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General Forestry for APPSC Forest Section Officer · Chapter 8

Agroforestry, Social Forestry, NTFPs and Community Forest Management in Andhra Pradesh

What to remember

  • Agroforestry combines trees with crops and/or livestock on the same land unit, in space or in time, so that the parts help each other. Social forestry is forestry done outside the reserved forest by and for local people.
  • Joint Forest Management (JFM) gave people a share in protection and benefit. Andhra Pradesh was among the first states to start it; its village bodies are the Vana Samrakshana Samithis (VSS).
  • Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) support tribal incomes. Under the Forest Rights Act 2006, Gram Sabhas hold rights over minor forest produce.

Agroforestry

Definition: a land-use system in which woody perennials are grown with crops and/or animals, with economic or ecological interaction between them. The word became common after the founding of the International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF, now World Agroforestry) in Nairobi in 1977. In India, the Central Agroforestry Research Institute (CAFRI) is at Jhansi. India launched a National Agroforestry Policy in 2014.

Classification by components:

SystemComponentsExamples
AgrisilvicultureTrees + cropsBoundary trees, alley cropping, shelterbelt with crops
SilvopastureTrees + pasture/animalsFodder trees, grass under trees, protein banks
AgrisilvopastureTrees + crops + animalsHome gardens, multi-storey farms
Agri-horti-silvicultureFruit trees + forest trees + cropsOrchard with timber rows and intercrop
OtherBees + trees; aqua-forestryApiculture with trees; tree-lined fish ponds

Common practices:

  • Taungya: forest land is given to farmers to raise crops in the first years while they plant and protect forest trees. Brandis first used it in Burma (Myanmar).
  • Alley cropping: crops are grown in the alleys between hedgerows of trees (often legumes) that are pruned for green manure and mulch.
  • Boundary and bund plantation: trees along field edges (Casuarina, Eucalyptus, Melia dubia, Neem, Subabul).
  • Home gardens: many layers on a small plot near the house.
  • Shelterbelts and windbreaks around fields.
  • Block plantations on farmland by farmers (Eucalyptus, Casuarina, Teak) as a cash crop; these are called farm forestry.

Benefits: more income and risk spread; fodder, fuel and timber on the farm; soil improvement through litter and nitrogen fixation; moisture conservation and shade; reduces pressure on natural forests; carbon storage.

Possible problems: competition for light, water and nutrients; allelopathy by some species (for example Eucalyptus, Leucaena in some cases); shade harm to crops; pests; market for tree products.

Good agroforestry trees: fast growth, small shade, deep roots, nitrogen fixing, easy pruning, multiple uses. Examples: Leucaena leucocephala, Gliricidia sepium, Pongamia pinnata, Faidherbia albida (crops grown under it), Melia dubia, Acacia species, Moringa, Neem.

Social forestry

Meaning: growing trees outside traditional forest areas to meet local needs for fuel, fodder, small timber and food, and to improve the environment. The National Commission on Agriculture (1976) popularised the term in India.

Types:

  • Farm forestry: farmers plant trees on their own land.
  • Community forestry: planting on village common land, panchayat land or tank bunds for shared benefit.
  • Extension forestry: planting on roadsides, canal banks, railway sides, and strips of public land.
  • Urban forestry: parks, avenues and green belts in cities.
  • Mixed or fuelwood plantations on wastelands.

Policy milestones: the National Forest Policy 1988 gave priority to environment and local needs and to people's involvement; the Government of India circular of 1990 encouraged Joint Forest Management. The annual tree-planting festival Vana Mahotsav was started in 1950 by K.M. Munshi, then Union Agriculture Minister. The Forest Rights Act and the National Mission for a Green India give further support.

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and minor forest produce

NTFPs (also called minor forest produce, MFP) are all biological products other than timber from forests.

