“No-one, be it an individual, region or country can insulate itself from the impact of climate change that is taking place,” said Virendra Pal Singh, advisor to the World Agroforestry Centre’s Southeast Asia Office, during a keynote address at the Odisha Environment Congress.
Singh spoke about increasing vulnerability over recent years to drought, floods and cyclones. He called for a greater focus on agroforestry systems to improve resilience to the effects of climate change.
Participants at the Congress discussed the potential for agroforestry around urban areas and its ability to create a green belt as well as supply timber to help meet a growing demand.
"At present, 65 per cent timber requirement of India is being sourced from agroforestry sources, and 20 per cent of the timber being imported costs 8 billion dollars," said Singh.
"The selection of tree species in the urban agroforestry projects should be based on the utility of trees. Fruit-bearing and timber-producing species should be given priority," added Ashok Kumar Sahu from Odisha University of Agriculture Technology.
The 3 day congress, held in late December 2014, focused on climate change and environmental issues, particularly looking at how they will impact the eastern Indian State of Odisha. It aimed to bring together different sectors and stakeholders to address climate change issues.
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