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Extensive tracts of forests have been cleared to make way for agriculture. This has accelerated soil erosion and also accentuated flood havoc because of reduced infiltration and increased run off on denuded hill slopes, Climatic pattern has also been disturbed resulting in frequent droughts. This has also disturbed the entire ecological balance. About a 1000 plant species and 3000 species of animals and birds on earth are already extinct and more are on the verge. With loss of habitat i.e. trees, the animals, birds and insects disappear and because later are pollinating, dispersal agencies, further regeneration of plant species stops, thus a vicious circle of destruction sets in, putting even the human survival in jeopardy.
Even the aggressive agriculture of high yielding hybrids will not be able to cope with the growing needs. The yields have already reached the plateau and have started declining. There is an alternative, viable and stable, organic and symbiotic, recycling and replenishing, non-polluting yet progressively productive. The alternative is “forest based model of life”, which will provide cross fertilisation of sccial and biological sciences to harness productive potentials in harmony with entire biome, the whole environment.
Polyculture mixed forests of naturally evolved species once raised and established and if judiciously managed will be everlasting, self-regenerating, self-fertilising, self-watering and self- protecting. They will provide edible seeds, nuts, beans, fruits, timber, fuel, gums, resins, fibres, flosses, dyes, honey, wax, lac and everything to meet the requirements of developing as well as developed societies. The yield of edible seeds, nuts, beans, fruits, will be 2 to 5 tonnes per hectare, per year much more than from any high-tech agriculture and that too without any recurring cost on ploughing, seed, irrigation, fertilisers, pesticides required in agriculture, crop after crop, year after year. The agricultural crops utilise soil nutrients upto one or two feet depth of soil only whereas the questing roots of trees (e.g.
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