Assessing the Potential of Agroforestry in Nepal: Socio-economic and Environmental Perspectives
Edited book (chapter)
Dhakal, Arun, Maraseni, Tek N. and Timsina, Jagadish. 2022. "Assessing the Potential of Agroforestry in Nepal: Socio-economic and Environmental Perspectives." Timsina, Jadadish, Maraseni, Tek N., Gauchan, Devendra, Adhikari, Jagannath and Ojha, Hemant (ed.) Agriculture, Natural Resources and Food Security: Lessons from Nepal. Cham, Switzerland. Springer. pp. 375-394
| Chapter Title | Assessing the Potential of Agroforestry in Nepal: Socio-economic and Environmental Perspectives |
|---|---|
| Book Chapter Category | Edited book (chapter) |
| ERA Publisher ID | 3337 |
| Book Title | Agriculture, Natural Resources and Food Security: Lessons from Nepal |
| Authors | Dhakal, Arun (Author), Maraseni, Tek N. (Author) and Timsina, Jagadish (Author) |
| Editors | Timsina, Jadadish, Maraseni, Tek N., Gauchan, Devendra, Adhikari, Jagannath and Ojha, Hemant |
| Page Range | 375-394 |
| Series | Sustainable Development Goals Series |
| Chapter Number | 21 |
| Number of Pages | 20 |
| Year | 2022 |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Place of Publication | Cham, Switzerland |
| ISBN | 9783031095542 |
| 9783031095559 | |
| ISSN | 2523-3084 |
| 2523-3092 | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09555-9_21 |
| Web Address (URL) | https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-09555-9_21 |
| Abstract | Raising trees in and around farmlands with field crops (agroforestry) is an age-old farming practice in Nepal. However, modern agriculture has overshadowed tree-based farming as it emphasized high-yielding crop varieties to increase profit and farm productivity. Moreover, the importance of institutional setup and policy framework supporting its promotion has also been ignored in Nepal. As a result, we have witnessed environmental problems such as land degradation, water quality deterioration, and biodiversity loss, leading to food insecurity in some cases. In recent years, when the climate change issue surfaced, the importance of integrating trees with crops has received new impetus, with numerous examples of agroforestry systems improving farmers’ livelihoods and food security and contributing to degraded land restoration and biodiversity conservation. This development is positively contributing to several UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as eliminating poverty (#1), clean water and sanitation (#6), climate action (#13), and life on land (#15). Agroforestry systems with integrated land use hold the potential of becoming a more sustainable alternative to crop-focused farming in Nepal. There are, however, constraints to it, such as small landholding, lack of an institutional setup, lack of access to credit facility, lack of market infrastructures, and in some situations, farmers’ indifference towards environmental benefits. Some agroforestry practices are less labour intensive, which is an opportunity in the present socio-economic context of Nepal, where farmers are forced to leave their farmlands fallow due to labour scarcity resulting from youths out-migrating for jobs. More research is needed to explore the full potential of such promising systems with integrated land use in Nepal. |
| Keywords | Benefits; Constraints; Integrated land use; Livelihoods; Opportunities |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 300701. Agroforestry |
| 419999. Other environmental sciences not elsewhere classified | |
| Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
| Byline Affiliations | Nepal Agroforestry Foundation |
| Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems | |
| Global Evergreening Alliance, Australia | |
| Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
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