GroupExamples
EdibleTamarind, honey, mahua flowers, chironji, custard apple, mushrooms
Gums, resinsGum karaya (Sterculia urens), gum arabic from Acacia, resins
LeavesTendu (Diospyros melanoxylon) for beedis, Bauhinia (adda) leaves for plates, broom grass
MedicinalMyrobalans (Terminalia chebula, T. bellirica), Emblica officinalis (amla), Soapnut (Sapindus), Neem products
Fibre, fodder, craftBamboo, cane, grasses, sabai
Animal productsLac, tassar silk cocoons, honey, beeswax
Oil seedsPongamia, mahua, neem, Sal seeds

Handling and value addition: collection by tribal gatherers, primary processing (cleaning, drying, grading), storage, and sale to cooperative societies or traders. Value addition increases the gatherer's share.

Institutions in AP: the Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC) buys minor forest produce from tribal collectors and supplies essentials to them, working with the Integrated Tribal Development Agencies. Support-price schemes for MFP exist at national level; check the latest official release for current rates and lists.

Forest Rights Act, 2006 (Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act): recognises individual rights to cultivated land, community rights, and community forest resource rights. Ownership, collection and sale of minor forest produce rest with the forest dwellers, and the Gram Sabha is the main authority.

Sustainable harvest rules: harvest only mature produce, leave regeneration, avoid felling trees for fruit or bark, follow rotation of harvest area, and avoid fire.

Joint and community forest management in Andhra Pradesh

JFM: an arrangement in which the Forest Department and village communities protect and manage degraded forest together and share benefits.

  • Village body: the Vana Samrakshana Samithi (VSS) is a committee of the village forest users, with a general body of all adults and a managing committee. The Forest Section Officer and Beat Officer act as the Department's link persons.
  • Micro-plan: each VSS prepares a plan for protection, planting, income-generating works and use of the revenue.
  • Benefit sharing: the VSS gets NTFP use and a share in timber proceeds as set by government orders; details were revised several times, so check the latest order.
  • Funds: the VSS keeps a joint account for village development works.
  • Eco-development: protected areas have eco-development committees to give benefits to nearby villages.
  • Community Forest Management (CFM) is the later stage of AP's JFM: the JFM programme begun in 1992 was renamed CFM in 2002 under the World Bank-aided AP Community Forest Management Project, which gave VSSs a larger role.
  • Related programme names include Vanam-Manam (state greening campaign) and the National Afforestation Programme (NAP) run through forest development agencies.

Why JFM works: local people have a stake in protection; it reduces fire, grazing and illegal felling; improves forest cover and assures livelihoods. Weaknesses: unequal benefit sharing, weak village institutions, dependence on the Department, and low NTFP prices.

Planning and people's role

Success of social forestry and JFM depends on choosing species the people want (fuel, fodder, fruit, small timber), clear rules on who gets what, and training of village members. Nurseries run by women's groups, schools and self-help groups supply seedlings. Fodder and fuelwood plots reduce pressure on natural forest. Fire watching, patrolling and social fencing are shared tasks. Monitoring by the Forest Department and village bodies, with simple records of plantation survival and income, keeps the system honest. Forest and tribal welfare departments work together in tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh, where NTFP collection is an important livelihood.

Species choice in social forestry

For fuelwood: Casuarina, Eucalyptus, Prosopis, Subabul, Acacia auriculiformis. For fodder: Subabul, Gliricidia, Albizia lebbeck, Moringa, Hardwickia binata. For small timber and poles: Eucalyptus, Casuarina, Melia dubia, Teak, Bamboo. For fruit and food: Tamarind, Mango, Jamun, Custard apple. For soil improvement: nitrogen-fixing legumes. A mix of species spreads risk and meets several needs. Species should suit local rainfall and soil, and be neither thirsty on dry sites nor harmful to neighbouring crops.

Exam traps

  • Agrisilviculture vs silvopasture: the first has crops with trees; the second has animals or pasture with trees.
  • Taungya vs alley cropping: taungya is on forest land for a few years; alley cropping is permanent hedgerows and crops.
  • Farm vs community forestry: farm forestry is on private land; community forestry is on common land.
  • NTFP vs timber: gum, lac, honey and tendu leaves are NTFPs; sawlogs are not.
  • VSS vs Gram Sabha: VSS is under JFM (Forest Department); Gram Sabha under the Forest Rights Act has rights over minor forest produce.
  • Tendu vs Bauhinia leaf: tendu leaf is wrapped for beedis; Bauhinia vahlii leaves make plates.
  • Gum karaya: from Sterculia urens, not from Acacia.
  • Social forestry: done outside reserved forest; it is not the same as JFM.

