Livelihood Augmentation in Rainfed Areas - Development Support ...

Biomass
Afforestation: The raising of a forest crop on lands that are not covered with forests.
(Tideman, 2000)
Purpose: Afforestation meets various purposes, as follows.
(a) Protective purposes: To conserve the soil and moisture in denuded bare lands,
sand dunes, ravines, land slips, etc.
(b) Productive purposes: To raise forests to meet local or national demands for
economic utilization of land.
(c) Bio-aesthetic purposes: To give an aesthetic effect to the landscape, provide
for recreation and conservation of wild life, etc.
Agroforestry: The production of crops (including trees) and forest plants or animals
or both, simultaneously or sequentially, on the same unit of land, which applies
management practices of the local population. (Tideman, 2000)
Purpose: To create a system of sustainable land management that increases the
productivity of land.
Ecological/Natural farming: A system of farming wherein it is possible to accumulate
nutrients against the forces of erosion, fire, leaching or volatization. (Kakade, 2005) It
involves farming without the use of external inputs and relies on recycling of nutrients
on the farm itself.
Purpose: To carry out farming without polluting the environment and using natural
processes to maintain the productivity of the farm.
Reforestation: The raising of trees for the production of wood and other forest produce
on lands that were originally covered with forests or were reduced to scrub due to biotic
interference. (Tideman, 2000)
Purpose: To supplement natural stands with artificial regeneration for stocking the
area completely in different systems of forest management. It involves replacing the
natural regeneration when it cannot be achieved in a limited time and/or changing the
composition of the forest by increasing the proportion of more valuable species.
End-notes
1. The definitions given here have been taken from standard textbooks and handbooks written by eminent
authors. More than one definition is given in case these bring out somewhat different dimensions of the term
in use. Wherever no references are given, the authors have, in consultation with experts, provided their own
definitions of the term. In addition, the authors have tried to explain the purpose of each structure or method
so as to provide a better understanding of its use.
248 Livelihood Augmentation in Rainfed Areas: Volume I