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Daily News Analysis

Pineapple-based Agroforestry

20th August, 2021 Agriculture

Context

  • According to a study, Pineapple-based agroforestry can be a sustainable alternative to jhum cultivation for North East India.

 

Agroforestry

  • Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland.
  • This diversification of the farming system initiates an agroecological succession, like that in natural ecosystems, and so starts a chain of events that enhance the functionality and sustainability of the farming system.

 

 

 

Jhum Cultivation

  • Jhum is a local name for slash and burn agriculture practiced by the tribal groups in the northeastern states of India like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagalandand also in the districts of Bangladesh like Khagrachari and Sylhet.
  • It is an agricultural system in which plot of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned while post-disturbance fallow vegetation is allowed to freely grow while the cultivator moves on to another plot.
  • This practise has become unsustainable due to the reduced fallow cycle resulting in depletion in soil fertility, severe soil erosion and low agronomic productivity.

 

Alternative

  • North East India and many south Asian countries are shifting to agroforestry and high-value cropping systems from traditional jhum practices.
  • Researchers have found that the Pineapple-based agroforestry(PAFS) can be a sustainable alternative to jhum cultivation for North East India.
  • This traditional practice can provide twin solutions for climate change and biodiversity loss.
  • The ethnic ‘Hear’ Tribe in southern Assam have been cultivating pineapples for centuries. At present, they practice the indigenous Pineapple agroforestry systems for both home consumption and boosting economic benefit

 

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1747115