Integrated Farming System
Shibanshee Dash
1BVSc. & A.H (1st Year), Institute of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry, Siksha O Anushandhan (Deemed To Be University), Bhubaneshwar
INTRODUCTION
An Integrated Farming System (IFS) is a sustainable system of agriculture where sequential linkages between two or more farming activities are utilised. IFS ensures maximum utilisation of resources, reduces the risk of crop failure and provides additional income to farmers and food for small-scale farming households. An integrated farming system involves the recycling of by-products and interconnected nutrient flow of one system as input for another, thus maximising the production from a unit area at minimum cost. This system paves a path for an organic agriculture management system that can augment integrated soil water fertility management (ISWFM) and can boost biodiversity and biological cycles.
The Green Revolution technology is often associated with environmental harm. Such damage is caused by the excessive use of “Mineral Fertilizer & Chemical Pesticide”. Integration of various agricultural enterprises viz., cropping, animal husbandry, fishery, forestry etc. has great potential in the agricultural economy. These enterprises not only supplement the income of the farmers but also help in increasing family labour employment.
WHAT IS INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEM (IFS)
“Integrated Farming System” is described as a set of agricultural activities, while preserving land productivity, and environmental quality, and maintaining biological diversity and ecological Stability.
According to Paul Harris, “It is a system which comprises of an inter-related set of enterprises with crop activity as a base, will provide ways to recycle produces and “waste” from one component becomes an input for another part of the system, which reduces cost and improves soil health and production and/or income.”
- The integrated farming system approach introduces a change in the farming techniques for maximum production in the cropping pattern and takes care of optimal utilization of resources.
- The farm wastes are better recycled for productive purposes in the integrated system.
Source of image: agrivi.com
CONCEPTS OF INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEM
- An arrangement of recycling products/by-products of one component as input to another linked component
- Reduction in cost of production
- Increase in productivity per unit area per unit time
- Increase in the total income of farm
- Effective utilization of family labour around the year.
Source of image : researchgate.com
ELEMENTS OF INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEM
- Farm ponds
- Bio-fertilizers
- Bio-gas
- Solar energy
- Vermicompost making
- Green manuring
Source of image :pashudhanpraharee.com
GOALS OF INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS
- Maximization of the yield of all component enterprises to provide steady and stable income.
- Rejuvenation of the system’s productivity and achieve agroecological equilibrium.
- Avoid the build-up of insect pests, diseases and weed populations through natural cropping system management and keep them at a low level of intensity.
- Reducing the use of chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides) to provide chemical-free healthy produce and environment to society
- To identify existing farming systems in a specific area.
- To increase farm resource use Efficiency.
- To maintain Environmental quality & Ecological stability.
- To integrate different production systems like Dairy, Poultry, Livestock, Horticulture, apiculture etc with agricultural crop Production.
SCOPE OF INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEM (IFS)
Integrated Farming enterprises include crops, livestock, poultry, fish, tree crops, plantation crops, etc. A combination of one or more enterprises with cropping, when carefully chosen, planned and executed, gives greater dividends than a single enterprise, especially for small and marginal farmers.
- Soil and climatic features of the selected area.
- Availability of resources, land, labour and capital.
- Present level of utilization of resources. Scope of Integrated farming systems.
ADVANTAGES OF INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEM
- Profitability:Use waste material of one component at the least cost. Thus, reduction of cost of production and form the linkage of utilization of waste material, elimination of middleman interference in most input used. Working out net profit B/ C ratio is increased.
- Potentiality or Sustainability:Organic supplementation through effective utilization of by-products of linked components is done thus providing an opportunity to sustain the potentiality of the production base for much longer periods.
- Balanced Food:We link components of varied nature enabling to production of different sources of nutrition.
- Environmental Safety:In IFS waste materials are effectively recycled by linking appropriate components, thus minimising environmental pollution.
- Recycling:Effective recycling of waste material in IFFS.
- Income Rounds the year:Due to interaction of enterprises with crops, eggs, milk, mushrooms, honey, cocoons silkworms. Provides flow of money to the farmer around the year.
