Tropentag, September 16 - 18, 2026, Göttingen "Towards multi-functional agro-ecosystems promoting climate-resilient futures"

Agroforestry as a nature-based solution for water-scarce drylands: Ecological and economic outcomes from a Melia Dubia-based system in Karnataka, India

¹Sambodhi Research and Communications Pvt. Ltd., MEL for Climate Resilience Agriculture and Sustainable Food System, India
²International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South Asia Regional Centre, India

Abstract

Water scarcity and land degradation pose mounting threats to smallholder farming in dryland regions of South Asia, where conventional irrigation-dependent agriculture is increasingly unviable under climate stress. However, agroforestry can act as a multi-thronged approach to improve soil organic matter, regulate microclimate and on-farm biodiversity along with increasing farm income. The paper supports this through a case study-based approach where a Melia Dubia (Hebbevu)-based agroforestry system established on one hectare [2.5 acres] of dryland in Davanagere district of the state of Karnataka, India, delivered integrated ecological and economic outcomes over a nine-year period. In addition to field-based observations, the study incorporates geospatial satellite-based monitoring to assess changes in tree cover and plantation development over the period 2016–2026, enabling spatially explicit evaluation of vegetation growth, canopy expansion, and landscape-level ecological transformation. The study also includes greenhouse gas estimation to examine the climate mitigation potential of the agroforestry system through above-ground biomass accumulation, carbon sequestration, and avoided land degradation pathways.
After nine years, the plantation yielded approximately 300 tonnes of timber, generating gross returns of ₹20–25 lakh (approx. €18,000–23,000), translating to an estimated net income of ₹50,000–60,000 per acre annually, substantially outperforming conventional dryland cropping systems in the region.
Beyond economic outcomes, the system demonstrates the multi-functional character of tree-based agricultural systems. The case also highlights how strategic species selection, intercropping sequencing, and institutional support can enable resource-poor dryland farmers to adopt nature-based solutions that simultaneously enhance soil health, water-use efficiency, and ecosystem services.
This case study contributes evidence for the scalability of agroforestry as a policy-relevant, low-external-input land-use strategy in water-stressed tropical and subtropical dryland contexts, with implications for livelihood resilience and climate adaptation across similar agro-ecological zones in peninsular India and the broader Global South.

Keywords: Agroforestry, Carbon sequestration, Climate resilience, Ecology, Economic cost, Geospatial monitoring, GHG estimation, Nature-based solutions, Smallholder livelihoods, Soil organic carbon, Water scarcity

Contact Address: Saikumar Cheelurappa Bharamappanavara, Sambodhi Research and Communications Pvt. Ltd., MEL for Climate Resilience Agriculture and Sustainable Food System, C-126 sector-15, 201301 Noida, India, e-mail: saikumarbcgmail.com