Carbon Sequestration, India National Agroforestry Policy, Green India Mission, Family Farming

Carbon sequestration

Carbon sequestration is the process of capture and long-term storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide and may refer specifically to:

• "The process of removing carbon from the atmosphere and depositing it in a reservoir." When carried out deliberately, this may also be referred to as carbon dioxide removal, which is a form of geoengineering.
• The process of carbon capture and storage, where carbon dioxide is removed from flue gases, such as on power stations, before being stored in underground reservoirs.
• Natural biogeochemical cycling of carbon between the atmosphere and reservoirs, such as by chemical weathering of rocks.

Carbon sequestration describes long-term storage of carbon dioxide or other forms of carbon to either mitigate or defer global warming and avoid dangerous climate change. It has been proposed as a way to slow the atmospheric and marine accumulation of greenhouse gases, which are released by burning fossil fuels.

India National Agroforestry Policy

India has become the first nation in the world to adopt an agroforestry policy. The National Agroforestry Policy, which deals with the practice of integrating trees, crops and livestock on the same plot of land, was launched February 10, the first day of the World Congress on Agroforestry, held in Delhi.

Agroforestry is defined as a land use system which integrate trees and shrubs on

1. farmlands and rural landscapes to enhance productivity, profitability, diversity and
   ecosystem sustainability.
   
   
   It is basically a practice in which trees will be grown on farms.
   
   
   Why Agroforestry?
   1. to enhance ecosystem services through carbon storage, prevention of deforestation, biodiversity conservation, and soil and water conservation.
   2. to provide employment to rural and urban population through production, industrial application and value addition ventures. Current estimates show that about 65 % of the country’s timber requirement is met from the trees grown on farms.
   3. to meet the target of increasing forest or tree cover to 33 per cent from the present level of less than 25 per cent, as envisaged in the National Forest Policy (1988).
   4. to help achieve the 4 percent sustained growth in agriculture. Tree farming combined with agriculture is perhaps the only way forward to optimize the farm productivity and thus, enhancing livelihood opportunities of small farmers, landless and the women.
   5. to build resilience of farmers and rural people against threats of climate change and natural calamities
   
   
   Need for Agroforestry Policy in India
   
   
   1. Absence of a dedicated and focused national policy and a suitable institutional mechanism:
   
   
   The value and position of agroforestry is ambiguous and undervalued, and despite of its numerous benefits, it is only sporadically mentioned at the national level, because of the lack of appropriate public policy support. While there are many schemes dealing with tree planting / agroforestry, there is an absence of a dedicated and focused policy, and lack of an institutional mechanism for coordination and convergence among the schemes/ ministries to pursue agroforestry in a systematic manner.
   
   
   2. Lack of an integrated farming systems approach
   
   
   Farming enterprise of small farmers needs to be understood and developed as a portfolio of activities rather than as “fixed one type of cropping system”. Development along this direction requires a convergent programme which integrates trees, crops, water, livestock and other
   livelihood initiatives
   
   
   3. Restrictive regulatory regime:
   There are restrictions imposed by the state governments on harvesting and transportation of agroforestry produce, especially those species which are found growing in the nearby forests. These restrictions were basically designed to prevent pilferage from government forests. However, the rationale for such restriction is not very convincing as the species grown in the forest are to be best grown in the nearby private farms because of their suitability to that
   agro-climatic condition
   
   
   4. Inadequate attempts at liberalization of restrictive regulations:
   There are sporadic examples of States taking steps for liberalization of above restrictions, such
   as, exempting agroforestry species from the harvesting and transit, but this has not been uniformly done by all the States. Also the extent of liberalization is not widely known to the farmers and thus, their problem continues. It is also learnt that farmers do not take interest in tree planting on the farm land fearing that too many trees on farm may lead to change in their land-use
   
   
   5. Insufficient research, extension and capacity building:
   Research results on agroforestry, available in the public and private domain do not regularly reach the farmers due to lack of a dedicated extension system. There is a serious lack of institutional mechanisms at all levels to promote agroforestry.
   
   
   6. Dearth of quality planting material:
   Planting material such as seeds, seedlings, clones, hybrids, improved varieties, etc. are generally of mixed quality and not available commonly, particularly in the resource poor regions.
   
   
   7. Institutional finance and insurance coverage:
   Institutional finance in agroforestry has not been at par with its potential due to the lack of awareness of technical and economic data on different agroforestry models, and the
   techno-economic parameters required by financial institutions (FI) to evaluate finance needs and viability of the projects. Similarly, little is done in developing and popularizing insurance products for agroforestry ventures.
   
   
   8. Weak market access for agroforestry produce:
   The marketing infrastructure (market yard, etc.), including “price discovery” mechanisms for agroforestry produce in general are unavailable in the country except in few states which have
   either developed exclusive marketing infrastructure for agroforestry produce or have dovetailed with the regulated agriculture commodity marketing systems. As a result, it is largely a buyer’s market and the middlemen get the major share in profit.
   
