Silviculture & Agroforestry

Prosopis cineraria (commonly known as Khejri, Jandi, or Shami) is revered as the 'King of Arid Agroforestry' and the 'Kalpvriksha of the Desert':
It is drought-hardy, frost-tolerant, and yields nutritious protein-rich green fodder (loong) during harsh dry winters, high-calorific fuelwood, durable small timber, and edible green pods (sangri) consumed as a delicacy.
In contrast, Artocarpus hirsutus is an evergreen rainforest tree of the Western Ghats, and Gmelina arborea prefers moist fertile soils.

Alley cropping (also known as hedgerow intercropping) is an agroforestry practice where food or arable crops are grown in alleys formed between regularly spaced hedgerows of fast-growing nitrogen-fixing trees or shrubs (such as Leucaena leucocephala or Gliricidia sepium).
The hedgerows are regularly pruned to prevent shading and to provide nutrient-rich green manure/mulch and fodder.

Homegardens are the most intensively managed of all traditional agroforestry systems:
They feature high species diversity (multitier canopy consisting of tall coconut/arecanut palms, fruit trees, spices like black pepper/cardamom, and root crops/vegetables).
Because of proximity to the farm house, they receive continuous, day-to-day management with heavy inputs of organic compost, family labor, kitchen waste recycling, hand weeding, and continuous year-round multi-product harvesting.
Shifting cultivation and silvopasture, in contrast, are extensive low-input systems.