sustainable agriculture

1. FARMINGSYSTEM
Definition
AFarmingsystem bydefinitioncomprisesasetofagriculturalprofession
professed on a farm unit.Thus,farming system represents an appropriate
combination offarm enterprises viz.,cropping,livestock,fisheries,forestry,
poultry,beekeepingetc.andthemeansavailabletothefarmertoraisethem for
profitability.Itinteracts adequetly with environmentwithoutdislocating the
ecologicalandsocio-economicbalanceononehandandattemptstomeetthe
nationalgoalsontheother.
Actually,integratedfarmingsystem whichisfocusedroundafewselected,
interdependent,interrelatedandofteninter-lockingproductionsystemsbasedon
afew crops,animals,andotherrelatedsubsidiaryprofessions.Theinterrelated,
inter-dependent,inter-lockingnatureofintegratedfarmingsystem involvesthe
utilizationofprimaryproduceandsecondaryproduceofonesystem asbasic
inputoftheothersystem,thusmakingthemmutuallyintegratedasonewholeunit.
Thisincidentallyalsohelptoreducethedependenceonprocurementofinputs
from open market,making thereby the integrated farming systems a self-
supportingentityandsustainablesystemovertime.
NeedofFarmingsystem
Themostimportantachievementofgreenrevolutionwasadramaticincreasein
cropproductivity,particularlyofthecerealsriceandwheat.Asaresult,thetotal
foodgrainproductionincreasesfourfold.Itwasabout50milliontonnesduring
1950-51andrecordedmorethan200milliontonnesduring2000.Thisensured
muchneededfoodsecurityinthecountryandalsogiveaboosttofoodindustry.
Thisdevelopment,however,off-balancedagriculturalsystem asawholeinthe
country.Growthrateofagricultureroserapidlyduringseventiesandmideighties,
and,thereafter,now itisonadecline.The“factorproductivity”hasalsostarted
falling.Thesystem ofproductionadoptedduringthegreenrevolutionerawas
exploitative and the naturalresourceslike soiland waterwere subjected to
immensepressurebeyondtheircarryingcapacity.Thisresultinthedegradationof
notonlythecropecosystem but,thelifesupportingenvironmentasawhole.
Sustainabilityofagriculturalproductionbecamevulnerableandtheentirefarming
system structure gotthoroughly shaken.A hope liesthrough redemption of
farmingsystemswherevariouscomponentsoffarmingarecomplementaryto
eachotherencouragingresourceconservationandcreatesynergisticeffectnot
onlyintermsofbutalsofrom thepointofview ofenvironmentsustainability
issuesarethustakencareautomatically.Adoptionoffarmingsystemspromotea
sustainable growth in agriculture with a view to increase productivity and
profitability,increaseinputuseefficiency,resourceconservation,employment

2. generation,alleviatepoverty,andtoenhancethequalityofenvironment.
Themainaimsofintegratedfarmingsystemare:
 Maximizationofyieldofallcomponententerprisestoprovidesteadyand
stableincomesathigherlevels.
 Rejuvenation/amelioration of systems productivity and achieve agro-
ecologicalequilibrium.
 Controlthebuildofinsect-pests,diseasesandweedpopulationsthrough
naturalcropping system managementand keep them atlow levelof
intensity.
 Reducingtheuseofchemicalfertilizersandotherharmfulagro-chemicals
andpesticidestoprovidepollutionfree,healthyproduceandenvironment
tothesociety,atlarge.