   
   9. Industry operations at a sub-optimal level:
   The Wood Based Industries (WBI) have played an important role in the promotion of agroforestry and economy in Punjab, Haryana, and in parts of U.P. and Uttarakhand. However, the regulations
   governing this industry have become stringent. Therefore, the agroforestry policy should facilitate that products are developed at competitive prices within India for generating local employment and reducing burden on imports.
   
   
   It could be summarized that although farmers are interested to expand agroforestry, as the evidence on adoption shows, there are many missed opportunities for agroforestry to benefit farmer income and the environment due to neglect /oversight of the agencies that are supposed and expected to adequately promote and support it.
   
   
   Goal
   The major policy goals are:
   1. Setting up a National Agroforestry Mission or an Agroforestry Board to implement the National Policy by bringing coordination, convergence and synergy among various elements of agroforestry scattered in various existing, missions, programmes, schemes and agencies pertaining to agriculture, environment, forestry, and rural development sectors of the Government.
   2. Improving the productivity; employment, income and livelihood opportunities of rural households, especially of the smallholder farmers through agroforestry.
   3. Meeting the ever increasing demand of timber, food, fuel, fodder, fertilizer, fibre, and other agroforestry products; conserving the natural resources and forest; protecting the environment & providing environmental security; and increasing the forest / tree cover, there is a need to increase the availability of these from outside the natural forests.
   
   
   Basic Objectives
   The basic objectives of the National Agroforestry Policy are to:
   
   
   1. Encourage and expand tree plantation in complementarity and integrated manner with crops and livestock to improve productivity, employment, income and livelihoods of rural households, especially the small holder farmers.
   2. Protect and stabilize ecosystems, and promote resilient cropping and farming systems to minimize the risk during extreme climatic events.
   3. Meet the raw material requirements of wood based industries and reduce import of wood and wood products to save foreign exchange.
   4. Supplement the availability of agroforestry products (AFPs), such as the fuel-wood, fodder, non-timber forest produce and small timber of the rural and tribal populations, thereby reducing the pressure on existing forests.
   5. Complement achieving the target of increasing forest/tree cover to promote ecological stability, especially in the vulnerable regions.
   6. Develop capacity and strengthen research in agroforestry and create a massive people's movement for achieving these objectives and to minimize pressure on existing forests

Green India mission/scheme

The Scheme Green India is being run by the Ministry  of the Environment and Forests under the National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) which is implemented throughout the country. 

The mission aims to 

• increase forest & tree cover on 5 million ha area, 
• improve quality of forest cover on another 5 million ha area, 
• ameliorate forest based livelihood of local communities and 
• also to improve ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity & hydrological services. 

Of the total expenditure of Rs. 13,000 crore envisaged in the 12th Plan, the plan outlay is Rs.2000 crore. The source of funding for the scheme would be from the Plan outlay, and convergence with MGNREGA activities, CAMPA and the NAP. The sharing pattern for the plan outlay would be 90 Centre and 10 State for the North Eastern States and 75 Centre and 25 State for the rest of the States. The 13th Finance Commission grant funds may be counted towards the States' share, to the extent that this is in conformity with the Commission’s award. 

Mission implementation will be on a decentralized participatory approach with involvement of grass root level organizations in planning, decision making, implementation and monitoring. The gram sabha and the committees mandated by the gram sabha, including revamped JFMCs will oversee implementation at the village level.

Family farming

Family Farming (also Family Agriculture) is a means of organizing agricultural, forestry, fisheries, pastoral and aquaculture production which is managed and operated by a family and predominantly reliant on non-wage family labor, including both women’s and men’s. The family and the farm are linked, co-evolve and combine economic, environmental, reproductive, social and cultural functions.

WHY IS FAMILY FARMING IMPORTANT?

• Family and small-scale farming are inextricably linked to world food security.
• Family farming preserves traditional food products, while contributing to a balanced diet and safeguarding the world’s agro-biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources.
• Family farming represents an opportunity to boost local economies, especially when combined with specific policies aimed at social protection and well-being of communities.

THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FAMILY FARMING

The 2014 International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) aims to raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farming by focusing world attention on its significant role in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in particular in rural areas.

The goal of the 2014 IYFF is to reposition family farming at the centre of agricultural, environmental and social policies in the national agendas by identifying gaps and opportunities to promote a shift towards a more equal and balanced development.  The 2014 IYFF will promote broad discussion and cooperation at the national, regional and global levels to increase awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by smallholders and help identify efficient ways to support family farmers.

Some history

Surapala, an ancient scholar who lived in the tenth century India, had written Vriksha Ayurveda, or ‘The Science of Plant Life’. This text describes arbori-culture, which is the science and practice associated with the cultivation, management and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines and woody plants. Surapala’s work mentions 170 species of trees, shrubs and herbs. It also provides a comprehensive description for the treatment of seeds and planting materials; selection of land; water management; plant nutrition and control of plant disorders; laying out of gardens and orchards, and growing of rare trees. Much prior to Surapala’s account, Emperor Ashoka who ruled in the third century BC had fostered a system of arbori-horticulture.