AGARTALA / SABROOM, June 25 (TIWN): With the aim and objective of supporting the financially backward families, the JICA project took the initiative to implement Agro-forestry; as a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland. It combines agricultural and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy, and sustainable land-use systems. Agro-forestry has a lot in common with intercropping. Both have two or more plant species (such as nitrogen-fixing plants), in close interaction both provide multiple outputs, as a consequence, higher overall yields and, because a single application or input is shared, costs are reduced. Beyond these, there are gains specific to agro-forestry, said Chief Executive Officer & Project Director G.S. Raju in a workshop organized at Sabroom Monubazar on Wednesday.

He further discussed about the importance of the implementation project in the area.

The workshop was inaugurated by MLA Prabhat Chowdhury. He said that Agro-forestry under JICA project would be helpful for the people of the village area and the will also develop the livelihood of the people.

JICA project looks for the restoration of degraded forests and to provide sustainable livelihoods to the forest dependent communities through Joint Forest Management Committees. The Project aims at the double prong strategy of restoration of forests and alleviation of poverty. To aware the people regarding the initiative under JICA project the workshop was organized.

The Project also aims to achieve its stated goal of poverty alleviation, by providing Income Generating Activities through Self Help Groups. The Conservation of Biodiversity and Wildlife Resources is also one of the important components of the project.

However, farmers of different villages remained present in the workshop.