AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IN SRI LANKA: A SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT APPROACH

Abstract

To meet the increasing demands of growing population, Sri Lanka has to increase andsustain agricultural production. At the same time tree component of agriculture hasbecome important for environmental conservation apart from the need for timber, fuel,fodder and non-wood products. Especially for more populated areas, integration of treeswith crops is considered more useful and sustainable for environmental and economicreasons. Though the agro-forestry system in some parts of country is not a new adoption,the scientific and systematic study of this practice on one hand, and development of newmanagement strategies for wider adoption on the other, is relatively new.

This paper attempts to discuss the potential of agro-forestry as a sustainable resourcemanagement system for Sri Lanka. Physical factors and government / institutionalvariables are considered as external determinants while personal, socio-economic andsocio-psychological factors of individual farm family contribute as inputs of operation ofthe agro-forestry system. The agro-forestry system makes outputs/results in terms ofsubsistence, cash savings, farm improvements and cash costs for the individual farmfamily. Further, the paper describes the potential for system development throughfeedback, to change possible physical factors of individual farm family; and potentialfeedback, to change government / institutional variables under right political, social andinstitutional conditions.