FORESTRY and agriculture, from land use point of view, share the same objective that is an efficient management of soil in the interest of human being, and they together combine to form an essential mode of transforming soil fertility into raw materials needed by man.

– A planned and balanced relationship between these two increases the mutual effectiveness, which ultimately adds to the prosperity of the farmers and brings stability and affluence to human beings that neither agriculture nor forestry alone could achieve.

A farmers needs tree for fuel for his hearth, wood for the implements and building material, as fodder for his animals in time of fodder scarcity, shade for his family and animals, shelter belts and windbreaks to save his crops from desiccation and fruit trees to enrich his diet. But unfortunately in our country these basic necessities are not easily and readily available to farmers to the extent of his requirements.

The major part of our country located in the dry arid zone, experiencing extremes of temperature, scanty rain fall and high velocity winds. As a result of these adverse climatic factors, our natural tree resources are very meagre. We have five per cent of the total area under forests which is far less than the 20 per cent considered necessary for a balanced economy of an agricultural country. It will, therefore, be seen that there is a large gap which needs to be filled up. The details of both productive and protective categories of forest in Sindh are as under:

Category Type Area million % of total land

acres area of Sindh

Productive Riverine forests 0.596 1.71

Forests Irrigated forests 0.203 0.58

Productive Mangroves 0.852 2.45

Forests Range-lands 1.131 3.25

2.782 8.00

So for the energy requirements of the province are concerned, the existing wood energy requirements are estimated at 6.4 million m3 against sustained supply of 1.68 million m3 thus there is a generating gap of 4.72 million m3 between energy supply and demand (FSMP 1991).

This shortage of fuel wood has forced farmer to misuse a very large quantity of cow dung which otherwise would have gone to his fields as fertiliser

Apart from acute shortage of fuel, timber and fodder, our farmer has also to face the menace of salinity, water-logging and erosion by wind and water which threaten our lands. Unfortunately many of our agricultural holdings are on marginal farm lands and it is doubtful, if they are suitable for permanent agriculture. Such farms, on account of improper land use, exhaust their fertility and become unfit for cultivation in few years. This situation is further aggravated by indiscriminate felling of trees to meet the fuel wood and timber requirements. In such problematic areas, raising fast growing tree species on short rotation is an essential component of crop pattern leading towards permanent productive agriculture.

In view of these facts, it is evident that farm forestry is a must in establishing permanently productive agriculture. When we are striving to induce the farmers to increase food production by using improve seed, fertiliser and new techniques, the foresters should also see that the farmers /land lords accept farm-forestry as a normal and profitable proposition, and grow windbreaks live fences and wood lots particularly block plantation of babul (Acacianilotica) locally called Huris on their farms.

In order to induce the farmer to raise windbreaks, live fences, and farm wood lots, what is needed to day is to adopt measures which are purely promotional, including different kinds of assistance. Though we do have some regulative and controlling measures on wood produced on farms, yet the promotional side is still lacking.

Dissemination of technical know-how and celebration of tree weeks, which do have educative value are also lacking in zeal and enthusiasm, with which these were celebrated about 20 to 25 years back. In those days discussions were held on T.V and radio and informative, educative and motivational articles were published in regional and national news papers and such book-lets, brochures. Leaf-lets were also distributed in educational and other institutions, debates were held in schools, NGOs, CBs and VOs were involved at all levels in tree plantation, but now-a-days there is no such activity.

What is required to make farm-forestry a successful campaign is a concrete and substantial monetary and material assistance. Experience has shown time and again that our farmer is not reluctant to accept change, provided he is convinced of its benefits. Farmer’s attitude towards progress is positive.

What obstruct his progress are financial limitations and liabilities. When supplied free or on nominal rates, the desired planting stock and financial aid to establish them, he will be too happy to practice farm-forestry. Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan, which is contributing a lot in the development of agriculture, can also help the farmers in this sphere by providing interest-free loans and encouraging them to re-activate an old practice of Hurri-cultivation which was introduced in Sindh as back as 1858.