Typesoffarming
Someofthemaintypesoffarmingsystemspracticesareasunder
A.Primarymainlinefarmingsystems
 Arablefarming
 Pastoralfarming
 Horticulturalfarming
 Naturalforestry/farmforestry/agroforestrysystems
 Animalbreedingandanimalhusbandryfarminfsystems
 Dairying
 Raisingofbeefandalliedanimalslaughterbasedsystem
 Plantationcropsystems
 Naturalforestby-productcollectionbasedsystem
 Controlledenvironmentandhi-techsystems
 Aquaculture
 Fisheriesandfishfarmingsystems
 Poultryandbirdraising
B.Specializedsystems
 Beekeeping
 Mushroom raising
 Silkwormraising
 Laccollection
 Rarebirdsraising
 Bio-technologybasedandtissue–culturesystems
 Nurseryraising
 Vermiculture,bio-fertilizerandbio-pesticidesraising
 Numerousothervariantsofhighlyspecializedsystems
ScopeofImprovingAgriculturalProductionthroughIntegratedMulti-Enterprise
farmingsystem

3. Agriculturecanbeprofitableonlywhenitisoperatedasanenterprisethrough
stronglocalorganizationwithsoundmanagementprinciples.Intheabsenceof
suchmanagementsupport,agriculturecannotexpandbeyondthesubsistence
levelandnow thetimehascomewhenfarminghastobetakenasmulti-faceted
profession.Thisholisticapproachimpliestoreorientthecropproductionsystem
towardsintegratedmultienterprisefarmingsystem byinvolvingalliedagriculture
ventures like dairy,poultry,piggery rabbitraising,fish farming,beekeeping,
mushroom growing,sericulture,floriculture,fruit/vegetablegrowing,agroforestry
alongwithcropraising.Byadoptingthisapproach,smallandmarginalfarmers
obviously find tremendousscope ofenhancing self-employmentand income
generatingopportunities.Italsohelpsinrecyclingoffarm wastesresourceswitha
view togiveprotection toenvironmentwhichisurgentlyneededunderpresent
circumstances. However, it needs a strong technological back-up and
management support at various levels by a multi-disciplinary team of
scientists/policyplannersandfarmers.
Factorsaffectingselectionoffarmingenterprises
Thechoiceoffarmenterprisesmainlybeingguidedby
(i) theagro-climatologicallimits
(ii) thefarmresources:land,labour,capital
(iii) availabilityofmarkets
(iv) extentofmechnisation
(v) thetechnologicallevelofthefarmers
(vi) theinfrastructuralbackup
(vii) themarginalskillandacumenofthefarmentrepreneur
Socio-economic factorsincluding principlesofagri-businesscomprising
income levels,creditflow,marketdemand,price structure,inputavailability
traditions,and earning habits weigh very heavy in deciding the nature and
constructionoffarmingsystemsinanagro-ecosystem.Besidesthis,themost
importantfactorunderlyingthechoiceoffarm enterprisesisthebasicdesireof
maximizationoffarm profits.Nationalandlocalneedsandprioritieswillalsohave
theirroleindecidingthecompositionofafarmingsystem.
COMPONENTSOFFARMINGSYSTEM
Livestockcomponent
Agriculture and animalhusbandry are complementary to each other.
Agricultureislargelydependentonanimalhusbandryforitssubsistence.Animal
husbandryislargelydependentonpasturesandgrasslands.There-orientationof
conventionalcrop based agriculturalproduction to integrated farming system
involveintegratingcropproductionwithvariouscomponentsofanimalhusbandry
(Dairying,poultry,sheepandgoathusbandry,RabbitriesandFisheries)becomes

4. indispensableifagricultureasanoccupationhastobeprofitable.
Throughlivestockfarmersnotonlygetmilkbutmanureaswellwhichisthemajor
sourceofnutrientsappliedtotheagriculturalfield.Normallyanimalagricultureis
notonlyviablebutalsosupportsthefarmersincomeinmanyways.Thesaleof
themilkandotheranimalproductsfetchesthefarmerseverydayincomewhich
canbeutilizednotonlyforhislivelihoodbutcansupportotherfarm operationsin
termsofpurchaseoffertilizer,insecticidesandfarm implementswhereasincome
from cropagriculturecomesonlytwiceinayear.Amongalltheexcretafrom
livestock,theamountofexcretaofcattleisthegreatestandmoststable.Cattle
dung,urineaswellasthewashingofthecattleshedhavesuperbmanorialvalue.
Thewastecattlefoddercanalsobeutilizedasfishfeed.Thecattleshedcanbe
constructed onthewidenembankmentoffishpond itself,so thewasteand
washingaredirectlydrainedintothefishpond.5-6cattlewillbesufficientto
meetthefeedrequirementoffishesfor1.0hapond.
