A multi-organisational consultation held in Kaziranga on Thursday saw speakers pitching for integrating tree species such as agarwood within tea farmland to “enhance biodiversity, support sustainable incomes and contribute to climate resilience”.

The consultation’s objectives included discussion on agroforestry development by the small tea growers (STG) for better land use planning and biodiversity conservation, uniting key stakeholders for sustainable tea sector growth and to reduce man-animal conflict.

The Assam Agroforestry Development Board (AADB), a non-profit company floated by the state government in 2021 and headed by the chief secretary, had jointly organised the consultation at the Kohora Convention Centre in Kaziranga with the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) authority, NEIST, ICCo and associations representing tea growers.

Around 100 STGs and local farmers attended the consultation and they were given agarwood saplings as part of the efforts to promote agroforestry in the state.

Discussion on scalable models of agroforestry and its benefits for small tea growers was led by Dr Sonali Ghosh, KNPTR director and chief executive officer of AADB.