Advancing India's Agroforestry Potential: Leveraging Technology and Community Approaches for Sustainable Development
Sayanta Ghosh
*
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003, India.
Jitendra Vir Sharma
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Agroforestry, a sustainable land management practice integrating trees with crops and livestock, holds immense potential for climate change mitigation and enhancing rural livelihoods in India. This article explores the synergy between advanced Remote Sensing (RS) technologies, such as vegetation indices like NDVI, and participatory approaches involving Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), cooperatives, and other farmer collectives. These combined interventions enable efficient monitoring and large-scale Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) activities, ensuring carbon finance benefits. By leveraging technology and collaboration, agroforestry can significantly contribute to India's carbon neutrality goals, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable income generation for farmers.
Keywords: Agroforestry, carbon finance, NDVI, remote sensing, farmer producer organizations