Soil and Water Conservation Aspects of Agroforestry on Natural Resource Regeneration and Plant Production

Abstract

Agroforestry refers to land-use systems in which trees or shrubs are grown in association with agricultural crops pasture plants. There are both ecological and economic interactions between the trees and other components. For a land-use system to be sustainable, it requires conservation not only of soil but of the whole range of resources on which production depends. Soil conservation is indicated here in its broader sense to include both control of erosion and maintenance of soil fertility. It is in this context, the write up deals with the ameliorative and productive values of agroforestry. While dealing with the trees and shrubs as a component of agroforestry, their role in containing soil and water losses have also been dealt with. Conversely, this also deals the effect of soil and water conservation measures on the plant productivity of different agroforestry systems.