The practice in which farmers grow trees on their own farmland for commercial and non-commercial purposes is called:

Farm forestry is the practice of growing trees on farmland owned by farmers, along field boundaries, on bunds, around homes or in blocks on parts of the farm. The trees are grown both for commercial purposes (sale of timber, poles and pulpwood) and for non-commercial purposes (fuelwood, fodder, fruits, shade and protecting crops).

Background:

The National Commission on Agriculture (1976) recommended "social forestry" to reduce pressure on natural forests and to meet the rural demand for fuelwood, fodder and small timber.

Social forestry has three main components:

• Farm forestry: trees grown by farmers on their own land, often with free or subsidised seedlings from the government.
• Community forestry: trees grown on common or public land, such as village commons, panchayat land, roadsides, canal banks and railway lines, for the benefit of the whole community.
• Extension forestry: planting along roads, canals and railways, and on degraded lands near villages.

Trees used in farm forestry:

• Fast-growing species such as eucalyptus, poplar, casuarina, subabul (Leucaena), acacia, neem, teak and shisham.
• Poplar and eucalyptus are popular in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, where they are sold to the plywood and paper industries.

Benefits:

• Extra income for farmers and a source of savings ("trees as a bank").
• Supply of fuelwood, fodder and timber, reducing pressure on forests.
• Soil conservation and shade.
• Increase in tree cover outside forests.

Problems:

• Some fast-growing trees, especially eucalyptus, use a lot of water and may reduce crop yields nearby.
• Farmers face legal restrictions on felling and transporting certain tree species, and price fluctuations.

Policy support:

• The "Trees Outside Forests in India" programme (2023) encourages tree growing on farmland.
• The National Forest Policy, 1988 aims for 33 per cent of India's geographical area under forest or tree cover.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Community forestry uses common land for the benefit of the community, not private farmland.
• ✗Urban forestry involves planting and managing trees in towns and cities.
• ✗Joint forest management involves local communities and forest departments jointly protecting government forests.