Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said that the term ‘agro-forestry’ will soon be renamed as ‘tree-based farming’ to spread the adoption of integrated farming, particularly for small farmers so that they are able to increase their income.
Addressing a regional agriculture conference for northern states in Lucknow on Friday, Chouhan said that there is a meed to move towards integrated farming as cereals production alone would not help increase income for which dairy, bee keeping, fisheries and other activities are equally important.
“We are now getting the name of agro-forestry changed to ‘tree-based farming’. Because, when farmers hear the word ‘forest’ (referring to agro-forestry), they think they would not be able to cut the trees to sell,” Chouhan said stressing on the need to help more and more small and marginal farmers also adopt tree plantation for commercial use.
Chouhan cited the instance of Uttar Pradesh where 20 lakh tonne (lt) of fertiliser consumption per annum has been reported in past few years and expressed concern over rising use of chemical fertilisers. He wondered if the sales are genuine and as per the need of the soil or farmers are indiscriminately using by following practice of one another.
He cautioned against their indiscriminate use as those could harm the soil health. He said that balanced use of fertilisers, protection of soil, moving towards organic and natural farming are need of the hour.
The minister further said that earlier there used to be a single meeting at national level twice a year before Kharif and Rabi seasons. But in such a large country, it was not possible to discuss all the problems and possibilities in depth on one platform, he pointed out and said he instructed to hold Zonal Conferences in five regions – east, west, north, south and north-east – from 2026 onwards so that better strategy can be decided according to the soil, climate, cropping system and challenges of different regions.
Among the northern States, while Punjab and Haryana led the Green Revolution, Uttar Pradesh is playing a major role in food grain production now. Similarly, contributions of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir are significant in fruit, vegetable and flower production, he observed.
Chouhan told the States that good seeds are the foundation of farming and it is imperative to increase the availability of seeds according to the climate. Referring to the uncertainty of weather and the possibility of deficient rainfall, he said that farming can no longer be planned in the old fashioned way, but crop, seeds and techniques have to be chosen in view of the changing conditions.
He appealed to every State to prepare its agriculture roadmap and said that the Centre is ready to work closely with them with the help of scientists, agricultural universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and expert institutions. He said that unless the states fix long-term goals according to their circumstances, the overall welfare of both farming and farmers will not be possible.
Published on April 24, 2026