LAND USE PLANNING FOR AGRO - FORESTRY PROGRAMMES IN TEA ESTATES

J A A M Jayakody and R M M S Rajapaksa
Tea Research Institute, Talawakelle

Land use planning in tea estates is of prime importance in order to identify profitable and environmentally friendly land use options for lands unsuitable for tea. Agro-forestry is one of the land use options adopted in tea estates in order to meet the high fuel wood requirements of tea factories and estate labour communities. A study was undertaken to select lands for Agro-Forestry Programmes in five estates in the Nuwara Eliya district. Geographic Information System was used as a tool for land suitability classification. Uneconomical lands were classified based on factors such as existing tea type and present yield, geographical distribution within the estates, and slope and elevation. A range of lands were identified for immediate and future agro-forestry programmes. Potential improvement in profitability was estimated for individual estate and as a group of estates.