Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-k7p5g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-09T15:18:32.286Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT COMPONENTS UNDER INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEM (IFS) FOR SMALL AND MARGINAL FARMERS UNDER SEMI-HUMID CLIMATIC ENVIRONMENT

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2012

SANJEEV KUMAR ,
N. SUBASH ,
S. SHIVANI ,
S. S. SINGH  and
A. DEY
SANJEEV KUMAR
Affiliation:
ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna-800 014, Bihar, India
N. SUBASH*
Affiliation:
ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna-800 014, Bihar, India Project Directorate for Farming Systems Research, Modipuram-250110, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
S. SHIVANI
Affiliation:
ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna-800 014, Bihar, India
S. S. SINGH
Affiliation:
ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna-800 014, Bihar, India
A. DEY
Affiliation:
ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna-800 014, Bihar, India
*
§Corresponding author: n_suby@rediffmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

For efficient utilisation of available farm resources and to increase the income per unit of land, seven integrated farming systems were developed and different combinations of crop, animal, fish and bird were evaluated at three locations of Eastern India, viz. Patna, Vaishali and Munger districts, to sustain productivity, profitability, employment generation and nutrient recycling for lowland situations from 2007–2008 to 2009–2010. Among the tested different Integrated Farming System (IFS) models, viz. (i) crop + fish + poultry, (ii) crop + fish + duck, (iii) crop + fish + goat, (iv) crop + fish + duck + goat, (v) crop + fish + cattle, (vi) crop + fish + mushroom and (vii) crop alone, crop + fish + cattle model recorded higher rice (Oryza sativa L.) grain equivalent yield (RGEY) (18.76 t/ha) than any other combinations, but in terms of economics, crop + fish + duck + goat model supersedes over all other combinations. The highest average net returns (USD 2655/yr) were recorded from crop + fish + duck + goat system over all other systems tested here. Higher average employment of 656 man-days/year were also recorded from crop + fish + duck + goat system because of better involvement of farm family labours throughout the year. Based on a sustainability index (SI) derived from different models, crop + fish + duck + goat system was found superior with a maximum sustainability for net returns (73.1%), apart from the addition of appreciable quantity of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium into the system in the form of recycled animal and plant wastes. The wastes/by-products of crop/animals were used as input for another component to increase the nutrient efficiency at the farm level through nutrient recycling. Results on integration of different components with crop depending upon suitability and preferences were found encouraging, and to enhance the productivity, economic returns, generating employment for farm families and maintaining soil health of the farm, the crop + fish + duck + goat combination could be adopted in the eastern part of India than cultivating the crop alone on the same piece of land under irrigated condition. Addition of organic residues in the form of animal and plant wastes could also help in improving the soil-health and thereby productivity over a longer period of time with lesser environmental hazards. The livelihoods of small and marginal farmers could be improved by their adoption of IFS technologies on a larger scale, as they provide scope to employ more labour year-round.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 48 , Issue 3 , July 2012 , pp. 399 - 413
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Acharya, D. and Mondal, S. S. (2010). Effect of integrated nutrient management on the growth, productivity and quality of crops in rice (Oryza sativa) – cabbage (Brassica oleracea) – green gram (Vigna radiata) cropping system. Indian Journal of Agronomy 55 (1):1–5.Google Scholar
Allen, V. G., Baker, M. T., Segarra, E. and Brown, C. P. (2007). Integrated irrigated crop-livestock systems in dry climates. Agronomy Journal 99:346–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, V. G., Brown, C. P., Kellison, R., Segarra, E., Wheeler, T., Dotray, P. A., Conkwright, J. C., Green, C. J. and Acosta-Martinez, V. (2005). Integrating cotton and beef production to reduce water withdrawal from the Ogallala Aquifer in the Southern high plains. Agronomy Journal 97:556–567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baishya, A., Pathak, A. K., Bhowmick, B. C., Kalita, M. C., Mazumder, D. K., Chutia, S. and Dutta, L. C. (2005). Predominant farming system and alternatives in Assam. In Altenate Farming Systems: Enhanced Income and Employment Generation Options for Small and Marginal Farmers, 228–237 (Eds Singh, A. K., Gangwar, B. and Sharma, S. K.). Modipuram, India: PDFSRGoogle Scholar