One-liners

  • 1. Agroforestry means trees with crops and/or livestock.
  • 2. ICRAF was set up in Nairobi in 1977.
  • 3. CAFRI is the agroforestry research institute at Jhansi.
  • 4. India's National Agroforestry Policy was announced in 2014.
  • 5. Taungya was used by Brandis in Burma.
  • 6. Vana Mahotsav was started by K.M. Munshi in 1950.
  • 7. National Forest Policy 1988 stressed people's involvement.
  • 8. Tendu leaves are used to wrap beedis.
  • 9. Gum karaya comes from Sterculia urens.
  • 10. VSS is the village body in AP's JFM.
  • 11. GCC buys minor forest produce from tribal collectors in AP.
  • 12. Under the Forest Rights Act, Gram Sabhas hold minor forest produce rights.

Practice questions

  1. ICRAF, now World Agroforestry, was founded in Nairobi in:

    1. 2014
    2. 1977
    3. 1950
    4. 1988
    Answer

    B. 1977

    It was set up in 1977 and popularised the word agroforestry.

  2. India's Central Agroforestry Research Institute (CAFRI) is located at:

    1. Nagpur
    2. Bengaluru
    3. Jhansi
    4. Dehradun
    Answer

    C. Jhansi

    CAFRI is an ICAR institute at Jhansi.

  3. India announced its National Agroforestry Policy in:

    1. 1988
    2. 2006
    3. 1976
    4. 2014
    Answer

    D. 2014

    It was among the first national agroforestry policies.

  4. The taungya system was first used in forestry by Brandis in:

    1. Bhutan
    2. Sri Lanka
    3. Burma (Myanmar)
    4. Kenya
    Answer

    C. Burma (Myanmar)

    Farmers raised crops while planting forest trees.

  5. The tree-planting festival Vana Mahotsav was started in 1950 by:

    1. Indira Gandhi
    2. Gifford Pinchot
    3. Jawaharlal Nehru
    4. K.M. Munshi
    Answer

    D. K.M. Munshi

    Munshi was then Union Agriculture Minister.

  6. The National Forest Policy of 1988 aims at forest or tree cover over about what part of India's area?

    1. Two-thirds
    2. One-third
    3. One-tenth
    4. One-half
    Answer

    B. One-third

    The goal is one-third overall and two-thirds in hills.

  7. The term 'social forestry' was popularised by the:

    1. Planning Commission, 1950
    2. Rio Summit, 1992
    3. Forest Rights Act, 2006
    4. National Commission on Agriculture, 1976
    Answer

    D. National Commission on Agriculture, 1976

    The Commission recommended tree planting outside forests.

  8. Gum karaya is obtained from:

    1. Boswellia serrata
    2. Pinus roxburghii
    3. Sterculia urens
    4. Acacia nilotica
    Answer

    C. Sterculia urens

    Sterculia urens yields gum karaya.

  9. Tendu leaves, used to wrap beedis, come from:

    1. Diospyros melanoxylon
    2. Shorea robusta
    3. Terminalia chebula
    4. Bauhinia vahlii
    Answer

    A. Diospyros melanoxylon

    Tendu leaf is a major tribal NTFP.

  10. In Andhra Pradesh JFM, VSS stands for:

    1. Village Seed Society
    2. Vana Samrakshana Samithi
    3. Vriksha Sanrakshana Sabha
    4. Vana Sampada Scheme
    Answer

    B. Vana Samrakshana Samithi

    The VSS is the village forest protection committee.

  11. Which AP body buys minor forest produce from tribal collectors?

    1. Horticulture Department
    2. Girijan Cooperative Corporation
    3. Forest Development Corporation
    4. Agricultural Marketing Board
    Answer

    B. Girijan Cooperative Corporation

    GCC procures MFP and supplies essentials to tribals.

