Agroforestry: A Key Technique for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Climate change is the most important issue of the twenty-first century, and it’s being discussed in every country. The growth of heat waves, changes in rainfall patterns, the rise of sea levels, desertification, land degradation, drought and floods have all been caused by climate change. Agriculture accounts for 30% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the world today. As a result of climate change, food shortages and water shortages will become more common. The food problem is a direct result of deforestation and the overuse of natural resources. Agroforestry has emerged as a key component in addressing both the food issue and climate change in the modern world. In the tropical regions of Brazil, Kenya and Indonesia, farmers are paid to grow trees as part of agroforestry programmes. Farming based on agroforestry can provide food security while simultaneously providing a healthy diet. Practicing agroforestry will help recharge groundwater, avoid soil erosion and degradation and lessen the impact of natural disasters. It will reduce poverty, provide food security, produce money and empower tribal communities and rural populations. There is a growing demand for Ayurvedic medicine in India as the country attempts to enhance its forest cover from 23% to 33% through the use of kitchen gardens and agroforestry. This would help the country’s commerce industry. Given its location, India’s agricultural potential is greatly enhanced by agroforestry. With the majority of its population concentrated in rural areas, India is predominantly an agrarian society, and modern technology plays a crucial role in ensuring food security. In contrast, agroforestry can fill in the gaps where modern technology has not yet reached the agriculture sector. Ecological balance and proper biodiversity can also be achieved through agroforestry. There are around 300 million rural Indians who are completely reliant on forests and other natural resources for their food, clothing and shelter, and agroforestry cultivation in Jharkhand has given tribal communities the power to self-sufficiency. Rural inhabitants in the Indian subcontinent will benefit greatly from community-based farming with agroforestry, which will help reduce rural–urban migration and improve the socioeconomic and food security of the people in rural areas and sustainable use of Land.