For Immediate Release
Press Release
Meeta Parti
91 11 24198000
Vijayawada: Today, the Government of Andhra Pradesh’s Forest Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the launch of the “Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI)” program in Andhra Pradesh, which will bring together farmers, companies, and other private institutions to rapidly expand tree coverage outside of traditional forests in the state. The new program will enhance carbon sequestration, support local communities, and strengthen the climate resilience of agriculture, thereby supporting global climate change mitigation and adaptation goals.
Andhra Pradesh has long been a positive example for forestry and farming in India, as demonstrated by its proactive steps to address climate change and strong emphasis on forestry in its State Action Plan on Climate Change. TOFI will build on the state’s progress and harness agroforestry to bolster the resilience of farming systems, while also increasing the income of farmers in Andhra Pradesh. Importantly, TOFI will leverage India’s private sector to promote and scale tree-based enterprises and the sale of carbon credits, helping to create jobs and boost incomes.
Announcing the launch, the Minister for Energy, Forests, Environment, Science & Technology, and Mines & Geology, Government of Andhra Pradesh, P. Ramachandra Reddy said,“Trees outside forests play a very important role in ensuring viability, sustainability, and productivity of landscapes outside regular forest areas. Enhancing tree cover density can play a huge role in helping India meet its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) objectives. TOFI program has a strong potential to demonstrate what is “possible” given an enabling policy framework, robust and reliable quality planting materials supply chains and a synergistic link between tree growers and “trees outside forest-based enterprises.”
USAID’s Mission Director in India, Veena Reddy said, “The United States deeply values our partnership with India to tackle the climate crisis, and commends India for its bold actions and ambitious targets. With strong government and private sector collaboration, TOFI will contribute to our shared climate goals, while also bolstering the resilience of farming systems, increasing farmer incomes, and enhancing economic opportunities for local communities in Andhra Pradesh.”
Highlighting the importance of the program, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) & Chief Wildlife Warden, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, Y Madhusudhan Reddy, IFS said,“Trees outside forests can support a vibrant tree-based economy that is not only highly inclusive but also successfully combines ecological security with economic prosperity and environmental sustainability. However, the realisation of the full potential of this needs weaving together technical, policy, and supply chain components in a single thread. TOFI will create an opportunity to do so in a focused manner and create models that can be adapted in the rest of the country.”
The Trees Outside Forests in India program was launched in September 2022 by Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Secretary Leena Nandan and U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Patricia Lacina. The program will allocate up to $25 million U.S. dollars over five years in seven states - Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh - with implementation support from the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (ICRAF).
TOFI will rapidly expand tree coverage outside of traditional forests by 2.8 million hectares, contributing to India’s Nationally Determined Contribution target of creating an additional “carbon sink” of 2.5 to 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030. This new program builds on the enduring U.S.-India partnership to tackle the climate crisis and bolster resilience in the face of climate threats and extreme weather events.