To make sustainable agriculture and profitable to the farmers, Farming System improvement is necessary.

1. Farming System : Concept, Scope and modules
Dr. R P Singh
Associate Director Extension
G.B.P.U.A & T., Pantnagar
1

2. Challenges
Rate of changes
Challenge Current status
(per year)
world 6 billion + 1.3%
Population
India 1 billion + 1.95%
Food insecure population 790 million 1.0%
Soil degradation 1966 m ha 5-10 M ha
Desertification 1016 m ha 6 M ha
Irrigated area per person 0.045 ha -1.3%
Grain harvested area per person 0.11 ha -0.55%
Forested area per capita 0.59 ha -0.78%
Atmospheric concentration of GHGs
CO2 370 ppm +0.5%
CH4 1.74 ppm +0.75%
2
N2O 311 ppb +0.25%

3. Requirement by 2020 AD to meet the balanced diet
as per norms prescribed by ICMR
Crops/item Requirement Requirement in
(gm/capita/day) million tons
2010 2020
Cereals and millets 420(391) 237.4(195) 280.99
Pulses and legumes 70(33) 22.61(13) 26.76
Fats and oils 40(34) 12.44 (9) 14.72
Vegetables 125 109.52 129.62
Roots and tubers 75 42.39 50.18
Fruits 50 43.81 51.85
Milk 150 84.79 100.35
Sugar 30(57) 16.96(19.2) 20.07
3
Egg 45 (The Hindu Survey of Indian Agriculture, 2006)
25.44 30.11

4. Problems of present day agriculture
• Decline in agriculture growth rate
• Decline in factor productivity
• Static or decline in food production
• Increasing malnutrition
• Shrinkage in net cultivable area
• increasing environmental pollution
• Depleting ground water table
• Increasing cost of production
• Low farm income
• Increasing unemployment
What is the solution?
“Integrated Farming Systems” 4

5. Farming system?
Farming :
• Farming is a process of harnessing solar
energy in the form of economic plant &
animal products.
• System: implies a set of interrelated
process organized into a functional entity.
5

6. Features of diversified farming in
sustainable agriculture
• Maintain vegetative cover
• Provide regular supply of organic matter
• Enhance nutrient recycling mechanism
• Pest control through enhanced bio-control
activity

7. Farming System--components
Other resources laborer
Soil FARM Family livestock
Water crops
• Functions with in limitation of capability/resources/socio cultural settings
• Interacting with physical, biological, economic factors
• managing agricultural activity/even non farm vocations 7

8. Farming system designates a set of
agricultural activities organized into
functional units:
 To profitably harness solar energy
 Preserving land productivity
 Ensuring environmental quality
 Maintaining desirable level of
biological
diversity and ecological stability.
8

9. Further: IFS
Resource Management strategies achieving
economy and sustaining agriculture
production
 Meeting diverse requirements of farming
house holds
 Conserving the resource base and
maintaining environment quality
 Efficient use of land, labour and available
resources
9

10. Integrated Farming Systems
 Crop husbandry
 Livestock production
 Poultry
 Duckery
 Horticulture
 Aquaculture
 Apiculture
 Sericulture
 Mushroom cultivation
 Agro-forestry
 Biogas plants
 Miscellaneous enterprises
10

11.  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 total income of farm
 Effective utilization of family labors around the year
11

12. Constraints Components
Objective IFS Physical
Determinants
Social Economic
Environment
12

13. Factors determining type of farming
• Physical factor (Climate ,soil, topography)
• Economic factor
– Marketing cost
– Labour availability
– Capital
– Land value
– Competition for enterprises
– Consumer demand
– Prevalent pest and diseases
• Social factor (type of community, easy transport,
marketing facilities and co-operative spirit)
• Objective (income, production, minimizing cost etc.)
• Availability of resources and components
13

14. Types of Integrated Farming Systems
 Crop-live stock farming system
 Crop-live stock –fishery farming system
 Crop-live stock – poultry - fishery farming system
 Crop-poultry-fishery – mushroom farming system
 Crop-fishery-poultry farming system
 Crop- livestock-fishery-vermicomposting farming system
 Crop-live stock-forestry farming system
 Agri-silvi-horticulture system
 Agri-horti-silvi-pastoral system
14
 Home garden agro-forestry system

