Traditional and commercial agroforestry systems in western Uttar Pradesh—An economic analysis

Economic diagnosis of agroforetry practices, viz. commercial and traditional in the western Uttar Pradesh has been conducted during the period 2001–03. The field bund/farm boundary system of agroforestry has been found the most common practice in the traditional region with tree species like Azadirachta indica and Acacia nilotica. The tree stock has been found as 15.6 per farmer and the tree density is inversely proportional to the size of landholding. Fuel wood needs have prompted the majority of the farmes (50.6%) to patronize trees on farmlands, followed by supplementary income (24.4%). The annual mean wood produced and harvested has worked out to be 4.24 q/farm household and direct returns from tree components has worked out to be Rs 439 ha⁻¹ per annum.

In the commercial agroforestry region also farm bund/boundary plantation of trees has been found predominant (78.1%), followed by agrisilviculture (21.9%). The most common tree species are poplar (Populous deltioides) and Eucalyptus tereticornis hybrids. The overall tree density under the bund plantation has been found as 146 tree ha⁻¹. Monetary considerations prompted most of the farmers (88.8%) in favour of agroforestry. The B:C ratio has been found higher (3.00) on poplar-based agrisilviculture than poplar-based bund system (2.84). In commercial agroforestry, the net additional returns compared to a pure crop rotation (Rs 11734) have been found to range between Rs 5548 (eucalyptus-based bund system) to Rs 17145 (poplar-based agrisilviculture) per ha per annum. Although commercial agroforestry seems to be more profitable, the traditional agroforestry is also relevant to the farmers' livelihoods.