Poultryfarming
Developmentofpoultryfarmingingivengeographicalareadependsonavailability
ofvariousinputs(chicks,feed,equipments),properhousing toavoid climatic
stressandmarketingfacilitiesfortheproduce.Themainconstraintsfacedby
farmersinadoptingpoultryfarming
 Non-availabilityofqualitystock
 Highcostoffeed/feedingingradients
 Lackoftechnicalknow-how
 Inadequatefacilitiesforprocessingandstorageofpoultryproducts
 Lackofmarketingfacilities
Diseaseproblems,climaticstress,non-availabilityoffinancesaretheother
limitationsassociatedwithpoultrydevelopment.
Therearetwotypesofsystem followedinpoultryfarmingi.e.thebatterysystem
anddeeplitter.Inbatterysystem aperforatedplatform isconstructedoverthe
deeperportionofthepond.Smallpillerssupportthisplatform.Thecageshaveto
beinstalledovertheplatform withsomesuitableshadestructure.Thepoultry
droopingsand wastefood would bedirectlyavailableto theheavilystocked
fishesinthepondthroughperforationscreatedontheplatform.Theothermethod
istomakedeeplitterinpoultrycoopsandrecycleitintofishponddaily@ 50
kg/ha.Thedeep littersystem isgenerallypreffered becauseascompared to
poultrydroopingthefullybuiltuplitterhasabout3timeshighmanorialvalue.
FAOin1996quatedthatquantityofmanureproducedaccordingtoliveweightof
chickens.
Afiveweekoldchicken–produces10gdrymatter/day
A12weekoldchicken–produces45gdrymatter/day
Alayinghen(0.5-1.5yearold)–produces40-50gdrymatter/day

5. Foregg production RhodeIsland and whiteleghornbreedsaresuitable.Egg
productionstartsattheageoffiveandahalfmonthandattainthepeakby18
month.Oneheniscapableoflaying180-230eggsinayear.After18monthsthe
productiongraduallydeclines.Atthisstagelayersmaybereplacedbyfreshstock
andoldonesmarketedformeat.Incaseofbroilerproductionwhenchicksgetthe
optimum bodyweightof1-1.5kgaroundsixweekstheycanbesold.Poultryfeed
canbepreparedfromlocallyavailablefoodmixedwithfishmeal.
Duckerycomponent
Duckeryisan importantcomponentoffarming system where fish farming is
involved.Fish-duckcombination,infact,isviewedasameansofreducingthecost
offeedforducksandaconvenientandinexpensivewayoffertilizingpondsfor
productionoffishfood.Inadditiontoit,dabblinghabitsofducksacceleratesthe
recyclingofnutrientsinthepondan duetotheirconstantmovementinwater
theyoxygenatethewater.Theducksalsoinsearchforfoodintheshallowpartof
thepondconsumessomeotheraquaticorganismsandaquaticweedswhichare
harmfulforfishesandneedtobeeradicated.Thustheproteincontentofthe
supplementaryfeedswhicharenecessarytoachievehighproductionratesfor
ducksisreducedby10-15% whentheducksareraisedinponds.Inaddition,the
pondsalsoprovidesacleanandhealthyenvironmentfortheducks.
TwovarietiesofducksnamelyIndianrunnerandkhakiCampbellaregenerally
consideredforintegration.AlthoughIndianrunneraremorehardybuttheyarenot
asgoodlayersasexotickhakiCampbell.A ducknormallyvoids125to150g
droopingsperday.Normally200-300ducksareneededfor1.0hawaterarea.At
thisrateabout10-15tofduckdroopingsarerecycledinpondeveryyear.
Generally8to12weekoldducklingsarekeptonthepondaftergetting
them properlyvaccinated.A low costnightshelterforduckisconstructedon
pondembankmentusingsplit-bamboomatsorothersuchcheapmaterial.Ducks
usuallystartlayingattheageof24weeks.Theyhaveproductionpotentialof130-
140eggs/bird/year(300eggs/bird/yearincaseofkhakicampbell)andtheyareof
15to20g.Thesizeofthefingerlingsshouldbe10cm.ormoreareusedforfish
culture as duck tend to feed on fry and early fingerlings.Underproper
maintenance,theproductionofduckeggsinoneyearaveragearound15000.
Besides500to750kgofduckmeatisalsoproduced.
