भारत में एकीकृत खेती: कार्यक्षेत्र और सीमाएँ

Integrated farming system (IFS) involves integration of two or more enterprises with best use of available resources to satisfy maximum needs of the owner which leads to increase in productivity per unit area, efficient recycling of farm wastes, better utilization of resources, generate employment, reduce the risks and ensure sustainability (Biswas and Singh, 2003).

Integrated farming system aims at maximizing yield per area per time by virtue of intensification and diversification of crops with integration of allied enterprises. It also ensures nutrient recycling within the system to economize and sustain the system and minimizes the dependence on chemical fertilizers for crop production to earn more profit and employment generation round the year (Kumar et al., 2015).

IFS serves several objectives in terms of balance diet, improving the standard of living through maximizing the net return, employment round the year, minimizing the risk while keeping harmony with the environment (Mali et al., 2014).

Simultaneous production of fish in ponds, with pigs, duck or chicken rearing in pens, beside or over the ponds constitutes a continuous organic fertilization of the pond by the livestock.

This practice increases the efficiency of both livestock farming and fish culture through the profitable utilization of animal and feed wastes (Gill et al., 2005). Many such enterprises together sustain with low input costs and maximum production.

Advantages

The approach aims at increasing income and employment especially of small and marginal farmers from small-holding by integrating various farm enterprises and recycling by products from agriculture and other farming systems among themselves (Singh et al., 2006). Increased productivity, profitability and sustainability are ensured with protective food and environmental safety.

Integration of livestock with crop component has been found beneficial as it improves soil physical and chemical properties in terms of N, P, K and other mineral nutrients (Kumar et al., 2012). The livestock manure increases organic matter content of soil and this leads to improved infiltration, water holding capacity and increase in cation exchange capacity of soil.

It also improves and conserves fertility of soil. IFS approach leads to better space utilization and increase in productivity per unit area, it provides diversified products, less reliance to outside inputs viz., fertilizers, agrochemicals, feeds, energy etc.  

IFS can be practiced in different way with variable intensity depending on socio-economic structure, characteristics of soil, choice of the farmers and most importantly the resource availability of the farmers.

Challenges

Scientific and systemic approach is essential. Integrated pest management, integrated crop management, integrated farming and production need scientific knowledge, proper implementation and modernization with tools and techniques.

Livestock sector needs proper knowledge of area specific breed rearing and increasing their production in terms of milk, meat, eggs etc. Harsh climatic condition of few states like western parts of Rajasthan limits the option for commercialization of agriculture where high temperature during most part of the season accompanied with high wind velocity, sand storms, scarce and irregular distribution of rainfall (<120 mm), non-availability of green fodder, high rate of evaporation, soil degradation due to wind erosion, low soil organic matter etc. make agriculture farming and livestock rearing difficult.

However indigenous breeds can survive harsh climatic conditions but crossbreds have limitations of surviving and maximizing their productive efficiency in such climates.

Also our country has vast variability of climatic conditions. So it is difficult to replicate same kind of plan for integrated farming at every place and it would be wise to select the enterprises by keeping in mind the location specificity, environmental conditions, land topography, soil and ecosystem, market and processing facility, socio-economic condition, risk bearing capacity, knowledge about the selected enterprise and investment capacity of the individual as farming models are highly location specific and vary from place to place and even farmer to farmer in the same area.

IFS model comprising of crop components, dairy, poultry and fishery is the most suitable and efficient farming system model giving the highest system productivity for irrigated agro-ecosystem of north eastern plain zone, while suitable IFS model for Indian Central Himalaya region is fishery + poultry + vegetable farming.

Elements of Integrated Farming System

The various elements that can be incorporated under IFS are, Cattle/ buffalo/ dairy unit, goat unit, piggery unit, duck unit, fodder land, crop land, pisciculture (pond unit), apiculture, mushroom unit, poultry, compost (farm yard manure unit).

These units are interdependent and wastes and byproducts from one unit may be used as raw material in another one which drastically reduces input cost and decreases problem of disposal too and hence increases IFS profitability.

Along with this, farm pond may be constructed to conserve rain water. Use of bio-pesticides (living micro-organisms, canola oil and baking soda) reduce burden on the chemical pesticides and provides organic food to people. Biofertilizer has been identified as an alternative to chemical fertilizer to increase soil fertility and crop production in sustainable farming (Wu et al., 2015).

Microorganisms present in biofertilizer mobilize plant nutrients from unusable to usable form through biological process. These have gained much popularity over a period of time, by lowering the input cost involved in chemical fertilizers and serving as excellent source of nutrient mobilization in organic farming.

Renewable sources of energy (solar, wind) can be harnessed to reduce cost on conventional. Biogas unit may also be installed where gas can be utilized for various purposes and slurry obtained from it may be used for vermicompost preparation.

Conclusion

Decreasing land holding per person and increasing risk on sole farming has made it essential to shift toward IFS which along with ensuring agricultural sustainability, profitability will decrease risk involved and will provide better quality organic food and employment round the year.

The various elements involved in successful IFS are dairy, goat, piggery, duckery, poultry, apiculture and pisciculture units, fodder and crop lands, rain water harvesting units, solar energy unit etc. Other elements performing significant role in availability of organic food with low input costs are biofertilizers, biopesticides.

The planning, execution and profit of IFS depends upon the environmental and socioeconomic conditions, scientific knowledge and local breeds that can thrive best in that climatic condition without declining their production potential.   

References

Biswas C and Singh R. 2003. Integrated farming system: An intensive approach. Intensive Agriculture 41(7-8): 22–3.

Gill M S, Samra J S and Singh G. 2005. Integrated farming system for realizing high productivity under shallow water-table conditions. Research Bulletins, Department of Agronomy, PAU, Ludhiana, pp 1-29.

Kumar S, Subhash N, Shivani, Singh S S and Dey A. 2012. Evaluation of different components under Integrated Farming System (IFS) for small and marginal farmers under semi-humid climatic environment. Experimental Agriculture 48 (3): 399-413.

Kumar Sanjeev, Bhatt B P, Dwivedi S K and Shivani. 2015. Family farming- A mechanism to contribute towards global food security. Indian Farming 64(12): 13-8.

Mali H, Kumar A and Katara P. 2014. Integrated farming system for irrigated and rainfed conditions. (In) Proceedings of National Symposium on Agricultural Diversification for Sustainable Livelihood and Environmental Security, held during 18-20 November 2014 at Ludhiana, Punjab, p 546.

Singh K, Bohra J S, Singh Y and Singh J P. 2006. Development of farming system models for the north-eastern plain zone of U.P. Indian Farming 56(2): 5–11.

Authors:

Ashutosh Tripathi¹, Manish Kumar Shukla², Ankita Trivedi³

¹Department of LFC- Gynaecology, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut-250 110

 ²Department of Veterinary Gynaecology & Obstetrics, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut-250 110

³ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Regional Research Station, Jaisalmer-345 001

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