NITI Aayog Launches Greening India’s Wastelands with Agroforestry (GROW) Report and Portal

Subject: Schemes

Section: Agriculture

Context:

Greening and Restoration of Wasteland with Agroforestry (GROW) report and portal was launched today by Prof Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog at NITI Aayog.

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This multi-institutional effort led by NITI Aayog utilized remote sensing and GIS to assess agroforestry suitability across all districts in India.
Using thematic datasets, an Agroforestry Suitability Index (ASI) was developed for national-level prioritization.
The report provides state-wise and district-wise analysis, supporting government departments and industries for greening and restoration projects.
Current report underscores the potential benefits of converting underutilized areas, especially wastelands, for agroforestry.
Presently, agroforestry covers 8.65% of India’s total geographical area, encompassing approximately 28.42 million hectares.
It was shared fallow land and culturable wastelands can be converted to productive use through agroforestry.
Approximately96% of the Total Geographical Area (TGA) is wasteland, requiring transformation for productive use.
Geospatial technologies and GIS are employed to map and prioritize these wastelands for agroforestry interventions.

About Greening and Restoration of Wasteland with Agroforestry (GROW) report and portal:

The GROW initiative includes the launch of the “Greening and Restoration of Wasteland with Agroforestry (GROW)-Suitability Mapping” portal on ‘Bhuvan’ ,ensuring universal access to state and district-level data.
This portal is expected to significantly boost the promotion of agroforestry initiatives by government bodies.
The GROW initiative aligns with national commitments, aiming to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 and create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

About National Agroforestry Policy in 2014:

India is the pioneer of the National Agroforestry Policy in 2014 and aims to enhance productivity, profitability, and sustainability through this agro ecological land use system.
Agroforestry integrates trees, crops, and livestock, addressing food, nutrition, energy, employment, and environmental challenges.
This aligns with global commitments like the Paris Agreement, Bonn Challenge, UN Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD), Doubling Farmers Income, Green India Mission.