Fisherycomponent
Pond serves various usefulpurposes like domestic requirement of water,
supplementary irrigation to adjacent crop field and pisciculture.With the
traditionalmanagement,farmersobtainhardly300-400kgofwildfishperha
annually.However,poly-fishculturewiththestockingdensityof7500fingerlings
andsupplementaryfeedingwillboostthetotalbiomassproduction.Inpoly-fish

6. culturethemajorspeciesoffishesusedareRohu(Columnfeeder),catla(surface
feeder),Mrigal(bottom feeder)wereused.Inadditiontoitcommoncarp,grass
carpandsilverwereusedinpolyculture.Beforestockingofthesefisheswildand
predatoryfishesareeliminatedfrom thefishpondbyusingMahuacake@ 250
kg/haonemonthbeforestocking.Thefisheswerestockedinaratioof30:30:40
assurface:column:bottom feedertoearnmaximum profit.Thedepthofthepond
should be 1.5-2m.This depth willhelp for effective photosynthesis and
temperaturemaintenance forthegrowthyofzooandphytoplanktons.Forbetter
growthofzooandphytoplanktonstimetotimenutrientapplicationisneeded.The
colourofthewaterlooksslightlygreenishduetophytoplanktonspresenceand
thatpondcertainlywillgivegoodreturn.Mostlydieinginfishestakesplacewhen
theoxygencontentofthepondwaterbecomesverylow andatthattimefishes
wherefoundonthepondsurfacetotakeoxygenfrom theatmosphere.So,timeto
timelimeapplicationisneededtoincreasetheoxygencontentofwater.Lime
applicationisalsodonewhenpHofthewaterislessthan6.5.HigherpHcanbe
reducedbyadditionofgypsum orapplicationoffreshdung.Thepondcontribute
tothesystem bysupplyinghumuswhichisdraggedoutfrom thepondaftereach
harvest.Humusactasarichsourceoffertilizerstocrops.
ApicultureorBeekeeping
Beekeeping issuch an enterprisewhich can beveryeasilytaken along with
agricultureandhenceithasemergedasanessentialcomponentofintegrated
farming system.It is less time consuming,requiring low recurring cost.
Beekeepingexhibitsnon-interferencewithnormalfarmingoperation.Itenhance
theyieldofseveralcropsasaresultofforagingactivitiesofbee(beepollination).
Therearetwotypesofspeciesi.e.ApisceranaindicaandApismelliferaareused
inbeekeeping.However,Apismelliferabeekeepingisspreadingfastbecauseof
itstraitslikehigherforagingrange,morehoneyyield,lessswarmingtendencies,
amenability to maintain populous colonies and tolerance to some pestand
diseasesoverApiscerana.Thesuccessofbeekeepingdependsuponavailability
ofadequatebuildupandnectorsourcesintheprevailingagro-ecosystem.These
sources include toria,mustard,pear,stone fruit,apple,rose,maize,niger,
sunflower,citrus,berseem,peach,jamun,litchietc.Beekeepingnormallyneeds
nospecialattentionbutrainyseasonisdifficultseasonformanagementasattack
ofwaspsandotherenemyprevails.Sourcesofnectorarealsoscarcesoartificial
feedingofsugarandwaterrationin50:50proportionisgiveninwinterseason.
Indian species Apis cerana indica yield 1.5 kg honey/box/collection with 4
collectionsperyear.whereas,ItalianspeciesApismelliferayield10timesmorei.e.
15kghoney/box/collection.Theboxescanbemaintainedfor5yearsduring
whichprofitfrom countrybreed willbeRs1238/boxand forItalianbreed Rs
5831/box.Sixboxescanbemaintainedinahaofland.

7. Agroforestry
Agro forestry is a system where woody and non-woody interacting plant
combinationsarecarriedoutforachievingcertainobjectiveslike(a)conservation
ofsoilandwater(b)recyclingofnutrients(c)maintenanceoforganicmatterand
someimportantphysicalpropertiesofsoil(d)sustainedcropproductivity.
Fueltreeslikeacacia,Subaboolandeucalyptusetc.canbeplantedtomeetthe
fuelandforagerequirementofthefarm familyand cattlerespectively.Gamhar,
sesam,saku,sagwancanbeplantedtomeetthetimberrequirement.Fruitscrops
likejamun,ber,pomegranate,custardapplecanbeplantedtomeetthefood
requirement.
