Agroforestry Component under RKVY

What is the Agroforestry component under RKVY?

The Agroforestry component under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) is the central government's vehicle for encouraging farmers to grow trees alongside their crops and along field boundaries. Run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, it carries forward the work of the earlier Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF), which was launched in 2016-17 to translate India's National Agroforestry Policy of 2014 into action on the ground. India was among the first countries in the world to adopt a dedicated national agroforestry policy.

The core idea is captured in the slogan associated with the programme, the promotion of a tree on every farm bund and open farm space. Agroforestry combines trees with crops and, sometimes, livestock on the same land. Done well, it gives a farmer an additional stream of income from timber, fruit, fodder or other tree produce, improves soil health, and makes the farm more resilient to drought and other climate stresses.

Because agroforestry is implemented through state agriculture plans, the component is best understood as a framework delivered by the states rather than a single, uniform central benefit paid out to individuals.

Who is eligible for agroforestry support?

Who the programme is for:

• Farmers who cultivate land and want to raise trees alongside their crops or on field boundaries.
• Farmers willing to take up the specific activities their state has adopted under its RKVY agriculture plan, such as nursery development or plantation.

Who cannot expect a direct benefit:

• Individuals seeking a direct cash payment from the central government cannot apply. This is not a cash-transfer scheme, and there is no central online application for a personal benefit.
• Landless persons are generally not the target, since the activities are built around planting and tending trees on cultivated land.

Eligibility in practice is decided by the state implementing agency, which sets out which farmers and which activities it will support in a given year.

How to apply for agroforestry support

1. Approach your state agriculture or horticulture department. The district agriculture office is the usual first point of contact.
2. Ask which agroforestry activities are being implemented in your district under the state's RKVY plan, such as supply of planting material, plantation support or demonstrations.
3. Register as a beneficiary with the department, providing your land or cultivation records, identity proof and bank details.
4. Take up the sanctioned activity, for example, raising a nursery or planting the recommended tree species — and follow the department's guidance.
5. Receive any assistance as provided under the state programme, typically through Direct Benefit Transfer where cash support is involved.

What support does the programme provide?

Under the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare supported activities such as the production of quality planting material through nurseries, plantation on farmland, capacity building of farmers, and demonstrations and extension. As the component now runs under RKVY, the precise activities, cost norms and the split of funding between the centre and the state are set within the state's agriculture plan and vary across states.

Because these details differ from state to state and are revised over time, farmers should confirm the exact support available with their district agriculture office rather than assume a single national figure.

Why agroforestry matters

Agroforestry helps address several goals at once: it diversifies farm income, adds tree cover outside forests, improves soil and water conservation, and contributes to India's climate commitments by increasing carbon stored on farmland. By embedding agroforestry within RKVY, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare gives states the flexibility to design tree-on-farm activities that suit their local agro-climatic conditions.

Help and where to verify

• Kisan Call Centre: 1800-180-1551, the national farm helpline for guidance on schemes
• State agriculture / horticulture department and the district agriculture office, for the activities actually available in your area
• RKVY portal: rkvy.da.gov.in, for the programme framework

Note: the dedicated central agroforestry web pages were not reachable at the time of writing, so the details above rest on the established National Agroforestry Policy of 2014 and the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry framework. Farmers should confirm the current activities, eligibility and any assistance with their state agriculture department before proceeding.

How to check your application status

Because the Agroforestry component runs through state agriculture plans under RKVY rather than a single central portal with a citizen login, there is no central "track my application" tool for this component specifically. A farmer who has registered for an agroforestry activity should follow up through the same channel used to register:

1. Contact the district agriculture office where you registered as a beneficiary. Keep a note of the date of registration, the officer or scheme coordinator you dealt with, and any acknowledgement or receipt given at the time, since offices generally track applications against their own local records rather than a searchable online number.
2. Ask specifically about the activity you registered for, such as nursery planting material or plantation support, since the same office may be running several RKVY-linked activities at once with different timelines.
3. Check with the state agriculture or horticulture department if the district office cannot confirm status, particularly where the activity is being coordinated at the state level or funds are released in tranches from the state RKVY allocation.
4. Call the Kisan Call Centre on 1800-180-1551 for general guidance on who to approach next if the local office is unresponsive. The call centre can direct queries to the right department but does not itself hold agroforestry beneficiary records.
5. Watch your registered bank account if the support involves a cash component released through Direct Benefit Transfer. A credit is often the first confirmation that an application has been processed, since many state offices do not send a separate status update.
6. Visit rkvy.da.gov.in to check whether the state has published its current year's RKVY agroforestry activities or guidelines, which can confirm whether the scheme is still active in your area for the year you applied.

Because the process sits with the state and even the district, response times and the level of formal tracking available vary widely. Farmers in states with a more digitised agriculture department portal may find activity-wise beneficiary lists published locally; where that is not available, an in-person or phone follow-up with the district office remains the reliable route.

Common reasons for rejection

Since agroforestry support is granted through state programmes and not a single online form, "rejection" here usually means an application is turned down at registration, or a farmer is left out when the sanctioned activity is finalised. The recurring reasons are:

• Land records do not show the applicant as the cultivator. If the land ownership or cultivation record submitted is in another family member's name, or the record is outdated, the district office cannot confirm the applicant is entitled to plant on that land. Fix: get the record updated in revenue department systems, or submit a cultivation certificate or lease document that clearly names the applicant, before registering.
• The activity applied for is not being implemented in that district that year. States choose which agroforestry activities (nursery development, plantation, demonstrations) to fund in which districts under their annual RKVY plan, so a farmer can be turned away simply because the district has not taken up that activity, not because of any fault in the application. Fix: ask the district agriculture office which agroforestry activities are actually sanctioned locally before submitting documents, and register for one that is live.
• Funds or physical targets for the year are already exhausted. Because state allocations and the number of beneficiaries supported each year are limited, late applicants can be excluded once the target is met even if their paperwork is in order. Fix: register early in the agricultural season and ask the office about the beneficiary target and how many slots remain.
• Bank account details do not match the applicant's identity records. Where assistance is paid through Direct Benefit Transfer, a mismatch between the name on the bank account and the identity proof submitted, or an account that is not linked for DBT, causes payment to fail even after activity approval. Fix: confirm the account is in the applicant's own name, is DBT-enabled, and matches the spelling on identity documents.
• The land is not suited to the tree species or activity proposed. Some states screen proposed plantation sites for suitability, drainage or existing land use before approving support. Fix: consult the district horticulture or agriculture extension staff on suitable species and site conditions before submitting a plantation plan.
• Incomplete or inconsistent plantation plan details. Where a plantation plan is required, vague or inconsistent information on species and area proposed can delay or block approval since the officer cannot verify the claim against the land record. Fix: state the specific species, area in the same units as the land record, and expected planting timeline clearly and consistently across all documents submitted.

Since there is no single central appeals process for this component, a farmer whose registration is turned down should ask the district agriculture office directly for the specific reason and whether reapplying in the next planning cycle, or for a different sanctioned activity, is possible.