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Challenges and Strategies to Address Food and Livelihood Security in Agroforestry

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Agroforestry

Abstract

Agroforestry combines agriculture and forestry to generate integrated and sustainable land-use systems. It can be regarded as one potential solution in meeting the needs of the society and is influenced by many socioeconomic factors. These factors and their relationship to the agroforestry are highly important as this would help to ascertain the opportunities for the development of agroforestry system. The main socioeconomic factors that determine the actual occurrence of agroforestry are gender, household security, availability of planting materials, shelf life of forest products, access to market, information, and low income. A clear understanding of the influential factors in farmer’s decision-making related to the adoption and maintenance of agroforestry is important.

Agroforestry is a viable option for ensuring food and livelihood security by its multiple services. Homegardens are among the best solutions of household food security and income generation. By growing different nutritious fruits and vegetables in their homesteads, families can have access to all essential nutrients throughout the year. This will go a long way to ensure that their children have a healthy diet. Processed and value-added forest products have the potential to improve livelihoods of poor farmers. Availability and accessible credit facilities to farmers enhance production improvement by easily accessing the required inputs at right times. Extension helps to empower and motivate rural community to enhance and diversify the productivity of their agroforestry systems and in strengthening their capacity to seize market opportunities. Thus, agroforestry can enhance the socioeconomic livelihood of rural people by enhancing food and nutritional security and income-earning potentials. Benefits may take long to make impact, but there is long-run profitability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. RVSKVV-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Morena, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Reeta Mishra

  2. Directorate of Extension Services, RVSKVV, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Yagya Dev Mishra

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  1. Reeta Mishra
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  1. Natural Resource Management Division, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, India

    Jagdish Chander Dagar

  2. Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India

    Vindhya Prasad Tewari

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Mishra, R., Mishra, Y.D. (2017). Challenges and Strategies to Address Food and Livelihood Security in Agroforestry. In: Dagar, J., Tewari, V. (eds) Agroforestry. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7650-3_34

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