Mangaluru: Opting for the China model of afforestation will help in increasing forest cover, said Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Environmental Sciences K.G. Saxena here on Monday.

Delivering the keynote address on “Agro-biodiversity conservation for sustainable socio-ecological development” during a workshop at Mangalore University, Mr. Saxena said that by adopting the “grain for green” model, China has dramatically increased forest cover. The Chinese Government, he said, has been supporting plantation in agriculture land as well as barren land.

Mr. Saxena said that a similar model should be adopted in India where the per capita degraded land was more than the per capita non-degradable land. A lot of emphasis should be laid on restoration of degraded land, which was very low. More money should be spent on agro-forestry.

He said that the country has moved forward from the phase of starvation to food surplus. While the area under cultivation has not increased much, there has been excess production of foodgrains. There was a need for farmers to adopt climate-smart agriculture, which was resilient to climate change and decreases green house gas emission.

The former Director-General of Forest Survey of India Devendra Pandey said that over the years number of foodgrains species has reduced.

As against a thousand species that existed a few decades ago, the number has now come down to around 10 species. “For the sake of more production of grain, we have ignored the less-yielding food species that have now become extinct,” he said.