15. Factor deciding nature and size of
enterprises
• Farm size
• Marketing facilities
• Climate
• Technologies available
• Soil type and condition
• Income level
• Credit facility
• Skill/Knowledge and
• Social accessibility
15

16. Types of farming system
• Crop livestock farming system
HOUSE HOLD
Excreta
Biogas
Crop Animals
BIO GAS PIT
Dung
Slurry as
manure
Crop residue as feed
Family
Resources flow in farming system
LIVE STOCK CROP
16

17. Crop- livestock- forestry farming
system
17

18. Crop- fish- poultry farming system
18

19. Crop –livestock- poultry- fishery
farming system
19

20. Labour intensive farming system for
small area
Faeces
Poultry as feed Pig Energy for use
Earth worm feed
Faeces
Biogas
Biogas Plant Mushroom
Slurry
Biogas Biogas
Slurry Biogas Slurry
Slurry
Vermiculture Fish Pond Orchard fruit trees
20

21. 21

22. 22

23. 23

24. Agroforestry in Kerala: A Model
24
(Salam et al.,1992)

25. Enterprises linked in different agro-
ecosystem
Dry land Garden land Wet land
• Dairy • Dairy • Dairy
• Sheep • Poultry • Poultry
• Goat • Mushroom • Mushroom
• Agro forestry • Apiary • Apiary
• Farm pond • Piggery • Fish culture
• Sericulture • Duck farming
25

26. Farming system for different agro-
climatic zones of India
Regions System
High altitude cold desert Pastures with agro-forestry, goats, angora rabbits and a
region limited agricultural crops like millets, wheat, barley,
fodders are recommended.
Arid and desert region Farming system is centering mainly in animal
husbandry with camels, sheep and goat and with
moderate cropping components involving pearly millet,
wheat, pulses, gram and fodder.
Western and central Horticultural crops act as a major component and have
Himalayan region a less intensive agriculture mainly on the hill terraces
and slopes with maize, rice, wheat, pulses and fodder
crops.
Eastern Himalayan region Primitive crop husbandry with rice, millets, pulses etc.
Agro-forestry system are also common. Piggery and
poultry are the chief livestock activity.
26
Cont……..

27. Regions System
Indo-gangetic plains Intensive crop husbandry involving rice-wheat,
maize-mustard pulses is integrated livestock
(including dairy cattle and buffaloes).
Central and southern Cotton-sorghum-millets-pulses in linked with dairy-
highlands cattle, sheep, goat poultry (as the secondary
enterprises).
Western ghats Major activity is cultivation of plantation crops.
Cultivation of rice and pulses are the secondary
agricultural activity. Cattle, sheep and goats are the
livestock components which is maintained as large
herds and allowed for free ranging.
Delta and coastal plains Rice cultivation is linked along with fish culture,
poultry and piggery enterprises. Capture fisheries
of the marine ecosystem is a specialized enterprise
and does not mix with cropping activity.
27

28. Productivity of Rice-based IFS: A case study
Farming system Component productivity (Kg/ha) Rice-grain
equivalent
Crop Poultry Mushroom
yield
(Kg/ha)
Rice – fallow 4311 - - 4311
(Existing system)
Rice-Groundnut + 6557 (39) 6,060 (36) 4,305 (25) 16,922
Mushroom+ poultry
Rice-Cowpea+ 7,662 (43) 6,060 (34) 4,305 (23) 18,027
Mushroom+ poultry
Rice-Brinjal+ 11,122 (52) 6,060 (28) 4,305 (20) 21,487
Mushroom+ poultry
Rice-Sunnhemp+ 4,993 (33) 6,060 (39) 4,305 (28) 15,358
Mushroom+ poultry
Figures in parentheses indicate per cent contribution to the total system
productivity
Experiment conducted at the ICAR Res. Complex, Goa
(Manjunath & Itnal, 2003)
28