Plantationoftreesinandaroundfarm landisbeneficialbutitsacceptabilityisvey
poorasonecannottakefullbenefitfrom them atleastin10-15years.So,pulses
andoilseedscanbetakenintheintercropspace,tillthecanopyofthetrees
obstructsthepenetrationofsunlight.Lateroncropsliketurmericandotherscan
begrownintheshadeoftreespecies.whenthetreesareinfullbloom thenthe
interspacescanbeconvertedtopasturelandforgrazingofgoateryandcattle
component.Besides this the agroforestry component support the various
enterpriseofthefarmingsystem likesericulture,laccultureandalsotoapiculture
byprovidingpollenandnectortobees.
Sheeprearing
Sheeprearingisalsoaprofitableenterprisewhichcanbeeasilyadoptedinthe
farmingsystem.Theyalsodon’trequireagoodhousingfacilitybuttoprotect
them from predatoryanimalsfencingof2metersisdonearoundtheshed.They
consumelargequantityofroughage.Generally,asheeprequiresabout1-2kgof
leguminoushayperdaydependingontheageofsheepanditsbodyweightand
100-125gofcakeofgroundnut,sesameorsaffloweralongwiththemixtureof
commonsalt,groundlimestoneandsterilizedbonemealisgiventoalleviatethe
proteinandmineraldeficiency.Anormalram isinfullvigourforbreedingfrom the
ageof2andhalfyears.whilethesheepmaturesin2years.Thegestationperiod
willvaryfrom 142-152days.Underaveragecondition,itmaybeexpectedto
produceaboutfivecropsoflambs.
Piggery
Pigsaremaintained fortheproductionofpork.MostlybreedsoflargeWhite
YorkshireandLandracearebeingusedfortheirrearing.Pigsarerapidlygrowing
livestocksotheysuffermorefrom nutritionaldeficienciesthanlivestock.Theyare
fedwithinediblefeeds,forages,certaingrainbyproductsobtainedfrom mills,
meatbyproducts,damagedfeedsandgarbage.Mostofthesefeedsareeithernot
edible ornotvery palatable to human beings.Pigs have a simple stomach
therefore they mustbe fed with maximum ofconcentratesand minimum of
roughage.Themainingredientinswinerationarecerealsandmilletsandtheir

8. byproducts.Thefibrecontentinswinerationshouldbeverylow (around5-6%)
forbetterfeedutilizationefficiency.Thepigsgrowsfastandisaprolificbreeder,
givingbirthto10-12pigsatatime.Itiscapableofproducingtwolittersperyear
undergoodmanagementconditions.
Rabbitrearing
Rabbitscaneasilyberearedwithrelativelylessconcentratefeedandwithvery
highreproductionrates.Rabbitcanbeclassifiedintotwocategoriesasmeatand
woolproducing ones.Importantmeatbreedsare New Zealand White,Soviet
ChinchillaandKandinrex.BreedforwoolareAngora,PolishBolamina,Danand
Flirorida.Rabbitrequirecalmquiteareas.Suddennoisecancausedeathofrabbits.
Rabbitisanon-ruminantherbivorousanimalhavingasimplestomach.Likeany
otheranimal,rabbitrequiresprotein,carbohydrates,fats,mineralsandvitaminsas
feed.Thefeedingradientsmayconstitutemaize(20%),alfalfa(25%),wheatbran
(40%),groundnutcake(12%),mineralmixture(2%)andsalt(1%)alongwithwater.
Rabbitof5-6monthagearereadyforbreeding.Gestationperiodis28-32days.It
givesbirthtofivetimesinanyearandeachtimeproducingsixnumbers.
Sericulture
Sericultureisaprofitableenterprisewhichcanbeeasilybetakenina
farmingsystem.Therearefourtypesofsilkworm.
