TAUNGYA / AGROFORESTRY

One of the most challenging problems of modern times is the production of sufficient food and

forest resources to sustain the increasing population. Hence, new increase in demand for land is

expected to contribute further to competition and possible conflicts between existing land uses. A

system of management which would accommodate the production of different natural

commodities on the same piece land becomes most desirable. Therefore, Taungya, a healthy

marriage between agriculture and forestry, is considered to be a strategy for sustainable

management of land. Taungya farming is a system of raising forest plantation along with

agricultural crop in which the clearing of site, planting and tendering of the trees are done wholly

or in part by the farmers in exchange for priviledge of growing their annual crop on government

reserved forests. The practice originally is to replace the existing mixed stand with more or less

uniform crop of desirable tree species such as Tectona grandis (Teak) and Shorea robusta (Sal

tree) while the farmers are permitted to raise agricultural crop with the forest species in an area.

In the first year of Taungya practice the weeding is left solely for the farmer. The practice consist

of land preparation, tree planting, growing of agricultural crops by the farmers for the first - three

years until the canopy of trees become closed and the farmers move to repeat the cycle in a

different area. Selected tree species for Taungya programme were Tectona grandis (Teak) for

timber production and Gmelina arborea (gamhar) for pulp and paper production at a rotation of

8 years. The main food crops planted first two years of Taungya were maize, yam, vegetable. At

times, the farmers may have economic tree species such as cocoa, kola or rubber. Taungya

system has high potential for increasing the production of food on the part of farmers and timber

on the part of forest officials if the farmers and forestry officials understand and trust each other

and consequently, contribute to the solution of land use conflict and other local social problems.

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Taungya system allow production of agricultural and forest products simultaneously on the same

unit of land. It makes more land availability for landless farmers and it enhances productive and

integrated use of land.

Advantages of Taungya system

i. Artificial regeneration of the forest is done at cheaper rate
ii. Problem of unemployment is solved to an extent
iii. It reduces land use conflict
iv. Increase renumeration to forest department

Disadvantages of Taungya system

i. It creates certain legal problem
ii. Exploitation of farmers and labour
iii. It leads to rapid loss of soil fertility
iv. It leads to carelessness on the part of farmers