Abstract:
Integration of trees with crops is well-known for its benefits including provision of goods such as fuel wood, fruits, timber, fodder and services such as microclimate modification, water purification, wind breaks, carbon sequestration and soil improvement (Ramachandran et al., 2012). So far, agroforestry has mainly been a crop system and a tree system side by side. However, a new paradigm is required where trees and crops are selected and managed together. For example, shade-tolerant crops adapted to particular tree species, Trees and crops with non-overlapping roots, and Trees and crops with temporally differentiated ecological requirements (e.g. dry and wet season). Although there are many tree-crop-animal combinations, some work well while others do not. Therefore, selection of appropriate tree species is an important step towards realizing successful agroforestry practice.