(i) Mulberrysilkworm
(ii) Erisilkworm
(iii) Tassarsilkworm
(iv) Mugasilkworm
Thesilkworm completesitslifecyclebyfeedingontheleavesofmulberry,
arjun,beretc.so inclusion ofthese treesin the agroforestry componentis
essential.Forthererearinginabambootrayricehuskisspread.Tenderchopped
mulberryleavesareaddedtothetray.Thesilkworm measuresabout30mm in
length.Afterbreedingthefemalesilkworm lays300-400eggs.Theseeggstakes
12-20 daysbefore the young onescomesout.The hatched outlarvae are
transferredtotheleaves.Theyoungonescomingoutfrom eggsstartsfeedingon
the leaves and takes 30-35 days fortheircomplete development.These
completelydevelopedyoungonesthentakes24hr.toform cocoonaroundthem
andthenconvertedtopupainsidethecocoon.Thecocoonisconstructedwitha
singlerealthreadofsilk.Thesecocoonstageliesforabout6-7days.Lateron
adultcomesoutfrom itbyrupturingthecocoonandthread.So,beforetheadult
comesout.These cocoon should be keptin warm waterand silkthread is
recovered.Aboutonepoundofsilkthreadisobtainedfromabout2500cocoon.
Mushroom cultivation
Itisalso a good supplementary enterprise in a farming system which
providesengagementoffarm womenandchildren.Thereisagooddemandof

9. thisproductinthemarketanditcanalsobeconsumedbythefarm familyasa
deliciousdish.Dhingerimushroom inwinterseasonandpaddystrawmushroom in
rainyseasoninadditiontowhitemilkmushroom couldbegrownsuccessfully.The
investmentperbedisRs.30incaseofpaddystrawmushroom andRs.20incase
ofOystermushroomwithanetincomeofRs.37andRs.28respectively.
BIOGASPLANTS
Theexcretaofcattleisuseddirectlyorindirectlythroughbiogasplantasslurry
forfishculture,forhorticultureandanimalprovidessufficientmanureandfeedfor
apondof0.13ha.
Thecattleshedmeasuring8m X4m aresufficientfor4cattle.Washingsfrom the
cattleshedgoesdirectlytothebiogasplant.Thedigestedslurrycanbeutilized
forfishculturepond.Excessofslurrymaybestockedinacompostpit.The
biogasgeneratedmaybeusedfordomesticpurposesandalsoforlightingthefish
pondtoattractinsectswhichform achoicefoodforfishes.
Thenetreturnfrom a2m3plantcouldbeRs12/daywithdailyinvestmentofRs.
9/-andtotalreturnofRs21/day.
Model-1:(WetlandFarmingSystem)
Amodelof0.40hawasdevelopedforsmallandmarginalfarmersofTamil
NadustatebyRangaswamyet.al.(1988)andRangaswamy(1992).
Allocationofthearea Allocationofland
Cropping 0.36ha
Fisheries 0.04haoffishpond
Poultry Poultryshedplacedoverthe
pond
Total 0.40ha
CroppingProgramme
(i) Rice(IR-50) – Rice(IR-20) – Maize(CO-1)-0.16ha
(May-August) (Aug-Dec) (Jan-April)
(ii) Rice(IR-50) – Rice(IR-20) – Groundnut(CO-2)-0.10ha
(iii) Maize(CO-1)– Rice(IR-20) – Gingelly(TMV-3)–0.10ha
Adoptedpractice
(i) Rice(IR-50) – Rice(IR-20) – Greengram(CO-3)-0.20ha
(May-August) (Aug-Dec) (Jan-March)
(ii) Rice(IR-50) – Rice(IR-20) – Sunnhemp - 0.40ha
Fisheries
Therecommendedstockingdensityof7500fingerlingsperhaofponded
waterismaintained.Accordingly300numbersattheratioagainsteachofthe

10. followingvarietieswerereleasedinthepond.
Silvercarp/Catla 120(4)
Mrigal/Commoncarp 90(3)
Rohu 60(2)
Grasscarp 30(1)
Poultry
Excretaof500layerchicksaresufficienttomeetthefeedrequirementof
7500polyculturefingerlings
Inricecultivation,evenwithbestmanagementpracticewearegetting
about5to7%ofunfilledorpartiallyfilledgrains.Theseconstitute35% ofpoultry
feedrequirement.Thusreducespoultryfeedcostby57.5percent.Thefeeding
requirementoffingerlingswassolelyduetothedroopingofthebirdskeptover
thefishpondwhichonmarketingwillbeabonus.
