Benefit or importance or advantages of Agroforestry

Benefit or importance or advantages of agroforestry

The main reasons for highlighting the importance or benefits or advantages of agroforestry are as follows:

Economical benefits
 Produce multiple products to meet growing demand of increasing human population and livestock. These products are food/vegetables/fruits, fodder and forage needed for livestock, fuel wood, timber, leaf litter needed for organic manure production and other NTFPs.
 Agroforestry practice is needed to minimize total crop failure when farm is attacked by insects, pests and diseases.
 Improve and sustain the crop productivity which increases the level of income of the farmers.
 Improve the nutritive value of animal and human diet.
 Agroforestry is the best practice for soil nutrient recycling, which also helps to reduce chemical fertilizer purchase.

Social benefits
 Improving the living standard the farmers through sustained agroforestry yield, income and employment.
 Access of health, education, and other social services of the farmers could be improved due to the regular income and employment opportunities.
 Majority of the Nepalese farmers have less than 1 ha farmland and increasing population requires more food, fuel wood, fodder and forage, and timber. To meet these demands, agroforestry is the only one option for our country.
 Agroforestry farmer groups could be formed easily involving farmers practicing agroforestry practices, and their capacity can be built up easily.
 This is a traditional practice in Nepal. Therefore, farmers can be motivated and empowered easily.

Environmental benefits
 Agroforestry practice helps to stabilize shifting cultivation which leads the protection of the remaining forests.
 Improve the farm site ecology by reducing surface run off, soil erosion and nutrient loss, gully formation, landslides, and river bank erosion.
 Improve the local micro-climate and enhance the productive capacity of the farm.
 Reduce pressure of community forests and other natural forests for fodder, fuel wood and timber.
 Agroforestry helps for the beautification of the surrounding areas.
 Agroforestry works as carbon sequesters, which helps to reduce the effects of climate change.