RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Is There a Tradeoff between Forest Expansion and Agriculture?
JF Land Economics
JO Land Econ
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 022924-0020R
DO 10.3368/le.101.3.022924-0020R
A1 Kamble, Vikrant K.
A1 Brewer, Dylan
A1 Oliver, Matthew E.
YR 2025
UL http://le.uwpress.org/content/early/2025/02/28/le.101.3.022924-0020R.abstract
AB Expansion of forest area through afforestation and reforestation is a popular strategy to mitigate climate change. However, the vast land area required suggests a potentially large tradeoff between forest expansion and agriculture. From 2003-2010, one of the largest forest expansion programs in India was implemented in Rajasthan state. We estimate the effects of this program on the agricultural sector using two-way fixed effects and synthetic difference-in-differences approaches, finding the program had no impact on cultivated area in Rajasthan. Moreover, agricultural production and yield increased following the program’s implementation. We discuss implications for afforestation and reforestation as climate mitigation strategies.