A case for integrated farm management

The kind of mixed farming that is followed today does not qualify as integrated farming which requires inter-linking of different components for mutual benefit

With the profitability of crop farming having been severely eroded, blending it with agriculture’s allied activities offers a good option to restore its economic viability and boost net returns. This can be done through integrated farming capable of producing a mix of food, fodder, fibre, fuel and manure from the same piece of land. However, the enterprises that can be gainfully clubbed together in such multifarious farming systems need to be chosen carefully. They should be compatible with each other and compete the least for land and other resources. There is no dearth of activities that can safely be taken up together. These include animal husbandry, horticulture, herbal farming, mushroom production, bee-keeping, sericulture, fisheries, agro-forestry and similar others.

Farmers are, indeed, not unfamiliar with the concept of mixed farming. Over 80 per cent of them routinely combine agriculture with livestock rearing, mostly cows or buffaloes, to reduce risks and augment family income and nutrition. Many of them keep goats, sheep or poultry birds as well. But the kind of mixed farming that is followed at most farms today does not strictly qualify to be termed as integrated farming which essentially requires inter-linking of different components for mutual benefits.

The well-devised integrated farming systems aim at recycling the wastes, byproducts and discarded biomass of one component to serve as the input for the other to reduce costs and maximise productivity and profitability. Scientists of the Modipuram (Meerut) based Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research (IIFSR) believe that up to 70 per cent of the nutrient requirement a farming system can be met in-house through waste recycling and other means. Farmyard manure made from livestock excreta and other bio-wastes can replace up to one-fourth of the nitrogen, phosphorus and potash  normally derived from fertilisers. As a significant additional advantage, substitution of chemical fertilisers with farmyard manure helps improve the physical health and fertility of the soil. Farm residues can also be converted into vermi-compost with the help of various kinds of earthworms. This manure, being rich in nutrients as well as beneficial microbes, proves relatively more salubrious for soils. 

Such integrated farming systems, if practiced scientifically, can ensure year-round livelihood and income support for farm families. Besides, these are usually more labour-intensive and can not only absorb family labour but also generate additional employment opportunities in rural areas. “These integrated systems can double the farmers’ income besides offering environmental benefits through recycling of farm wastes,” maintains IIFSR Director A S Panwar. In farming systems approach, even if one component fails, the others can sustain farm households. “However, these farming systems will have to be tailor-made and designed in such a manner that they lead to substantial improvement in energy efficiencies at the farms and help in maximum exploitation of the system’s synergies,” he adds.

Integrated farming, though farm-size neutral, is particularly useful for small and marginal farmers whose number is gradually swelling. They can produce high-value crops and remunerative commodities, such as mushrooms, fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, meat and honey, and also generate bio-energy to ensure regular income and better nutrition for the family. Such farming, moreover, ensures optimum use of available land.

Incorporation of fisheries into a farming system can be highly rewarding. Apart from the lucrative fish harvest, it offers scope for using the embankments of ponds for growing fruit trees or other suitable fuel and fodder plants. The nutrient-loaded silt of fish ponds serves as good manure for crops. The pond’s water comes in handy for irrigation during arid spells.

Appreciating the role the integrated farming can play in mitigating economic distress in rural areas, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research chose this as the theme of its tableau in its first-ever participation in the Republic Day parade this year. The display on the tableau showcased various components of integrated farming and their benefits. State governments and other farm development agencies should take a cue from it to promote this kind of environment-friendly and remunerative agriculture for the benefit of farmers. 

surinder.sud@gmail.com