Model Rules For Felling of Trees On Agricultural Land

To promote agroforestry and support climate goals, the government has released model rules for tree felling on agricultural land.

Key Highlights

• Ease of Doing Agroforestry: The rules aim to remove procedural hurdles and incentivize farmers to integrate tree cultivation with farming systems.
• State Level Committee (SLC): The existing SLC under the Wood-Based Industries (Establishment & Regulation) Guidelines, 2016 will be responsible for overseeing these rules.
  • It will advise state governments on simplifying processes for tree felling and timber transit, especially for commercially valuable species.
• Registration of Plantation Area: Farmers must register their plantation lands on the National Timber Management System portal.
• A Felling Permit is issued for agricultural lands with more than 10 trees, while a No Objection Certificate is issued for lands with 10 or fewer trees.

About Agroforestry

• Agroforestry is a land-use approach where trees and agricultural crops are cultivated together on the same piece of land.
• Types of Agroforestry Systems:
  • Agrisilviculture: Combines crops with trees
  • Silvopasture: Integrates trees with livestock
  • Agrosilvopastoral: Merges trees, crops, and animal grazing on the same land.

Agroforestry in India

• Agroforestry occupies 28.4 million hectares, representing 8.65% of India’s total geographical area.
• It contributes significantly to carbon sequestration, accounting for 19.3% of the nation’s total carbon stock, making it a vital strategy for climate change mitigation.
• Traditional Agroforestry Systems: India has a rich legacy of indigenous agroforestry practices, including: 
• • Home gardens in Kerala
  • Zabo farming in Nagaland
  • Kheti-wadi in Rajasthan

Government Initiatives Promoting Agroforestry

• India was the first country in the world to adopt a dedicated agroforestry policy.
• National Agroforestry Policy (2014): Provides a policy framework to advance research, development, and scaling of agroforestry practices.
• Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF): Implemented under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA),  promote tree planting on farmlands, especially for small and marginal farmers
• GROW Initiative: Spearheaded by NITI Aayog to Restore degraded and underutilized lands via agroforestry.
• All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Agroforestry: Led by ICAR, to conduct agroforestry research across various agroclimatic zones. Develop and refine agroforestry models suited to local conditions. 

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