Entz, M. H., Baron, V. S., Carr, P. M., Meyer, D. W., SmithJr., S. R. Jr., S. R. and McCaughey, W. P. (2002). Potential of forages to diversify cropping systems in the Northern great plains. Agronomy Journal 94:240–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gill, M. S., Singh, J. P. and Gangwar, K. S. (2010). Integrated farming system and agriculture sustainability. Indian Journal of Agronomy 54 (2):128–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halstead, P. (1996). Pastoralism or household herding? Problems of scale and specialization in early Greek animal husbandry. World Archaeology 28 (1):20–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hennessey, K. J., Gregory, J. M. and Mitchell, J. F. B. (1997). Changes in daily precipitation under enhanced greenhouse conditions. Climate Dynamics 13:667–680.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Humphreys, L. R. (1994). Tropical Forages: Their Role in Sustainable Agriculture. New York: Longman.Google Scholar
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2007). Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Eds Solomon, S. et al. ). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Jayanthi, C., Balusamy, M., Chinnusamy, C. and Mythili, S. (2003). Integrated nutrient supply system of linked components in lowland integrated farming system. Indian Journal of Agronomy 48 (4):241–246.Google Scholar
Khan, M. A., Singh, K. M., Singh, S. S., Upadhyaya, A., Srivastava, A. K., Dey, A., Kumar, U. and Subash, N. (2009). Bihar Agricultural Contingency Plan – Mimeograph M01/PAT-01/2009. Patna, India: ICAR-RCER.Google Scholar
Korikanthimath, V. S. and Manjunath, B. L. (2010). Integrated farming systems for sustainability in agricultural production. Indian Journal of Agronomy 54 (2):140–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumar, S., Shivani, S., Singh, S. S. and Bhatt, B. P. (2011). Bulletin on Samekit Krishi Pranali. Patna, India: BAMETI (Department of Agriculture, Government of Bihar), 31 pp.Google Scholar
McKenzie, B. A., Hampton, J. G., White, J. G. H. and Harrington, K. C. (1999). Annual crop production principles. In New Zealand Pasture and Crop Science, 199–212 (Eds White, J. and Hodgon, J.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Rangasamy, A. and Jayanthi, C. (1994). Recycling of organic wastes in integrated systems. In Proceedings of National Training on Organic Farming, TNAU, Coimbatore, India, 1–8 September, 1994.Google Scholar
Ravisankar, N., Pramanik, S. C., Rai, R. B., Nawaz, S., Biswas, T. K. and Bibi, N. (2007). Study on integrated farming system in hilly upland areas of Bay Islands. Indian Journal of Agronomy 52 (1):7–10.Google Scholar
Russelle, M. P., Entz, M. H. and Franzluebbers, A. J. (2007). Reconsidering integrated crop-livestock systems in North America. Agronomy Journal 99:325–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singh, R., Singh, N., Phogat, S. B., Sharma, U. K., Singh, R. and Singh, N. (1999). Income and employment potential of different farming system. Haryana Agricultural University Journal of Research 29 (3–4):143–45.Google Scholar
Singh, K., Singh, A. K., Singh, K. K. and Singh, C. S. (2004). Analysis of farming systems in North-eastern plain zone of Uttar Pradesh. Journal of Farming Systems Research and Development 10 (1–2):1–6.Google Scholar
Smith, B. C. (1995). The Emergence of Agriculture. New York: Scientific American Library.Google Scholar
Solaniappan, U., Subramanian, V. and Maruthi Sankar, G. R. (2007). Selection of suitable integrated farming system model for rainfed semi-arid vertic inceptisols in Tamilnadu. Indian Journal of Agronomy 52 (3):194–197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tracy, B. F. and Davis, A. S. (2009). Weed biomass and species composition as affected by an integrated crop-livestock system. Crop Science 49:1523–1530.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tracy, B. F. and Zhang, Y. (2008). Soil compaction, corn yield response, and soil nutrient pool dynamics within an integrated crop-livestock system in Illinois. Crop Science 48:1211–1218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vittal, K. P. R., Mauthi Sankar, G. R., Singh, H. P. and Sharma, J. S. (2002). Sustainability index. In Sustainability of Practices of Dryland Agriculture: Methodology and Assessment, 1–100 Hyderabad, India: Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture.Google Scholar