29. Income and employment generation under IFS
Location: Kalahandi district of Orissa
Enterprises Unit Cost of Gross return Net return B:C Man
production (Rs./unit) (Rs./unit) ratio days
(Rs./unit)
Crop 5.0 ha 2,28,000 6,82,900 4,54,900 3.00 1310
component
Animals (2 5 Nos. 16,200 38,880 22,680 2.40 140
cows + 3 (4.6%)
buffalo)
Poultry (40 80 Nos. 2,000 11,600 9,600 5.80 60
chicks + 40 (1.9%)
ducks)
Pisciculture 0.2 ha 8,000 20,000 12,020 2.50 45
(fingerlings) (2.4%)
Total 5.2 ha 2,54,200 7,53,380 4,99,180 2.96 1,555
Convention 1.4 ha 13,100 19,220 6,120 1.40 -------
al systems
On- farm experiment conducted in the farm of Mr. Murli Budhia, Vill. Kanakpur, Bhawanipatna 29
(Nanda et al., 2007)

30. A case study of Integrated Farming System
OBJECTIVES:
 To identify profitable, sustainable and eco-friendly farming
systems for 2 ha land holding.
 Comparative evaluation of different farming systems to reduce
cost of cultivation for higher returns through recycling of residues
within the system
CENTRAL SOIL SALINITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, KARNAL
30

31. Proposed Model
(Land area 2.0 hectare)
(A) Crop production : 0.8 ha
Rice-Wheat 0.2 ha.
Maize- Wheat-Moong 0.2 ha.
Winter Maize-Soybean 0.2 ha.
Pigeon pea-Mustard-Fodder maize 0.2 ha.
(B) Fodder Production: 0.4 ha
Maize- Maize-Berseem 0.2 ha.
Sorghum-Berseem/Oat 0.2 ha.
31

32. (C) Horticulture: 0.2 ha
Papaya and guava
(D) Vegetables : 0.2 ha
Bottle ground-Cauliflower
(E) Floriculture : 0.2 ha
Marigold, Gladiolus and
Chrysanthemums in Rabi
Baby corn, Sweet corn etc. in Kharif
(F) Fish, bee keeping and mushroom : 0.2 ha
Catla, rohu, mrigal, common carp and
grass carp, 25 bee boxes.
32

33. Outcome
S. No. Enterprise Benefit/ Gain
1. Crop production Net profit Rs.39,400/ha;
(Rice-Wheat) B:C ratio 1.70
2. Vegetables Net profit of Rs.80,000/ha
(bottleguard-cauliflower)
3. Fodder production Net profit of Rs.59,000 / ha ;
(Maize- Maize-Berseem) B:C ratio 2.98
4. Fodder production Net profit 40,000 / ha;
(Sorghum-Berseem/Oat) B:C ratio 2.91,
5. Milk production (Buffaloes) Rs.400 per day from milk;
91 q dung* in 4 months
6. Bee-keeping (Honey ) Rs.40,000 in six months
7. Fishery
Rs.15,000/ year
* The dung also supplied equivalent to 73 kg N, 46 kg p, 109 kg K, 4.4 kg Zn, 1.32kg Cu and
7.99 kg Mn
33

34. Productivity (RGEY) of IFS in Irrigated Agro-Ecosystem of
Eastern U.P.
Farming system Component productivity (q) Component
productivity (q/ ha)
Crop Dairy Poultry Fish Total Total
Rice- pea- okra (MRS) 42.72 - - - 42.72 170.88
MRS+ sorghum- berseem- 32.70 236.33 - - 269.03 1076.12
maize+ dairy
MRS+ sorghum- berseem- 32.70 - 30.37 - 63.07 252.28
maize+ poultry
MRS+ sorghum- berseem- 28.57 - - 15.06 43.63 174.52
maize+ fish
MRS+ sorghum- berseem- 32.42 236.33 30.37 - 299.12 1196.48
maize+ dairy+ poultry
MRS+ sorghum- berseem- 28.09 236.33 - 15.06 279.48 1117.92
maize+ dairy+ fish
MRS+ sorghum- berseem- 28.09 - 30.37 15.06 73.52 294.08
maize+ fish+ poultry
MRS+ sorghum- berseem- 27.61 236.33 30.37 15.06 309.37 1237.48
maize+ dairy+ fish+ poultry
Res. Farm, IAS,BHU (Varanasi) (Singh et al.,2007) 34

