Tamil Nadu Agricultural University is the pioneer in promoting agribusiness by establishing the Directorate of Agribusiness Development in 2007 for spearheading the efforts of the university to promote agri business and to provide single window facilitation services for the benefit of all the stake holders of agro based industry.

Forest college and Research Institute, Mettupalayam has taken several path breaking initiatives and has made significant strides in popularizing the concept of agro forestry and promoted several businesses in this sector.

EDII-MAFBIF is an initiative of TNAU and FC and RI with funding assistance from EDII TN, Chennai to promote entrepreneurship in agro forestry sector in Tamil Nadu. EDII-MAFBIF, being the first of its kind in the country, proposes to extend its services and its development catchment to almost all the districts of Tamil Nadu that can be managed effectively. MAFBIF is a support process that accelerates the successful development of sustainable businesses in forest landscapes. In Tamil Nadu, forest areas are spread over most districts indicating prevalence of forest based economy in several districts excluding few coastal districts. Also commercial agro forestry is catching up fast and large tracts of land are coming under it. Wood based industries are making fast strides and thus their demand for raw material is increasing by day apart from pulp based paper industry and wood based plywood and furniture industries, there are several other newer agroforestry based products that have emerged now and are witnessing phenomenal growth in volumes across the state. This provides ample opportunity for EDII MAFBIF to extend its services and to promote entrepreneurship cutting across most districts of the state.

EDII MAFBIF aims in creating entrepreneurial skills in students and so as to increase rural incomes, diversifies those incomes to improve climate resilience, and incentivizes forest restoration and sustainable management to mitigate climate change. EDII MAFBIF also aims to help meet market demand for vital products in this sectors such as paper and pulp industry, plywood industry, match wood industries, green energy, low-carbon construction, nutritious food, medicines, cosmetics and ecosystem services. It can also help pool lower-risk investment opportunities for financiers.

EDII MAFBIF tends to develop networks for technology expertise, market promotion functions, legal compliance support and certification. In terms of services offered by EDII MAFBIF are business training and planning, accounting and financial management, and support for market needs assessment. More specifically, MAFBIF also regularly offers services in resource management or technology sourcing and upgrading and quality-assurance issues become an important service area