NEW DELHI, 9 February 2026: The first South Asian Agroforestry and Trees Outside Forests (AF-TOF) Congress, TREESCAPES 2026, concluded in the national capital after three days of high-level deliberations on strengthening tree-based agriculture, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods across South Asia.
Organised by the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the event was held at the Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium, Pusa Campus. It brought together policymakers, foreign agriculture ministers, researchers, financial institutions, industry leaders, civil society groups, and farmers to discuss scalable solutions for integrating trees into farming systems.
The congress was attended by Dr Madan Prasad Pariyar, Nepal’s Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, and Mr Ahmed Hassan Didi, Maldives’ Minister of State for Agriculture and Animal Welfare, alongside senior Indian officials.
Dr M.L. Jat, Secretary (DARE) and Director General, ICAR, emphasised that agroforestry could help South Asia reduce deforestation, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen rural incomes. He noted that scaling tree-based agriculture would require green finance, local institutions, and greater participation of youth and women.
Mr Manoj Dabas, India Country Director, CIFOR-ICRAF, highlighted that tree-based systems already account for nearly 20% of India’s carbon stocks, yet the country imports over $7 billion worth of wood annually. He called agroforestry a major opportunity to reduce imports, boost farmer incomes, and support climate goals.
Sessions focused on policy reforms, forest certification, digital and geospatial innovations, urban tree cover, and water-secure landscapes. Plenary discussions and a dedicated ministerial hour reinforced political commitment to mainstreaming agroforestry and Trees Outside Forests.
Aligned with India’s net-zero target by 2070, TREESCAPES 2026 underscored stronger public-private partnerships and institutional collaboration to scale agroforestry as a core strategy for sustainable rural development and climate resilience.
