The Department of Environment and Forests and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on October 18 announced the launch of the “Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI)” program in Assam. It will bring together farmers, companies, and private institutions to rapidly expand tree coverage outside of traditional forests in the State.
TOFI will enhance carbon sequestration, support local communities, and strengthen the climate resilience of agriculture, thereby supporting global climate change mitigation and adaptation goals.
Assam Government has placed a high priority on expanding tree cover outside forest areas, as demonstrated in its State Action Plan on Climate Change besides the constitution of the Assam Agroforestry Development Board.
Through agroforestry, or integrating trees into farming systems, TOFI will improve the resilience of farming systems, while increasing the income of farmers in Assam, in partnership with Department of Environment and Forest and the Assam Agroforestry Development Board.
TOFI will leverage India’s private sector to promote and scale tree-based enterprises and the sale of carbon credits, helping to create jobs, boost incomes, and help families in Assam overcome the economic impacts of the pandemic.
Announcing the launch, Minister for Environment and Forest, Chandra Mohan Patowary said, “Agroforestry is intimately associated with Assamese civilization, and we are very delighted to launch the TOFI programme in Assam. The programme will help the people of Assam to take up the traditional practice of agroforestry in a modern scientific manner to integrate productivity and profitability with environmental stewardship.”
Highlighting the importance of the programme, USAID’s Deputy Mission Director in India, Karen Klimowski said, “As the climate crisis intensifies, it is ever more important that we protect India’s forests and the communities who depend on them. The United States is proud to support the Trees Outside Forests in India program, which builds upon decades of US-India cooperation on forestry and climate-smart agriculture. India’s progress on these issues can provide models for the world.”
The Trees Outside Forests in India program was launched in September 2022 by Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Secretary Leena Nandan and US Chargé d’Affaires Patricia Lacina. The program will allocate up to $25 million in seven States: Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
