February 19, 2024

In 2014, India introduced the National Agroforestry Policy to improve sustainability and profitability through alternative land use systems. This effort aligns with global and national commitments such as the Paris Agreement, Bonn Challenge, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Green India Mission.

India has developed a Bhuvan-based tool to assess Agroforestry Suitability. It was a collaborative effort led by NITI Aayog, with NRSC/ISRO, SAC/ISRO, and five other national and international institutions. This tool integrates thematic geospatial datasets like Wastelands, Land Use Land Cover, Waterbodies, Soil Organic Carbon, and Slope to establish the Agroforestry Suitability Index (ASI) for national-level prioritization.

An analysis revealed that about 6.18% and 4.91% of India's land are highly and moderately suitable for agroforestry, respectively. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana emerged as the top large-sized states for agroforestry suitability, while Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, and Nagaland ranked highest among the medium-sized states.

NITI Aayog released the Bhuvan-based tool on February 12, 2024. The portal allows universal access to state and district-level agroforestry data.

PIB release