  12. Under the Forest Rights Act, which body is the main authority for community forest rights?

    1. State Assembly
    2. Forest Range Office
    3. Zilla Parishad
    4. Gram Sabha
    Answer

    D. Gram Sabha

    Gram Sabha determines and manages rights.

  13. A home garden with trees, crops and animals is an example of:

    1. Silvopasture only
    2. Agrisilviculture only
    3. Pure forestry
    4. Agrisilvopasture
    Answer

    D. Agrisilvopasture

    It combines all three components.

  14. Alley cropping is the growing of crops:

    1. Under dense forest only
    2. In pots
    3. Between hedgerows of pruned trees
    4. On bare saline soil
    Answer

    C. Between hedgerows of pruned trees

    Hedgerow prunings serve as mulch or green manure.

  15. Silvopasture combines:

    1. Trees with crops only
    2. Trees with pasture or livestock
    3. Crops with bees only
    4. Fish with paddy
    Answer

    B. Trees with pasture or livestock

    Fodder trees and grass under trees are examples.

  16. Which is a commonly used agroforestry fodder tree?

    1. Leucaena leucocephala
    2. Santalum album
    3. Tectona grandis
    4. Pterocarpus santalinus
    Answer

    A. Leucaena leucocephala

    Subabul is a fast-growing fodder legume.

  17. Lac, an NTFP, is:

    1. A resinous secretion of insects
    2. A mushroom
    3. A fruit oil
    4. A tree gum from roots
    Answer

    A. A resinous secretion of insects

    The lac insect feeds on host trees.

  18. In the taungya system, the Forest Department gains mainly:

    1. Crop failure insurance
    2. Higher land tax
    3. Plantation raising by farmers at low cost
    4. Free timber from farmland
    Answer

    C. Plantation raising by farmers at low cost

    Farmers plant and tend trees while growing crops.

  19. Agri-horti-silviculture combines:

    1. Cattle and fish
    2. Bees and birds
    3. Crops, fruit trees and forest trees
    4. Crops and fish only
    Answer

    C. Crops, fruit trees and forest trees

    It adds horticulture to agrisilviculture.

  20. Joint Forest Management is an arrangement in which:

    1. Villagers get full ownership of forests
    2. Forest Department and village communities share management and benefits
    3. Forest land is sold to farmers
    4. Only Forest Department manages forests
    Answer

    B. Forest Department and village communities share management and benefits

    It links protection with benefit sharing.

  21. Extension forestry includes planting along:

    1. Reserved forest cores only
    2. Roadsides, canal banks and railway sides
    3. Only inside houses
    4. Only in laboratories
    Answer

    B. Roadsides, canal banks and railway sides

    It uses strips of public land outside the forest.

  22. Community forestry is raised mainly on:

    1. Village common land and panchayat land
    2. Private farm fields only
    3. Reserved forest cores
    4. National park zones
    Answer

    A. Village common land and panchayat land

    Benefits are shared by the community.

  23. Allelopathy in agroforestry means:

    1. Nitrogen fixation
    2. Shade given by trees
    3. Root grafting
    4. Chemical effect of one plant on neighbouring plants
    Answer

    D. Chemical effect of one plant on neighbouring plants

    Some trees release chemicals that harm crops.

  24. Sustainable harvest of NTFPs requires:

    1. Removing all seeds
    2. Annual burning
    3. Cutting trees for fruit
    4. Collecting mature produce without felling the tree
    Answer

    D. Collecting mature produce without felling the tree

    Regeneration must be left in place.

  25. Nitrogen-fixing trees are preferred in agroforestry because they:

    1. Improve soil fertility
    2. Have large shade
    3. Reduce crop yield
    4. Need no water
    Answer

    A. Improve soil fertility

    Legume trees enrich soil nitrogen.

  26. Primary processing and grading of NTFPs mainly helps gatherers by:

    1. Banning sales
    2. Reducing production
    3. Raising the price they receive
    4. Increasing forest fire
    Answer

    C. Raising the price they receive

    Value addition increases their share.

