Scope and Nature of the problem

With only two percent of the world’s total forest area and 15 percent of its human and cattle population, India encounters a critical disequilibrium in its natural resource pool. Half of the country’s legal forest is deplorably degraded and deforestation occurs at alarming rate of 1.5 million ha year-1 till the recent past. These have ushered in not only a total mismatch between supply and demand of both domestic and industrial wood requirements but also leads to degradation of the land surface. The forests have very low growing stock at 74m3 ha-1 compared to the world average of 110 m3 ha-1. Similarly, the mean annual increment is very low at less than 1 m3 ha-1 year-1 compared to the world average of 2.1 m³ha^-1 year-1. The shortfall in forest area coupled with poor productivity resulted in dwindling supply of raw material requirements of various wood based industries. Most of the wood based industries like pulp, paper, match and veneers are largely dependent on forest department supply but due to government policies and the promulgation of Forest Conservation Act, 1980 restricted the supply of raw material to the wood based industries which necessitated massive import of sawn timber, pulp and even newsprints. Substantial improvement in productivity of forest resources on sustainable basis and large scale expansion of industrial linked agroforestry plantations are critically important for meeting the industrial raw material requirements besides achieving the national goal of 33 per cent forest cover.

Diversification of agriculture should receive high priority in south India particularly in Tamil Nadu as water resources are depleting.  However, tangible results can be achieved only if the farmers offered practical, viable and economically attractive alternative land use options. Technology based farm forestry plantation with genetically improved, high yielding and fast growing clonal planting stock of casuarina and eucalyptus has tremendous potential for diversification and meeting growing shortages of industrial wood on sustainable basis. However, meticulous planning and integrated development of farm forestry and wood based industries are required to ensure regular demand and remunerative prices to the growers. Hence, the current project has been designed to address the gaps indicated above and resolve the problems. 

Importance of the problem in the context of regional priority

As far as the state of Tamil Nadu is concerned, the paper mills require nearly 10 lakhs tonnes of wood pulp against the supply of nearly 3 lakhs (Anon., 2007). Similarly, the match industries in the state account for 75 per cent of the industries in the country.  They require nearly 2.5 lakhs tonnes match veneers against the actual supply of 60,000 tonnes (SIMA, 2007).  These paper and match industries require huge volume of industrial raw materials and demand could be met only through promotion of industrial agroforestry programme.  Hence, the current project is a business forestry model in order to establish farmers / industrial linked agroforestry plantation incorporating potential genetic resources already identified by the consortium.  This system will have significant gains in terms of productivity from 5 m3 ha-1 yr-1 to 20 m3 ha-1 yr-1 through advanced precision technologies. Hence, the current project entitled “A Value Chain on Industrial Agroforestry in Tamil Nadu” will help to mitigate and minimize the existing gap in production consumption system both at national and regional level.

Agriculture is the main stay of state’s economy and about 60 per cent of the population depends on agricultural and allied activities for employment and livelihood. Non agricultural income generating activities in rural areas depend on agriculture which in turn depends on two seasonal monsoons for successful crop production and therefore occurrence of regular and sufficient monsoon decides the state rural economy to a larger extent. The rural population is estimated to be 21.12 per cent (Economic Survey, 2001) whereas 50 per cent of the rural work force remains under employed and seasonal employment.

In Tamil Nadu, vast stretches of culturable and current fallows are either unutilized or under utilized. The state accounts for nearly 3.68 lakhs ha under cultivable wastelands and nearly 7.58 lakhs ha under current fallows. The other fallows account for 15.18 lakhs ha. The annual recurring feature of failures of monsoon brings more area of cultivable lands under the category of waste lands. These lands are exposed to uncertain monsoon leading to soil erosion, thus deteriorating and depleting the soil health status further. Before it becomes totally impossible these lands can profitability be utilized for industrial wood production through farmer’s participation. The current project will help to promote most profitable, market driven tree farming for augmenting income and employment generation activities of agricultural community as a whole.  This will pave the way for revolution in agrarian community to increase productivity from marginal and under utilized lands of the state with sustainable utilization.

Socio-economic issues

The current project will have technological advancements in terms of production, processing, harvesting and marketing of farm driven industrial raw material. The potential of realizing immediate gains like higher productivity will augment economical returns for small and marginal land holders. This technological advancement through clonal options will help to increase not only the productivity but also help to augment the socio economic status of the growers. The project aims at holistic participation of various levels of stake holders at all levels of production to consumption systems. The decentralized nursery planning process along with precision plantation activity will help to convert unutilized farm lands into productive tree lands besides creating huge employment and income generation activity. These activities will have significant impact as a source of subsistence through employment, revenue generation besides satisfying the raw material demands of industries. Hence, the current project has excellent scope to improve the socio economic status of the society.

Environmental issues

The massive industrial wood programme proposed through people and industrial participation across various agroclimatic zones of the state will influence the microclimate of the locality in terms of reduction in temperature, optimum humidity and will augment rainfall patterns. This will indirectly help to improve the ecosystems of the locality and will benefit the agricultural cropping systems of the area. Trees in general and tree biomass in particular have the capacity to ameliorate and augment soil fertility status through concomitant addition of leaves and other organic debris. There is also growing international concern over the increase of carbon and the current project will help to address this by acting as a carbon sink.  


Relation of proposed research with NAIP objectives and criteria

The current project relates to NAIP’s research and development priorities on agricultural diversification, natural resource management, value addition and post harvest processing. The current project has direct linking with NAIP component 2 – Research on production to consumption system wherein the project has included all technologies from cultivation to processing as well as the social, institutional and economic environment in which these processes operate.

    The current project will come under category 3 – Income augmentation and employment generation in which industrial agroforestry is the additional thrust area included by the NAIP to cover industrial oriented prioritized research. The current project aims at linking institutes, industries and farmers through technological interventions thereby helping to address the NAIP research objectives and criteria.  

Underlying causality expected during implementation

The proposed project involves multivariate public and private partners; hence the question of coordination among partners may be a problem. This requires special skill and effort to get due support and coordination with major partners. Traditionally, research and development institutes work in isolation and working with the large private players particularly major industries is of significant interest in the current project. This will be suitably addressed with mutual consultation, discussion coupled with PIU guidelines.

    The current project involves two major pulpwood species (Casuarina and Eucalyptus) and one matchwood species (Ailanthus) under five districts adjoining industries involving two research partners (FC&RI and IFGTB). Each institute has identified specific high yielding clones suitable to project area selected (refer work programme 6.1) exclusively by the institute and hence, the question of validation is not a problem.