Every year, March 21 marks the International Day of Forests, a global celebration of the vital role forests play in sustaining life on Earth. This year, as the world reflects on sustainable forestry and its impact on people and the planet, India’s palm oil push stands out as a remarkable example of agroforestry in action—one that not only strengthens the country’s edible oil security but also fosters ecological balance, economic prosperity, and climate resilience.
India’s plans to boost the domestic production of palm oil has plenty of benefits, from making the country self-sufficient in the production of edible oils to slashing its import bill. But, there’s one upside that’s oft overlooked — India’s palm oil push is sparking an agroforestry revolution.
India plans to grow the area under oil palm cultivation to 10 lakh hectares by 2025-26 as per targets laid out in the country’s National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) policy. But, it wants to do so in a manner that not just reduces India’s dependence on edible oil imports but also boosts the economic prospects of its farmers, especially small landholders.
Oil palm cultivation in its own right can significantly boost farm incomes, as the crop produces as much as four tonnes of oil per hectare. In comparison, other edible oil crops like rapeseed, soya, rice bran, sunflower, groundnut and mustard produce just 300-500 kgs of oil per hectare.
Take Andhra Pradesh, for instance. Widely hailed as a palm oil success story, some farmers in the state have seen their incomes as much as triple since making the switch to palm oil. 1
But, the oil palm has an initial non-productive gestation period which can stretch to as long as four years. Agroforestry is fast emerging as a revenue-earning solution. Agroforestry is a land management approach that involves integrating trees and shrubs into farming systems. In the oil palm context, it involves combining the oil palm with other crops and forest species like cocoa, red ginger, bush pepper and banana via an approach known as intercropping.
Diversifying farm revenue streams
As a practice, intercropping, diversifies a farmer’s revenue stream and acts as a further income boost, especially during the gestation period of oil palm cultivation.
A three-year study, for instance, in Maharashtra’s South Konkan region, cited in the International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences (IJCMAS) showed that banana, when intercropped with oil palm, netted farmers as much as ₹55,833 per hectares. Pineapple was worth ₹27,500 while elephant foot yam returned ₹61,950 per hectare.
It also improves soil health and fertility, reduces pest and disease pressure and makes the ecological system more stable. All of these factors in turn boost productivity of the oil palm itself.
For instance, the IJCMAS study showed that, with the practice of intercropping, the yield of the oil palm crop was 10.53 tonnes per hectare. Without intercropping the yield was just 7.64 tonnes per hectare3. Intercropping can thus make small landholders, in particular, financially secure.
Technological enablers
What’s more, technological advances are making agroforestry more viable. GPS-guided planting and harvesting equipment is being scaled down to navigate smaller plots and mixed crop settings. Drone technology, meanwhile, is helping manage pest outbreaks and ‘nip them in the bud’, as it were. They also monitor canopy cover, helping maintain the delicate light balance required for understory crops4.
A sustainable path forward
India’s palm oil ambitions, underpinned by agroforestry, represent a sustainable and inclusive approach to agricultural development. By combining economic, environmental, and technological strategies, the country is not just boosting its edible oil production but also empowering its farmers to thrive in the face of challenges.
By nurturing this agroforestry revolution, India is demonstrating that economic growth and environmental sustainability can go hand in hand — a message that resonates powerfully on this global day dedicated to forests. As the country continues on this path, its palm oil strategy offers a lesson for the world: forests and farms are not opposing forces but allies in creating a sustainable future. This International Day of Forests, India’s agroforestry-driven palm oil push stands as a beacon of how agriculture and forestry can thrive together, ensuring prosperity for farmers while protecting our planet.
(The author is Regional Head, Veg Oil Solidaridad and General Secretary, Asian Palm Oil Alliance)
