An integrated organic farming system: innovations for farm diversification, sustainability, and livelihood improvement of hill farmers

IntroductionOrganic farming is a promising solution for mitigating environmental burdens related to input-intensive agricultural practices. The major challenge in organic agriculture is the non-availability of large quantities of organic inputs required for crop nutrition and sustaining soil health, which can be resolved by efficient recycling of the available on- and off-farm resources and the integration of the components as per the specific locations.MethodsAn integrated organic farming system (IOFS) model comprising agricultural and horticultural crops, rainwater harvesting units, livestock components, and provisions for nutrient recycling was developed and disseminated in the adopted organic villages Mynsain, Pynthor, and Umden Umbathiang in the Ri-Bhoi District, Meghalaya, India, to improve the income and livelihood of farmers. Harvested rainwater in farm ponds and Jalkunds was used for live-saving irrigation in the winter months and diversified homestead farming activities, such as growing high-value crops and rearing cattle, pigs, and poultry.ResultsMaize, french bean, potato, ginger, tomato, carrot, and chili yields in the IOFS model increased by 20%−30%, 40%−45%, 25%−30%, 33%−40%, 45%−50%, 37%−50%, and 27%−30%, respectively, compared with traditional practices. Some farmers produced vermicompost in vermibeds (made of high-density polyethylene) and cement brick chambers, generating 0.4−1.25 tons per annum. Two individual farmers, Mr. Jrill Makroh and Mrs. Skola Kurbah obtained net returns (without premium price) of Rs. 46,695 ± 418 and Rs. 31,102 ± 501 from their respective 0.27- and 0.21-ha IOFS models, which is equivalent to Rs. 172,944 ± 1,548/ha/year and Rs. 148,105 ± 2,385/ha/year, respectively. The net returns obtained from the IOFS models were significantly higher than those obtained from the farmers' practice of maize-fallow or cultivation of maize followed by vegetable (~30% of the areas). It is expected that, with the certification of organic products, the income and livelihood of the farmers will improve further over the years. While Mr. Jrill Makroh's model supplied 95.1%, 82.0%, and 96.0% of the total N, P2O5, and K2O, respectively, needed by the system, Mrs. Skola Kurbah's model supplied 76.0%, 68.6%, and 85.5% of the total N, P2O5, and K2O, respectively.DiscussionThus, IOFS models should be promoted among hill farmers so that they can efficiently recycle farm resources and increase their productivity, net returns, and livelihood while reducing their dependence on external farm inputs

An innovative approach to improve oil production and quality of mustard (\u3ci\u3eBrassica juncea\u3c/i\u3e L.) with multi-nutrient-rich polyhalite

Polyhalite popularly known as POLY4 is a multi-nutrient fertiliser containing K, S, Mg, Ca, and micronutrients. POLY4 has a low carbon footprint, is certified for organic agriculture, and has the potential to improve crop productivity and quality attributes Indian mustard which often faces challenges due to imbalanced nutrition supplied in the current fertilisation schedule. The hypothesis of the study was that the multi-nutrient fartiliser POLY4 can ensure balanced nutrition for Indian mustard. Considering this, a field experiment was conducted during the winter seasons of 2017–18 and 2018–19 to evaluate the effect of POLY4 on Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) with respect to its yield, quality, and nutrient uptake. POLY4 along with conventional sources of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) was compared to recommended fertilisation practices from conventional sources of N, P, K namely urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), and muriate of potash (KCl). With the application of POLY4, seed yield was significantly improved by about 600 kg ha-1 compared to NP control (no application of K and S) across the two seasons. Compared to recommended practice of NPK, the yield was increased by about 450 kg ha-1 with the application of POLY4. Mustard seed oil and protein percent were also improved with the use of POLY4. POLY4 did not have any adverse effect on the content of anti-nutritional factors and improved the omega-3 fatty acid content of mustard oil. Higher uptakes of macro and micronutrients in the crop were also recorded with POLY4 along with an improved soil nutrient status. From the economic point of view, it was also observed that the application of POLY4 resulted in an increment of net returns of USD 45–60 comparing cultivating mustard with the conventional N, P, K, and S fertilizers only. Therefore, the use of POLY4 as a source of multi-nutrient for balanced nutrition helped to increase the efficiency of applied nutrients which ultimately improved the yield and quality of mustard. This study exhibits the pioneer findings of polyhalite (POLY4) based balanced nutrition in Indian mustard