The economics ofthe system show thatnetincome obtained under
integrated farming system was34067/ha/yearwhile,Rs.17586/ha/yearunder
conventionalsystem respectively.ThenetprofitwasRs.93.33/ha/dayanditwas
93.7percenthigherthanconventionalsystem.Theemploymentopportunitywas
alsoenhancedby102percentthanconventionalsystem.
Model-II(RainfedirrigatedFarmingSystem)
Anintegratedfarmingsystem modelhasbeenproposedbyPremsekarand
Rangasamy in 1994 for Rainfed irrigated system.The modelinclude the
componentsi.e.cropping,dairy,spawnproduction,biogasandsilviculture.
Treatment
CroppingProgramme
(i) Cotton+Greengram – Maize+Foddercowpea – BellaryOnion-
0.56ha
(August-Feb) (Feb-May) (May-August)
(ii) Wheat+Sunflower – Maize+Foddercowpea – SummerCotton
-0.19ha
(iii) Beetroot – Bengalgram – Raddish –
0.15ha
(iv) Grassbajra/Napier/Lucerne -0.05ha
150treesofLucerneandsubaboolplantedonbunds
Farmshed -
0.05ha
DairyUnit
3Jerseycows+2Calves -
0.05ha
Spawnandmushroomproductioncapacity1.5to2kg/day

11. ConventionalCroppingSystem
(v) Cotton – Sorghum – Ragi -
0.20ha
(August-Feb) (Feb-May) (May-August)
TheadoptionofIntegratedfarmingsystemgenerateandnetincomeofRs.
34584/hawhilethroughconventionalcroppingsystemonecangetRs.13496/ha.
IntegratedFarmingSystemthusprovidesandadditionalnetincomeofRs.
20638/ha.Theemploymentopportunityalsoenhancedto770mandaysperyear
overconventionalsystem.
Model-III(DrylandFarmingSystem)
Underdrylandcondition,theproductivitycannotenhancedduetolowrainfall.
Even10-40percentoftherainfallisunutilized.Indryfarming,technologiescan
notbeuniformlyrecommendedbecauseofwidervariabilityofrainfallfromplace
toplace.
AnmodelofintegratedfarmingsystemwasproposedbyRajendrain1994
Existingcroppingsystem:Sorghumandcowpeaforgrainpurpose
Improvedcroppingsystem:
Sorghum+cowpea(grain) - 0.20ha
Sorghum+cowpea(fodder) - 0.20ha
Subabul+Cenchrusciliaris - 0.20ha
AcaciaSenegal–treefodder - 0.20ha
Prosophiscineraria–treefodder - 0.20ha
FarmingSystem
SixTellicherygoats(5Female+1Male)
Treefarming
Subabul,AcaciaSenegalandprosophiscinerariawereplantedforfodder,
timberandfuel.Fruittreeslikepomegranate,sapotaandguavawerealsoplanted.
Annualcropsareraisedintheinterspacesofperennialcropsforabout4to5
years
Thesystemofintegratedcrops,goatandtreesgivesnetincomeofRs.
5666/ha/yearwhereasconventionalcroppingsystemgaveanetincomeofRs.
3747/ha/year.InIntegratedFarmingSystem54.4percentofnetincomewas
obtainedfromcropcomponentandremaining45.6percentwasfromanimal
component.ThetotalemploymentgeneratedunderIntegratedFarmingSystem
was153mandays/ha/yearwhereas,itwas40days/ha/yearunderconventional
croppingsystem thusgeneratinganadditionalemploymentopportunityof113
mandays/ha/year.
DEVELOPMENTOFFARMINGSYSTEM MODEL

12. (1) ConstructionofModel:Logicalorganizationofdataandtheoriesofthe
processesofthesystemandsubsystemanddrawinganoutlineofflow
diagramchart.
Aflowcharthelpsindrawing
(i)Statementofactivities
(ii)Theresourceinputneeded
(iii)Theoperationalrouterequiredtoachievethedesiredtargetedgoal/
results
(2) Testingandvalidationofmodel
(3) Prediction
(4) Utilization