Agroforestry: A Sustainable Way of Managing and Improving the Productivity of Arid Zones

Low and variable rainfall, hot and dry temperatures, high evapotranspiration, and low soil fertility are the characteristics of arid and dry zones. The majority of the world arid zone is in Africa (46%), and the maximum area in India arid zone is in Rajasthan (61%). The practice of agroforestry is already in existence in these regions to lessen the aftereffects of regular droughts and provide sustainable livelihoods even during dry periods. Trees on agricultural fields not only help in providing the basic needs of food, fodder, and timber but also have many subsidiary benefits, namely sustaining soil fertility, reducing wind and water erosion, conserving biodiversity, and so forth. Indian arid regions are dominated by multipurpose tree species like Prosopis cineraria, Zizyphus spp., Tecomella undulata, Acacia spp., Capparis decidua, and Salvadora spp. Various researchers have classified the agroforestry systems existing in dry regions around the world and in the Indian arid zone as well. Silvipastoral, agrisilviculture, hortipastoral, agri-horti-silvipastoral, and parklands are the major agroforestry systems occurring in Indian arid zones. Although these systems assist in sustaining the livelihood of the farming community, many researchers have worked to increase the productivity of these existing systems. The introduction of improved crop varieties and trees, the management of tree crop competition, and the well utilization of available resource inputs facilitate improving the productivity of agroforestry systems. Additionally, bringing unproductive and underutilized lands under agroforestry will help in maintaining and improving the productivity of hostile arid zones.