Agroforestry to Rehabilitate the Indian Coastal Saline Areas

Abstract

About 35 % of Indians live within 100 km of the Indian coastlinemeasuring 7517 km consisting of parts of the mainland India,Andaman-Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands. The coastal and islandecosystems have a vide variability in climate and topographical andedaphic conditions. These support diverse cultivated crops as well asnatural vegetation ranging from tropical rainforests to coastalmangroves. The area is environmentally disadvantaged both onanthropogenic activities and weather adversities. Paddy is thepredominant crop except the plantation trees mainly in homesteads. Thesoil salinity and waterlogging problems arise with intrusion ofseawater, and these are expected to become severe with rise in sea leveldue to global warming. However, these ecosystems offer immense scopesand opportunities of increasing productivity through integration ofagroforestry with livestock and aquaculture particularly in mangroveareas. Some of the possible strategies for their reclamation andmanagement through sustainable agroforestry systems are discussed. Thesesystems should further improve the livelihood security of the coastalpopulation.