AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IN THE RURAL LANDSCAPE - A CASE-STUDY IN GARHWALHIMALAYA, INDIA

A mid altitude (700-1200 m amsl.) village in Garhwal Himalaya was anal ysed in terms of energy and economic efficiency of different land use- land cover types constituting the landscape. Simultaneous agroforestry , sequential agroforestry, home garden and community forests accounted for 27.47%, 27.47%, 1.1% and 43.96% of the total geographical area of the village. Simultaneous agroforestry is the traditional land use in volving substantial input of manure derived from forest litter and ani mal excreta and was practised on terraced slopes in private ownership. Tree cover in this system was represented by nine species with total average density of 390 trees ha(-1), Grewia optiva and Boehmeria rugul osa being the most dominant. Sequential agroforestry system involving slash-burn practice and cultivation on unterraced slopes without tilla ge and manuring was an illicit land use on community lands where fores try land use is desirable as per the government policy. Per ha annual energy input in simultaneous agroforestry system was 305267 MJ compare d to 279 MJ in sequential agroforestry and 27047 MJ in home garden. In monetary terms, highest per ha annual output was obtained from simult aneous agroforestry (Rs 25370, Rs 35 = US$1) followed by home garden ( Rs 18200) and sequential agroforestry (Rs 9426). Local food, fodder an d fuelwood production was in excess of the local consumption. While mo st of the surplus food was stored, surplus fodder and fuelwood were so ld for cash. Production in simultaneous agroforestry system in private lands was sustained with substantial biomass and nutrient inputs from the community and government forests. Land use-land cover changes in the region are driven by the interaction of ecological, policy and hum an factors. It is concluded that present policy of treating forests an d agriculture as closed and independent ecological or production syste ms needs to be replaced by an integrated land use policy.