  27. The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises:

    1. Community forest resource rights and rights over minor produce
    2. Ownership of all forests by the State
    3. Trade bans on NTFPs
    4. Only mining rights
    Answer

    A. Community forest resource rights and rights over minor produce

    Rights are recognised for forest dwellers.

  28. A VSS micro-plan mainly lays out:

    1. Railway timetables
    2. Protection, planting and use of village forest income
    3. River dispute awards
    4. Mining leases
    Answer

    B. Protection, planting and use of village forest income

    Each VSS plans its own works.

  29. A 1 ha square field has a perimeter of 400 m. Trees at 4 m spacing along the boundary number:

    1. 80
    2. 400
    3. 100
    4. 50
    Answer

    C. 100

    400 / 4 = 100 trees.

  30. Trees are planted in a single row along 800 m of bund at 2 m spacing. Number of trees:

    1. 200
    2. 1,600
    3. 800
    4. 400
    Answer

    D. 400

    800 / 2 = 400.

  31. A 5 ha block is planted at 4 m x 4 m (625 plants/ha). Total plants:

    1. 2,500
    2. 3,500
    3. 6,250
    4. 3,125
    Answer

    D. 3,125

    625 x 5 = 3,125.

  32. Trees are to occupy 10% of a 5 ha farm. Area under trees is:

    1. 0.5 ha
    2. 5 ha
    3. 0.1 ha
    4. 1 ha
    Answer

    A. 0.5 ha

    10% of 5 = 0.5 ha.

  33. Taungya plots total 3 ha, planted at 2 m x 2 m. Total forest seedlings needed:

    1. 2,500
    2. 3,750
    3. 7,500
    4. 12,000
    Answer

    C. 7,500

    2,500 x 3 = 7,500.

  34. To bring one-third of a 60 ha area under tree cover, the area to plant is:

    1. 10 ha
    2. 20 ha
    3. 33 ha
    4. 30 ha
    Answer

    B. 20 ha

    60 / 3 = 20 ha.

  35. A gatherer collects 12 kg of tamarind per day for 25 days. Total collected:

    1. 250 kg
    2. 150 kg
    3. 300 kg
    4. 3,000 kg
    Answer

    C. 300 kg

    12 x 25 = 300.

  36. A nursery has to supply 1,000 seedlings with 20% extra for gap filling. Seedlings to raise:

    1. 1,200
    2. 2,000
    3. 1,100
    4. 1,020
    Answer

    A. 1,200

    1,000 x 1.2 = 1,200.

  37. Consider the statements: 1. Social forestry is done mainly outside reserved forests. 2. Social forestry and JFM mean the same thing. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    JFM involves reserved or degraded forest; they are different.

  38. Consider the statements: 1. The Forest Rights Act gives the Gram Sabha a central role. 2. Under it, minor forest produce is owned by the Forest Department. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    Rights over minor forest produce rest with forest dwellers.

  39. Consider the statements: 1. Taungya is raised on forest land. 2. Alley cropping uses hedgerows of pruned trees. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both statements are correct.

  40. Consider the statements: 1. Gum karaya comes from Acacia species. 2. Tendu leaves are used to wrap beedis. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    Gum karaya comes from Sterculia urens.

  41. Consider the statements: 1. Silvopasture means trees with crops only. 2. Agrisilviculture means trees with animals only. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    D. Neither 1 nor 2

    Definitions are swapped; both are wrong.

  42. Consider the statements: 1. Vana Mahotsav was started in 1950. 2. The National Forest Policy 1988 stressed people's involvement. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

  43. Consider the statements: 1. The VSS is the village body in AP's JFM. 2. GCC buys minor forest produce in tribal areas of AP. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

  44. Consider the statements: 1. NTFPs include sawlogs. 2. Honey is an NTFP. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    Sawlogs are timber; honey is a non-timber product.

  45. Gliricidia sepium hedgerows in alley cropping mainly supply:

    1. Cricket bats
    2. Beedi leaves
    3. Sandal oil
    4. Green manure and mulch
    Answer

    D. Green manure and mulch

    The legume prunings feed the soil and cover it.

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