India’s Gamhar Tree Systems Boost Farm Profits & Carbon Capture

Researchers at Birsa Agricultural University in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India evaluated the economic and environmental performance of farming systems integrating the Gamhar tree (Gmelina arborea) with crops like pigeon pea, cowpea, and mustard. The two-year study compared these “agrisilvicultural systems” to traditional sole cropping.

While initial costs were higher for the integrated systems, researchers found they utilized land more efficiently, as indicated by a higher land equivalent ratio. The sole arhar crop yielded the highest benefit-cost ratio and net present value, ₹94,086 (US$982.65), but the Gamhar plus arhar system offered a high internal rate of return of 484% and a payback period of just 0.19 years.

The green gram-mustard system excelled in carbon capture, with oxygen production increasing by over 7,000% compared to sole Gamhar cultivation in 2016-17. These findings suggest integrating trees into farming can improve both economic outcomes and environmental sustainability for smallholder farmers.