35. Poultry component Poultry
Dairy component (1800 brollers)- 0.02 ha dropping
(20 cow)- 0.02 ha
Suplement green fodder
cow
dropping
Cowdung utilized as manure
Poultry dropping
as manure
Crop component Fish component
Rice-pea-okra (0.5 ha) 2 fish ponds of 0.2 ha
Sorghum-berseem-maize (0.26ha) Each with 2000 fish density
Productivity Productivity
(94532 kg RGEY) (12148 kg RGEY)
Income: Rs 317904 Income: Rs 39768
Labour:0 man days
Productivity Labour:0 man days
(11044.9 kg RGEY)
Income: Rs 42708 Productivity
Labour:731 man days (6024 kg RGEY)
Income: Rs 21224
Farm house hold (1.0 ha) Labour:0 man days
Productivity :123748 kg RGEY , Income: Rs. 421604
Employment generation : 731 man days/yr
Economics of a Sustainable Farming System model for Irrigated Agro-
ecosystem of Varansi and Chanduli region of NEPZ of UP
35
(Singh et al., 2007)

36. Proposed Model for Integrated Farming System in Lower Hill/Tarai Irrigated 36

37. Cropping system (0.364 ha) Feed (forage crops) Milch cows
i. sunflower- maize+cow pea + green gram (0.016 ha)
(60% area)
ii. Bajra (fodder)+desmanthus (20% area) manure
iii.bhindi- chilles (10 %) Field and
fodder crops
Biocompost
(0.008 ha) labour
Food,
Milk, Income
income
Vegetable
crops
Vegetable labour
Crops residues
Farm household
(0.40 ha)
Meat, Egg,
Income Income
labour
labour
Goat and Guinea
Vermicompost (0.008 ha) fowl
manure
(0.004 ha)
Feed (Forage & crop wastes)
Resource flow model of integrated farming system – Irrigated upland 37
(0.4 ha) for Western zone of Tamil Nadu (Jayanthi et al.,2007)

38. Productivity and economic analysis of different
integrated farming systems
Farming system RGEY Cost of Gross Net Per day
(kg/ha) production return return Return
(Rs/ha) (Rs/ha) (Rs/ha) (Rs/ha)
Cropping alone 12,222 24,922 61,112 36,190 167
Crop +fish + poultry 31,858 44,627 159,292 114,665 436
Crop + fish + pigeon 32,554 43,310 161,772 118,462 443
Crop + fish + goat 39,610 51,483 178,047 12,564 493
Experiment undertaken at Coimbatore, Tamilnadu (low land)
(Jayanthi et al., 2003)
38

39. Employment generation (man-days)
Employment generation (man-days)
Farming system Crop Poultry Pigeon Fish Goat Total system
employment
generation
Cropping alone 369 - - - - 369
Crop +fish + 420 61 - 34 - 515
poultry
Crop + fish + 420 - 61 34 - 515
pigeon
Crop + fish + 420 - - 34 122 575
goat
Experiment undertaken at Coimbatore, Tamilnadu (low land)
(Jayanthi et al., 2003)
39

40. Income and expenditure of different integrated
farming modules for small farmers
S Treatment Expenditur Gross Net B:C Employme
no e income income ratio nt days
. (Rs.) (Rs.) (Rs.)
1 Crop (1.4 ha) 28925 47225 18300 1.63 385
2 Crop + 39755 70800 31044 1.78 528
2 bullocks+3cows
3 Crop +2 bullocks + 40559 83833 43273 2.07 528
3 buffaloes
4 Crop +2 bullocks + 43221 94325 51104 2.18 554
1 cow + 2 buffaloes +
15 goats
5 Crop +2 bullocks+ 46430 104887 58456 2.25 571
1 cow + 2 buffaloes +
15 goats + 20 poultry +
20 ducks
(Ramrao et al .,2005)
Chhattisgarh plains
40

41. Paddy-cum-fish culture

42. Fishing in Paddy Fields

43. Practical Out-look of Trench-refuge
combinations in rice- fish culture plots

44. Grain yield and economics of rice-azolla-fish farming
system
Systems Grain Yield (t/ha) Fish Yield Return
I crop II crop (Kg/ha) per
Rupee
invested
Rice alone 3.90 3.60 - 2.32
Rice+azolla 4.63 4.46 - 2.87
Rice+fish 3.70 3.41 900 2.83
Rice+fish+ 4.08 4.06 900 3.05
azolla
CD (P=0.05) 0.60 0.73 - -
Shivakumar and Balasubramaniam, 2000

