Multipurpose Tree Species: Research, Retrospect and Prospect

Farmers have nurtured trees on their farms, pasture land and around homes for millennia to satisfy their livelihood needs. These trees were later on defined as multipurpose trees which provide fodder, firewood and also replenish nutrients in soil. Many strides have been made to define characterize, evaluate multipurpose tree species for various agroforestry system under different agro-ecological zones of the world. Since the initiation of agroforestry research in India efforts are going on for identifying promising multipurpose trees and shrubs through diagnosis and design exercise and evaluating them for their suitability pertaining to growth, development, biomass production and natural resource conservation. Now voluminous data is available about multipurpose tree species for all the twenty one agro-ecological zones of the Indian Union.  In view of continuous reduction in forest cover, demographic pressure for livelihood needs and importance of trees, National Research Centre for Agroforestry, Jhansi organized a National Symposium on "Multipurpose Tree Species for Agroforestry System" during 11-13 June, 1998 to collect information on MPTS in relation to agroforestry systems and to provide a platform to discuss various aspects of MPTS and exchange of scientific knowledge among scientific community, foresters, planner and NGOs. This volume brings together a vast and useful collection of papers by experts in agroforestry. Emphasis has been given to many problems and challenges facing their sustainable development such as evaluation, management and ecology. Overall the papers reflects both progress and degree of comprehension achieved in understanding, management utilization and conservation of MPTS.  It is fervently hoped that this volume will facilitate research on multipurpose tree species more vigorously and will serve the researchers, development agencies and policy makers as a ready reference.