Agroforestry as a Pathway to Land Restoration, Biodiversity Conservation, Livelihood Security, and Socio-Economic Equity in North East India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2026/v152i6A/171261Keywords:
Ecosystem services, Land degradation, Livelihood security, Rural economy, Soil restoration.Abstract
Land degradation and declining ecosystem services have emerged as major environmental concerns in North East India. Agroforestry, through the deliberate integration of trees, crops, livestock, shrubs, and herbs within the same landscape, offers a sustainable land-use approach for restoring degraded landscapes, improving soil health, and strengthening rural livelihoods. Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach, this review provides a comprehensive overview of 68 peer-reviewed articles published since 1992, accessed through the search engines “Google Scholar”, “Scopus” and “Web of Science” using specific keywords. This study systematically evaluates the role of agroforestry in land restoration through improved soil properties, erosion control, forest regeneration, carbon management, biodiversity conservation, and the securing of local livelihoods, while contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation in North East India. This review also evaluates the role of agroforestry in promoting gender inclusion and community participation. Evidence from various agro-climatic regions of North East India demonstrates that agroforestry systems improve soil health while contributing to food security, diversified income, and sustainable rural development. Overall, agroforestry systems play a significant role in enhancing both the physical and chemical properties of soil while simultaneously reducing soil bulk density. The study concludes that agroforestry represents a multifunctional, cost-effective, and socially inclusive nature-based solution for combating land degradation while aligning with national priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Strengthening institutional support, extension services and promoting region-specific agroforestry models is essential for scaling up agroforestry adoption.
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