Physical Indicators of Sustainability—A Farming Systems Approach for the Small Farmer in the Rainfed Vertisols of the Western Zone of Tamil Nadu

Shekinah, D. Esther; Jayanthi, C.; Sankaran, N.

doi:10.1300/j064v25n03_04

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In all cases, without exception, the interactions between crops and animals were positive and beneficial. The benefits were directly associated with increased productivity, increased income and improved sustainability (Pant et al 2005; Shekinah et al 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farming systems methodology for efficient resource management at the farm level: a review from an Indian perspective

2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SU MMARYFarming systems research is a multi-disciplinary holistic approach to solve the problems of small farms. Small and marginal farmers are the core of the Indian rural economy constituting 0 . 80 of the total farming community but possessing only 0 . 36 of the total operational land. The declining trend of per capita land availability poses a serious challenge to the sustainability and profitability of farming. Under such conditions, it is appropriate to integrate land-based enterprises such as dairy, fishery, poultry, duckery, apiary, field and horticultural cropping within the farm, with the objective of generating adequate income and employment for these small and marginal farmers under a set of farm constraints and varying levels of resource availability and opportunity. The integration of different farm enterprises can be achieved with the help of a linear programming model. For the current review, integrated farming systems models were developed, by way of illustration, for the marginal, small, medium and large farms of eastern India using linear programming. Risk analyses were carried out for different levels of income and enterprise combinations. The fishery enterprise was shown to be less risk-prone whereas the crop enterprise involved greater risk. In general, the degree of risk increased with the increasing level of income. With increase in farm income and risk level, the resource use efficiency increased. Medium and large farms proved to be more profitable than small and marginal farms with higher level of resource use efficiency and return per Indian rupee (Rs) invested. Among the different enterprises of integrated farming systems, a chain of interaction and resource flow was observed. In order to make farming profitable and improve resource use efficiency at the farm level, the synergy among interacting components of farming systems should be exploited. In the process of technology generation, transfer and other developmental efforts at the farm level (contrary to the discipline and commodity-based approaches which have a tendency to be piecemeal and in isolation), it is desirable to place a whole-farm scenario before the farmers to enhance their farm income, thereby motivating them towards more efficient and sustainable farming.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farming systems methodology for efficient resource management at the farm level: a review from an Indian perspective

2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The IFS is the best resource management strategy to reduce dependency on market for inputs and to improve soil health (Hens & Begossi, 2008; Hu et al, 2016; Paramesh, Arunachalam, et al, 2019; Paramesh, Parajuli, et al, 2019). Shekinah et al (2005) and Sujatha and Bhat (2015) reported enhancement of nutrient use efficiency, nutrient recycling, and higher soil microbial activity when livestock and fisheries, etc. were integrated with crops.…”

Section: Literature Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated farming system approaches to achieve food and nutritional security for enhancing profitability, employment, and climate resilience in India

Paramesh

Ravisankar

Behera

et al. 2022

Food and Energy Security

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Integrated farming systems (IFS) entail a holistic approach to farming aimed at meeting the multiple demands (impart farm resilience, farmer livelihoods, food security, ecosystem services, and making farms adaptive and resilient, etc.). IFS are characterized by temporal and spatial mixing of crops, livestock, fishery, and allied activities in a single farm. It is hypothesized that these complex farms are more productive at a system level, are less vulnerable to volatility, and produce less negative externalities than simplified farms. Thereby, they cater the needs of small and marginal farmers, who are the backbone of agriculture in India. Our review of literature shows that IFS have the potential to improve farm profitability (265%) and employment (143%) compared to single enterprise farms. The literature showed that IFS enhance nutrient recycling through composting, mulching, and residue incorporation and, as a consequence, have the capacity to reduce the external purchase of inputs. The nutrient recycling in turn helps to increase the soil quality indicators such as soil nutrient availability and also improves soil microbial activity. The IFS play a major role in biodiversity conservation through adoption of diversified cropping system and through integration of indigenous livestock breeds. IFS also played important role in improving soil organic carbon from 0.75 to 0.82%. Due to increased carbon sequestration, biomass production by trees, reduced consumption of fertilizers, and pesticides the greenhouse gas emission could be reduced significantly. This results in a linked system making it sustainable and climate‐resilient. The main challenge associated with adoption of IFS is it requires skill, knowledge, resources, labor, and capital which are not always available with small and marginal farmers. There is a need for integrating productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability variables in a single evaluation framework to effectively generate information toward enhancing adaptability of IFS.

show abstract

“…There are many ways to accomplish selfsustaining intensity and diversification in small farms, but the suggested model of IFS execution involves resource provisioning incorporation, within the larger rural context development, and overall improved consequences of sustainable livelihoods at the local level through an interconnected process-based approach to sustainable intensification as well as expansion in small farms [18]. Agricultural systems consider climate, soil, water, and crops; farm wastes include livestock and land; labour and capital; energy; as well as other resources; the farm family is at the heart of the system [19]. Growing farm productivity through diversification, resource integration, and access to markets, as noted by Rathore [8] is also beneficial to a sustainable life.…”

Section: Ifs In Livelihood Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated Farming System: A Tool for Doubling Farmer’s Income

Mir

Naikoo

Amin

et al. 2022

JEAI

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Integrated Farming System is a holistic approach in which different enterprises are utilized in a collaborative way, wherein the resources are managed efficiently so that waste output of one enterprise serves as the input for another. Due to an ever-increasing population, the arable land is becoming increasingly scarcer per person, leaving little room for horizontal agricultural expansion. There are 115 million working farms in India, with about 80% of them being small or marginal farmers. With Integrated Farming System, the living standards of these farmers can be enhanced by efficient utilization of different enterprises. The IFS is actually a mixed farming system wherein different enterprises like dairy, fish, poultry, and other beneficial enterprises give an enhanced returns with lower risks, which can intermediate the losses of crops in case of severe climatic conditions. Under IFS, various enterprises having lower dependency on severe weather circumstances, the farmer is comparatively on safer side as far as the adversities of crop losses are concerned There are many advantages to integrated farming systems (IFS), such as a more efficient use of farm resources and an eco-friendlier strategy to farming. As a system of crop and livestock farming, IFS consists of at least two distinct but logically interdependent parts. Water efficiency, weed and pest control, and soil health can all be improved with IFS. It also helps to maintain water quality. Chemical fertilisers, weed killers, and pesticides should be used sparingly in an integrated farming system in order to protect the environment from their harmful effects. Adopting an Integrated Farming System (IFS) ensures a stable and long-term source of farm income by integrating a number of businesses to make the most of the land's natural resources. IFS itself is important for sustainable development of farmer by improving yield, economic return, employment generation, nutritional security and livelihood.

show abstract

Physical Indicators of Sustainability—A Farming Systems Approach for the Small Farmer in the Rainfed Vertisols of the Western Zone of Tamil Nadu

Cited by 20 publications

References 6 publications

Farming systems methodology for efficient resource management at the farm level: a review from an Indian perspective

Farming systems methodology for efficient resource management at the farm level: a review from an Indian perspective

Integrated farming system approaches to achieve food and nutritional security for enhancing profitability, employment, and climate resilience in India

Integrated Farming System: A Tool for Doubling Farmer’s Income

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About