Carbon sequestration potential and economic benefits of agroforestry in Shiwalik region of Himalaya in India

Abstract

Agroforestry is a classical long-standing technique and a significant aspect of subsistence farming, which gained popularity as a commercial and beneficial land use throughout the world in recent years. Approximately, 1.2 billion people depend directly on agroforestry products and services viz. fuelwood, timber, poles, food, fodder etc. In Shiwalik Himalayan region, traditional agroforestry practices play significant role in sustainable livelihoods of the people through fulfilling their daily needs. The current article provides concise description of the different agroforestry systems practiced in the Shiwalik Himalayan region, together with information on their biomass production, economic benefits and carbon sequestration potential. The various agroforestry systems that farmers prefer and practiced in the region are Agri-Silviculture (AS), Agri-Horticulture (AH), Agri-Silvi-Horticulture (ASH), Agri-Silvi-Pastoral (ASP), Silvi-Pastoral (SP), Pastoral-Silviculture (PS), Agri-Horti-Silviculture (AHS), Pastoral-Horticulture (PH), Horti-Pastoral (HP) and Pastoral-Horti-Silviculture (PHS). In terms of biomass production, the production potential of agroforestry systems ranged from 4.24 t ha -1 to 47.45 t ha -1 whereas the net economic returns varied from Rs 5,772 ha -1 yr -1 to Rs 2,97,953 ha -1 yr -1 and the B:C ratio from 1.38 to 3.55 based on the types of components used, associated costs incurred and returns realized. Moreover, the carbon stock capacity among practiced agroforestry systems expands from 1.91 t ha -1 to 21.35 t ha -1 . Overall, agroforestry is a prominent land use system in Shiwalik region of Himalayan in India which is gaining more interest among farmer due to its higher net returns in all the three categories of farmers. Nevertheless, agroforestry usually stores more carbon than monoculture farming and farmers can also earn carbon credits by trading the carbon captured in agroforestry systems on international markets in the climate change scenario.