Agroforestry Ecological Zone Modeling Guidelines For Hill Regions

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue V, May 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705

Agroforestry Ecological Zone Modeling Guidelines For Hill Regions

Dr. M. S. A. Chowdhury¹, Dr. M. S. Amin²

Ex-Deputy Cheif Conservator of Forests¹, Ex-Dean²
Forest Department¹, Faculty of Post Graduate Studies²
Govt. of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh¹, HMD Science and Technology University²

Abstract– Agro-ecology believed to provide the opportunities to circumvent the two disciplines – agronomy, forestry and in place of monoculture shift to polycultural system which tends to lead to the natural ecosystem. In large agroecological entity agriculture, forestry and agroforestry are treated not as separate disciplines. The agroecological zones (AEZ) of Bangladesh are classified primarily on the basis of land type, soil characteristics, soil-water regime and agro-climatic factors. From the dawn of civilization, sustainable food security has been a major human goal.

Keywords— Integrated forestry; modeling; agro-ecology; zoning

I. INTRODUCTION

Modern agriculture and forestry, without an agroecological perspective, has gone a long way toward satisfying the demand for food, fiber and other products. Most of the current productive potential is centered on monoculture systems and, with these comes some associated environmental problems.
Given that the infrastructure and in-field knowledge base is fixed, the obvious direction toward increased productivity is through chemical applications and genetic modifications. Although not a complete substitute, agroecology offers alternatives. Agroecology offers alternatives that are difficult to achieve with a traditional approach. A polyculture in agriculture or forestry can provide increased per area outputs, lower associated costs, and/or reduce climatic and market risk. The added complexity and the advantages inherent in a biodiverse plot or landscape may be better approached using agroecological principles.
Agroecology can be defined as the study and application of ecological principles to planned and managed ecosystems in order to achieve socio-economic, environmental, and/ or cultural objectives. This is a very broad view of agroecology, one that encompasses productive systems of agronomy, forestry and agroforestry. A number of concept underline and traditional disciplines are encompassed by agroecology. The full extent of this is demonstrated by the agroecological triangle. The agroecological triangle (fig.1) helps put agroecology in perspective. In this, agriculture, forestry and agroforestry are not separate disciplines, but are part of the larger agroecological entity.

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