Kerala State on the southwestern coast of India in the tropical humid zone has a predominantly agricultural economy, a very high density of population and therefore high pressure on cultivable land. The farmers there undertake cultivation of an array of crops -tree crops, plantation crops, seasonals and biennials -all in intimate mixtures on the same piece of land around the homesteads. Farm animals and poultry and sometimes fisheries also are essential components of the system. The close association of agricultural crops, tree crops and animals in the homesteads represents an excellent example of sustainable and productive agroforestry homegardens. Optimum utilization of available resources of land, solar energy and technological inputs and an efficient recycling of farm wastes are important characteristics of the systems. This paper attempts to describe and evaluate the systems' stability, productivity and sustainability, and identify its merits and constraints as well as research needs.

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In a major deviation from conventional joint forest management approaches where the emphasis of management is on provision of forest products to the participating villagers, the Tamil Nadu Afforestation Project (TAP) focused on poverty alleviation as the principal means to achieve sustainable forest management. This study assesses the effectiveness of TAP's strategy in improving the ecology and socio-economic conditions of forest fringe villages using a diverse set of research methods. Results indicate that in a span of four to seven years, there was significant increase in forest cover, biodiversity, and agricultural productivity. The project villages have also shown considerable progress in various indicators of socio-economic development. The authors, however, suggest continued poverty alleviation and promotion of alternative livelihood opportunities to place the programme on a stable ground. Meeting the development needs of local villagers through strong and durable institutional linkages is also suggested for the programme to sustain and succeed.