- Adoption of New Technology:Resources farmers (big farmers) fully utilize technology. IFS farmers, linkage of dairy/mushroom/sericulture/vegetable. Money flow around the year gives an inducement to the small/ original farmers to go for the adoption of technologies.
- Saving Energy:To identify an alternative source to reduce our dependence on fossil energy sources within a short time. Effective recycling techniques the organic wastes available in the system can be utilized to generate biogas. The energy crisis can be postponed to a later period.
- Meeting Fodder crisis:Every piece of land area is effectively utilized. Plantation of perennial legume fodder trees on field borders and also fixing the atmospheric nitrogen. These practices will greatly relieve the problem of the non-availability of quality fodder to the animal component linked.
- Solving Fuel and Timber Crisis:Linking agro-forestry appropriately the production level of fuel and industrial wood can be enhanced without determining the effect on crop. This will also greatly reduce deforestation, preserving our natural ecosystem.
- Employment Generation:Combining crops with livestock enterprises would increase the labour requirement significantly and would help in reducing the problems of underemployment to a great extent IFS provide enough scope to employ family labour around the year.
Source of image :aridagriculture.com
WHY IFS IS NEEDED?
- To reduce the risks due to biotic and abiotic stresses
- High input costs
- To meet the rising need for food, feed, fibre, fuel and fertilizer
- Nutritional requirement of family
- Increased demand for soil nutrients
- To increase the income
- Employment
- Standard of living
- Sustainability
IDEAL SITUATIONS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF IFS
- The farmer wishes to improve the soil quality
- The farm household is struggling to buy food or below the poverty line
- Water is stored on-farm in ponds or river-charged overflow areas
- Soil salinity has increased as a result of inorganic fertilizer use
- The farmer is seeking to maximize profits on existing holding
- The farm is being eroded by wind or water
- The farmer is looking to reduce chemical control methods
- The farmer wants to reduce pollution or waste disposal costs
TYPES OF INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS
- Crop-livestock farming system
- Crop-livestock –fishery farming system
- Crop-livestock – poultry – fishery farming system
- Crop-fishery-poultry farming system
- Crop- livestock-fishery-vermicomposting farming system
- Crop-livestock-forestry farming system
- Agri-silviculture system
- Agri-horti-silvi-pastoral system
RICE CUM FISH FARMING
A rice-fish system is an integrated rice field or rice field/pond complex, where fish are grown concurrently or alternately with rice. The rice fields that remain waterlogged even after the harvest of crops are ideal for fish culture and provide farmers with off-season income. Pokkali of Kerala, Khazans of Maharashtra etc. are some examples of traditional rice cum fish/prawn culture. The ecological benefits of such systems include weed and pest control, bioturbation of the soil-water interface etc. Fish may be deliberately stocked (fish culture), or may enter fields naturally from surrounding waterways when flooding occurs (rice field fisheries), or a bit of both.
History
- The history of Rice-Fish culture is quite old.
- First started in ancient China about 2000 years ago.
Traditional system
- Small ditches
- Attract wild fishes
- Fry of Carpio
- Low Production
- 50 kg per hectare
Advantages
- Production of fish as an additional crop.
- Insect or pest controlled.
- Faecal or semi-faecal materials serve as fertilizer.
- More profitable than rice cultivation alone.
- Easy technology and low-cost involvement.
- Great acceptability especially to the rural people.
Source of image : justagriculture.in
Disadvantages
- Maintaining suitable water level for fish culture
- Fish might escape or die due to floods or disease.
- Theft of fish.
- Predators such as snakes, frogs, and kites may eat fish.
- Restricted pesticide use, in control of pests
CONCLUSION
The integration of fish with livestock and agriculture needs to be viewed because this activity can go a long way in the uplift of rural life through manifold increase in return on investment. The integrated farming system seems to be the answer to the problems of increasing food production, increasing income and improving nutrition of the small-scale farmers with limited resources without any adverse effect on the environment and agro-ecosystem. IFS is a promising approach for increasing overall productivity and profitability through recycling farm by-products and efficient utilization of available resources. It could further generate employment opportunities for the farming communities around the year and provide better economic and nutritional security.