45. Agro-climatic zone-wise promising
agroforestry systems
Agro-climatic Agroforestry Tree component Crop/grass
zone system
Western Silvipasture (RF) Grewia optiva Setaria spp.
Himalayas Morus alba Setaria spp.
Agrihorticulture Malus pumila Millets, wheat
Agrihorticulture Prunus persica Maize, Soybean
Anthocephalus
Eastern Agrisilviculture Cadamba Paddy
Himalayan Agrihorticulture Alnus nepalensis Large
Cardamom/Coffee
Silviculture Bamboos

46. Boundary Plantation

47. Agro-climatic Agroforestry Tree Crop/grass
zone system component
Western Silvipasture Grewia optiva Setaria
Himalayas spp. (RF)
Morus alba Setaria spp.
Agrihorticulture Malus pumila Millets, wheat
Agrihorticulture Prunus persica Maize, Soybean
Anthocephalus
Eastern Agrisilviculture Cadamba Paddy
Himalayan
Agrihorticulture Alnus Large
nepalensis Cardamom/Coffee
Silviculture Bamboos
Silvipasture Alnus Setaraia spp.,
nepalensis, Native grasses,
Pinus Napier grass
roxburghii

48. Agro-climatic Agroforestry Tree component Crop/grass
zone system
Lower Gangetic Agrisilviculture (Irri) Eucalypts Paddy, Sheat
Plains
Agrihorticulture (Irri) Mango/Banana, Litchi Maize
Silvipasture Acacia auriculiformis
Middle Gangetic Agrisilviculture (Irri) Populus deltoids Sugarcane-wheat
Plains
Agrisilviculture (Irri) Eucalypts Rice-Wheat
Agrisilviculture Dalbergia sissoo Sesamum
Agrihorticulture (Irri) Mango/citrus Rice-Wheat
Trans Gangetic Agrihorticulture (Irri) Emblica officinalis Black gram/Green gram
Plains
Agrisilviculture Azadirachta indica Black gram-
Wheat/Mustard
Upper Gangetic Agrisilviculture (Irri) Populus deltoids Wheat, Bajra fodder
plains
Agrihorticulture (Irri) Eucalypts Rice-Wheat
Silvipasture
Eastern Plateau & Agrisilviculture Gmelina arborea Paddy, linseed Paddy
Hills
Agrisilviculture Acacia nilotica
Silviculture Acacia mangium
Silviculture Bamboos

49. Bambusa balcoo + toria + apiculture

50. Bamboo+cowpea

51. Poplar + direct seeded rice

52. Poplar + Soybean

53. Shisham + Wheat

54. Eucalyptus + Wheat

60. LONG TERM Advantages of Integrated Farming Systems
 Regular income and year round employment
 Provides food and nutritional security
 Eco- recycling of agriculture residues/ by-products/wastes
 Better soil quality for sustainable agriculture
 Halting of ground water depletion through the enterprises
requiring less water
 Minimization in pollution hazards
 improves micro climate
 Conservation of natural resources
 Minimizes the risk of failure in productivity 60

61. Limitations of IFS
 Lack of awareness about sustainable farming systems
 Unavailability of varied farming system models
 Lack of credit facilities at easy and reasonable interest rate
 Lack of banking aptitude and habit to take full advantage of credit
facilities
 Non-availability of ensured marketing facilities specially for
perishable commodities
 Lack of marketing intelligence among farmers
 Lack of deep freezing and storage facilities
 Dedicated / committed extension services
 Lack of timely availability of inputs
 Lack of knowledge/education among farming community specially of
rural youth
61

62. Issues to be Considered:
 Need to conduct adaptive research for developing efficient IFS model
 Provision of training to technicians, extension workers and farm
engineers to support and sustain farming system
 Availability of adequate banking facilities and loans with the priority
to small and marginal farmers
 Provision of assured marketing facilities specially for perishable
commodities
 A better coordination among research institutes, Govt. development
agencies and NGOs
 Timely supply of necessary inputs on subsidized base
 Farmer should develop their banking aptitude and habits to take full
advantage of credit facilities
 Cataloguing and utilization of ITK concepts in the development of 62
farming system modules

63. • IFS is a promising approach for increasing over all productivity
and profitability through recycling the farm by-products, and
efficient utilization of available resources
• It could further generate employment opportunities to the farming
communities round the year and provide a better economic and
nutritional security
• The combination of different enterprises needs to be seriously
viewed. This can go long way uplift rural life through increased
income .
63

64. 64