath PB, Singh R, Jat HS, Smith P, Hillier J, Stirling CM (2019) Cost-effective opportunities for climate change mitigation in Indian agriculture. Sci of the Total Env 655:1342–1354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.225

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh P, Goyal M, Choudhary BB, Guleria A (2021) Sustainable food security index: planning tool for district-level agricultural development in Uttar Pradesh. Agril Econ Res Rev 34(1):51–67. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-0279.2021.00004.5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh P, Goyal M, Choudhary BB (2022) How sustainable is food system in India? mapping evidence from the state of Punjab. Environ Dev Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-02034-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WFP (2009) Emergency food security assessment handbook (EFSA), 2nd edn. World Food Programme, Rome, Italy.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR-Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi, 284003, UP, India

    Priyanka Singh, R. P. Dwivedi, A. Arunachalam, Sushil Kumar & Inder Dev

  2. ICAR ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, 284003, UP, India

    Bishwa Bhaskar Choudhary

Authors
  1. Priyanka Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bishwa Bhaskar Choudhary
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. P. Dwivedi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. Arunachalam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Sushil Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Inder Dev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Priyanka Singh or Bishwa Bhaskar Choudhary.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors of the submitted manuscript declare that they have neither financial nor non-financial conflicts of interest relevant for the content of the article.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

See Table 5.

Table 5 Tree species and its benefits mentioned by the farmers in the survey
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Singh, P., Choudhary, B.B., Dwivedi, R.P. et al. Agroforestry improves food security and reduces income variability in semi-arid tropics of central India. Agroforest Syst 97, 509–518 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-023-00806-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-023-00806-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation