The departments of forestry and natural resources and soil science, Punjab Agricultural University, established a multifunctional agroforestry model at the university seed farm to mark the country’s 75th Independence Day, under the ICAR-NAHEP-CAAST project.
A plantation programme was organised to mark the event. Various plant species were arranged to serve the varied requirements of the farmers.
SK Chauhan, professor and head of the department of forestry and natural resources; Sapna Thakur, assistant professor, department of forestry and natural resources and Deepak Arora, officer-in-charge university seed farm, Ladhowal, planted the saplings.
Chauhan informed that the model will not only provide multiple products but environmental services including, landscape amenities. He further emphasized on adoption of agroforestry as a diversification method to replace the traditional rice-wheat rotation. “It is a sustainable farming system for food security and to earn more income than traditional crop rotations”, he stated.