Poems by
Venkatesh C S

Agroforestry

a poem by Venkatesh C S

Your exact definition
I leave to expert opinion;
All I care for is that you reunite happily
Agriculture and Forestry long divorced unhappily.

You involve concurrent production of food,
Fodder, Livestock and Wood;
Your integrated land use systems
Conserve fragile tropical Ecosystems.

Monoculture you discourage,
Polyculture you encourage;
Preferring species which are multipurpose
To those of single use.

With low inputs
You ensure multiple outputs;
The poor peasant you provide
A range of products wide.

The Third World cannot possibly miss
The benefits of agro-forestry intermarital bliss;
Of that I am quite hopeful,
For which all will be grateful.