A surprising fact about Indian farming is even though India has 65% of people are involved in farming but they are only able to contribute 18% to 22% to the GDP of the country which tells the worst scenario of farmers’ income generation capacity.
What is integrated farming system in agriculture
In integrated farming not only multi-cropping is done but also livestock farming is done together. For example, goats and sheep, as well as pigs, are raised and vegetables and fruits are grown in the same field where fish are raised in ponds and the same pond water is used for irrigation purposes.
What is Integrated farming system benefits
Farmers are growing various types of crops but in the end, people face defeat and found themselves in a trap. Farmers suffer from many types of losses which forces them to sell their land or commit suicide which is not good at all for the country where more than 60 to 65% of people are surviving on farming. There are five reasons behind this all five reasons are explained below:
There are basic 5 problems in farming and how integrated farming can solve these problems is given below these problems.
Rate – There is too much fluctuation in crop prices and farmers do not get the desired rate for selling their crops. Because of fluctuations in what happens during sowing, ploughing one rate would be there and by the time farmers reach the market to sell their crops, the rate goes down.
Desired yield – Second big reason is farmers do not get the desired yield. Farmers really work very hard throughout the year or 6 months but in the end, the yield comes very less. If crops are less then expenditure would be more and they even fail to recover their expenditure and loans. If they have five or 10 acres of land and keep doing the same farming on these lands, the yield would decrease in that particular land. Whereas smart farmers grow crops in a year or grow different types of crops on a particular land resulting in more yield.
Natural climate – Natural disaster is one of the biggest reason that damages crops in no time. If there is too much rain then farmers can do nothing to protect their crops. If the rain comes very low or there is no rain then also farmers have to suffer growing their crops, and in cyclones crop damage. However, there is insurance like Pradhanmantri Fasal Bima Yojana to cover the damage but it’s too costly. In this yojana, if the yield is worth 1 lakh rupees and people have to pay a premium of 3 to 5 thousand then it’s tough for farmers to pay this amount.
Seasonal income – While growing crops on their farm farmers are dependent on seasonal income and it takes 3 months 6 months or 1 year depending on the crop. Whereas in jobs people are getting a per month salary which is required for the fulfilment of daily needs resulting in better survival.
Labour problem – Farmers having one acre of land and they want to plant paddy or another crop then they need labours. The problem is that just before the monsoon same crops are planted almost by every farmer of the same region and they all need labour at the same time similarly during the crop reap time they all need labour once again at the same time this becomes in labour shortage problem.
Integrated farming is the solution to all these problems let’s understand a sustainable integrated farming system and how you can overcome all these problems.
Read this – Drip irrigation cost per acre in India Rs 45k
Integrated farming system for sustainable agriculture
Crop rate – In integrated farming farmers grow multiple crops and do not rely on a single crop. The crops might be 5,10, 15, 20 or more depending on the land size and if the price goes down for one or two crops farmers don’t need to worry due to other crops. It is just similar to having a good share market portfolio in which good investors pick the right companies and do not depend on only one company instead they invest their money in more than 5 to 10 or more companies which make them profitable investors in the long run.
For example, if a farmer grows betel nut, paddy, or another crop on one land or 15 varieties of vegetable fruits on the same land and the rate falls down for one or two crops still they earn a good income by getting a good price for all other crops. If a farmer will grow only one crop and the price goes down at the time of harvesting then he or she may face a huge loss. This is why integrated farming is so beneficial and we highly recommend it.
Better yield per year – Farmers should not plant the same crop every year instead they shall change the crops per year. This will increase the soil health which will result in better yield.
Natural calamities – Yes it’s true we cannot do anything about natural calamities but they are some steps need to understand. In case of excessive rain, farmers should collect this rainwater by digging an artificial pond and use this water during less or no rain situations. Lanes to be made to flow the extra rainwater from the farm. More importantly, these lanes should be connected with each other and form a separate lane to rush out the water outside the farm. One must dig or create an artificial pond outside the farm connecting to the lane so that lane water should travel to this pond.
Better seasonal income – Integrated farming allows farmers to pick different crops. Farmers should be wise enough to pick those crops which can generate income on daily basis, weekly basis, monthly basis or once 3 to 6 months. They should also plan for a 1-year crop as per their need. To achieve this it is compulsory to plan for each crop understand their growing zones, research their reap time and then only plant saplings.
Consistent labour – In this modernized farming farmers can hire labour or give them work throughout the year due to multiple crops on the farm. Let’s suppose a farmer grows betel nut along with honey bees on one side beetle nut farming, nut plucking, and nut peeling strain will be going on after that farm cleaning process will be there. By then farmers can start growing cardamom on betel nut farms now what happens is cardamom will not be ready during betel nut plucking and a slight difference will be there in the timing. Then around the betel tree, one can grow the black pepper which is the seasonal crop.
On the same betel farm people can grow other crops such as pineapple or other fruit varieties that can give them daily income like banana fruit. Some leafy vegetables can be grown. To grow some types of vegetables good sunlight is required but for some other vegetables, shade is required. In the betel nut farm, the natural shade will be there which will help to grow the shade-needed plants. In this case, betel nut will give you a good yearly income and other crops will give you regular income throughout the year.
Hence labours can be engaged throughout the year for ploughing, weeding, farm cleaning and irrigating different plants. If you will call labours only once or twice a year then it will become difficult for you to arrange them next year. If you provide them with jobs throughout the year or 8 to 10 times a year then definitely they will come to your farm within one call.
A single solution to all these problems is integral farming whether you have 1-acre land 10 or 100-acre land. Actually integrated farming is modernised farming and a solution to all your problems.
Hope you understand the difference between farming system and integrated farming system.
My question – The government says that they will make India a huge dollar industry but how is it possible without the growth of the farming industry as I said more than 60% of people are doing farming. The government is saying that they are promoting organic farming but are they actually doing so? The question raises because in the high hills of Himachal and Uttarakhand people are growing organic crops very very easily due to the suitable climate, healthy soil and water. But they are not able to export pure organic crops by themselves.
The government would have taken this initiative on a large scale to export their crops internationally which would increase the enthusiasm of farmers. But the government is not doing so, targeting the international market looks very far the government is even not able to import organic fruits, vegetables and other crops from high hills within India as well. Please give your suggestions in the comment box.
FAQ
What are integrated farming and its example?
Integrated farming is a complete setup where livestock, fruit, vegetables and different crops are grown together.
What are the advantages of the integrated farming system?
Farmers can raise pigs and hens in the same field.
They can grow vegetables and fruits in the same field.
Honey bee farming can be done by growing vegetables, fruit or trees in the same field.
Labour gets work throughout the year.
Farmers can generate daily, monthly, weekly and yearly income through this farming model.
Growing multiple crops in the same field reduces the farmer’s loss.
Less expenditure is required for this farming system.
What are the types of integrated farming?
Fish duck integrated farming.
Cattel and fish farming.
Fish farming with vegetables and fruits.
Rabbit and fish farming.
Fish and pig farming.
Fruits and vegetable farming.
Livestock, vegetable and fruit farming setup.
Bee farming with fruits and vegetables.
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