A Growing Prosperity of Okra Cultivation (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) under Mahaneem (Ailanthus excelsa) Based Agro-Silviculture System in a Semi-Arid Region of India

Abstract

Production of food to feed the rapidly growing population of India is the current challenge. To overcome such global issues of food security and climate change, there is a need to develop a good economically feasible agroforestry system in the tropics. Besides that, Indian farmers also facing the effect of climate change on the monocropping system and lack of optimum land utilization for their economic sustainability. Hence, the economic feasibility of okra cultivation in the agri-silviculture system of mahaneem (Alianthus excelsa) in the arid zone was conducted at the Regional Research Station in Bawal, Haryana, India during two consecutive rainy seasons from July 2020 to October 2020 and July 2021 to October 2021. To create an economically prosperous agro-forestry system, okra varieties Varsha Uphar and Hisar Naveen were planted under various planting densities of Mahaneem in an agri-silvicultural system. Nevertheless, agroforestry is a compelling alternative that encourages social, economic, ecological and agricultural sustainability in response to these challenges. The ratio of net return to cultivation cost was used to compute the benefit-cost ratio for the test of the economic feasibility of the proposed agroforestry system in the semi-arid zone climate of India. The present study revealed that 10 x 10 m planting spacing with the Hisar Naveen okra variety calculated the highest net return (108528 Rs./ha & 123884 Rs./ha in the consecutive years) and benefit-cost ratio (1.90 & 1.86 in the consecutive years) which was highest profitable for farmers to get economic and ecological security. Hence, it is recommended that the Mahaneem-based agro-silviculture system, specifically incorporating the Hisar Naveen variety, proves to be economically more feasible compared to sole cropping which offers practical guidance for farmers and policymakers seeking effective strategies to enhance agricultural productivity amidst evolving environmental conditions.