REVIEW ARTICLES CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 117, NO. 4, 25 AUGUST 2019 597 *For correspondence. (e-mail: arvindbijalwan276@gmail.com) Trends and insights of agroforestry practices in Madhya Pradesh, India Arvind Bijalwan 1, *, Pooja Verma 1 , Manmohan J. R. Dobriyal 2 , A. K. Patil 3 , Tarun Kumar Thakur 4 and C. M. Sharma 5 1 Indian Institute of Forest Management, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal 462 003, India 2 Department of Silviculture and Agroforestry, College of Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 396 450, India 3 Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Bhopal 462 004, India 4 Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak 484 887, India 5 College of Forestry, VCSG Uttarakhand University of Horticulture and Forestry, Hill Campus, Ranichauri, Tehri Garhwal 249 199, India Agroforestry practices in Madhya Pradesh (MP), India existed in the primordial times, which can be evidenced almost in every region of the state; howev- er, the pace of scientific inclusion in agroforestry and its extension is quite slow. There is lack of priority and limited work has been done related to agrofore- stry practices, possibly due to the presence of large natural forest area in the state. In the present context, to meet the national target of forest cover and to re- duce pressure on nature forest, agroforestry seems to be a viable option as it provides a source of income for farming and tribal communities along with countless environmental benefits. This article provides a review and insight of agroforestry and extent of agri- culture, horticulture and agroforestry in MP. It also provides information on diverse tree species under agroforestry systems, a mosaic of tree–crop combina- tions and horticulture species preferred by the far- mers in different agro-climatic zones of the state. The authors have also tried to enlist the efforts of various government initiatives and other agencies involved in the extension of agroforestry in the state. The roles of MP Forest Department, MP Forest Development Cor- poration and allied Departments of the state in agro- forestry and tree planting have also been discussed. Marketing of agroforestry produce, farmers’ in- volvement in agroforestry practices and identification of key policy constraints of agroforestry in the state have been discussed and critically analysed. Keywords: Agroforestry practices, agriculture, agro- climatic regions, horticulture. AGROFORESTRY is a merger of agriculture crops and/or livestock with tree components on a unit piece of land with special arrangement of time and space. In Madhya Pradesh (MP), India, agroforestry is being practised in nearly every region of the state in the form of traditional agroforestry since time-immemorial. However, the exten- sion of agroforestry practices is slow in most of the re- gions. Traditionally, trees like babul, neem, shisham, teak, bamboo, palash, mahuwa, jamun, aonla, mango, guava, etc. are deliberately retained by farmers on their farm; however, some new entrants such as subabool (Leucaena leucocephala), Eucalyptus and khamair (Gme- lina arborea) have also been adopted under agroforestry. Farmers were seen frequently growing paddy with babul (Acacia nilotica) under traditional agroforestry system 1 . The preference for babul is due to its robust nature, mar- ket accessibility, multiple products and services 2 . MP presently has 27.65% of forest and tree cover 3 , fairly bet- ter than other states of India; however, for attaining 33% forest cover according to the Forest Policy 1988, it is imperative to promote trees outside forests (TOF) under agroforestry, farm forestry and social forestry. The total population of MP is 42.63 million, of which 72.37% is rural, including 21.09% tribal population 4 , whose poten- tial can be harnessed for promotion of tree farming as a major economic activity to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Similarly, significant livestock pop- ulation of the state can be properly managed through adoption of different silvipastoral and hortipastoral sys- tems. With the increasing gap in demand and supply of forest produce in India from territorial forests, the role of agroforestry seems to be noteworthy in filling the gap. As far as agriculture in MP is concerned, it occupies a unique position with 11 agro-climatic regions and five cropping zones that grow all kinds of crops and a variety of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables. The state also occupies a special place for agricultural pro- duce in the country. The farming sector in MP forms the mainstay of its economy and the primary source of em- ployment for over 70% of its population. It contributes almost one-fourth of the gross state domestic product (GSDP) and about 60–75% of rural income 5 . In recent times, MP has received the Krishi Karman Award conti- nuously for five years in succession for increased food- grains production, thus proving the worth of agriculture in the state 6 . In 2015–16, the agriculture sector contri- buted around 34% of GSDP in MP 7 .