The Impact of Agroforestry on Resource Management in Pakistan: A Review
The Impact of Agroforestry on Resource Management in Pakistan: A Review
Basheer Ahmad, Nowsherwan Zarif, Saif Ullah Khan, Salman Ahmad and Anwar Ali*
ABSTRACT
Around the world, forest ecosystems are in decline, facing various factors both living and non-living that negatively affect their health. Pakistan is not exempt from this challenge, as its population continues to grow, reaching 208 million, leading to increased pressure on food production and forest resources. To tackle this problem, there is a pressing need for effective food structures that not only improve efficiency and financial outcomes but also bring about positive ecological impacts and gain social acceptance. Traditional land management practices like agri forestry offer a promising solution in Pakistan. To plant trees on private lands, agroforestry enables pure rights of timber resources and, when well-managed, can significantly enhance agriculture and mitigate wood shortages. Despite concentrated efforts to familiarize and encourage innovative agri-forestry practices in Pakistan, the achievement of such initiatives is influenced by various factors. This paper examines the current limitations to agri forestry promotion in the country, which include attitudes of extension staff, weak coordination between research and extension, insufficiently trained personnel, limited response from farmers to advice, restrictions in tree species availability, challenges in market mechanisms, and issues with wood pricing. To effectively promote agroforestry, creating typical agro,forestry farms at the community level can be a valuable extension approach. However, effective extension programming needs partners to share an understanding of the challenges and an idea for positive results. Moreover, it necessitates the appropriate selection of messages, messengers, target audiences, and effective communication tools. To further promote agroforestry in Pakistan, this review suggests implementing corrective measures to rationalize prevailing systems and develop upcoming sustainable plans and methods.
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