Agroforestry: A Way Forward for Sustaining Fragile Coastal and Island Agro-Ecosystems

Abstract

India has 7,517 km total length of the coastline of mainland, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep Islands. Its peninsular region is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west, the Bay of Bengal on the east, and the Indian Ocean to its south. It has two major island ecosystems, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea. The coastal and island ecosystems have a vide variability in climatic, topographical and edaphic conditions, and support diverse cultivated crops as well as natural vegetation ranging from tropical rainforests to coastal mangroves. The area is environmentally disadvantaged and at a great risk to the ill-effects of human activities and weather adversities. Frequent occurrence of strong cyclones causes colossal damage to the agricultural crops, human and animal lives, and other properties. Most of the cultivated area is predominantly monocropped mainly with rice cultivation. The coastal and island ecosystems offer vast scope of commercial use not only for vide varieties of fish, fruit and vegetable crops, but also plantation crops, spices, and medicinal plants. Multistorey plantation-based cropping systems and home gardens are dominant agricultural production systems. These are comprised of coconut, arecanut, oilpalm, cashew, cocoa, spices like cardamom, clove, black pepper, ginger, turmeric, and seed spices. Home gardens also consist of poultry, dairy, fishponds, and rice fields. Alley cropping, live fences, forest farming, or plantations under the shade of forest trees, and other agroforestry systems are found in the coastal and island regions. Marin aquaculture, brackish water aquaculture in vicinity of mangroves and sweet water aquaculture are prime fish production systems, which serve food and generate income to farmers. Most of these systems have been described here in this chapter.