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

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Not AvailableCrop productivity is a major concern all over the world to provide food security, resulting in thegreen revolution. It is noteworthy that the fertilizer implemented to farmland leads to more desirable cropping patterns. Utilization of agricultural land efficiently for the crop production requires knowledge of the nutrient inconsistency. This paper has presented the power of geomatics, to retrieve the synoptic and substantial changes in cropping pattern. Results and interpretations leadto the evaluation of the contemporaneous cropping systems. After a major yield parameter scrutiny for crops (Rice, Wheat, Sugarcane and Onion) the magnificent accelerations were suggested. Results demonstrated a correlation r2 value of 0.834 with the estimated crop yield and NDVI. The REY (Rice Equivalent Yield)is highest at range 17-21 t/ha in the North, central and southern lower part, lowest at the western part ranging from 7-12 t/ha, with some part with 12-14 t/ha while the most of the eastern part of the study site has shown the REY values ranging from 14 to 17 t/ha. The surveyed information like pH, EC and organic carbon of the soil specimen were used to examine the spatial discrepancies of rice-based cropping system's productivity. Ultimately the spatial-temporal maps of fertilization pattern, yield parameters (e.g. N, P, and K) and relational REY observation were illustrated using spatial interpolation.Not Availabl

Achieving Food and Livelihood Security and Enhancing Profitability through an Integrated Farming System Approach: A Case Study from Western Plains of Uttar Pradesh, India

The integrated farming system (IFS) is a comprehensive farm practice to improve small and marginal farmers’ livelihoods. The IFS enhances nutrient recycling and food security and promotes greater efficiency of fertilizers and natural resources. To improve livelihood, profits, and employment generation holistically through an IFS method, a study was conducted over four years, from 2016 to 2019, to define the farming condition in 1036 households in the Muzzafarnagar district of Western Uttar Pradesh. Crop + dairy was the most frequent farming method (68%) followed by crop + dairy + horticulture + goatary. Compared to older cultivars, improved rice, maize, wheat, and barley cultivars enhanced crop yield by 17 to 42%. Transplanting sugarcane and intercropping of mustard increased system yield from 58.89% to 86.17% compared to the sole sugarcane crop. Nutritional kitchen gardening resulted in an average saving of $20 to$25 during the Kharif season and $20 to$27 during Rabi season. Exotic vegetables such as broccoli, Chinese cabbage, cherry tomato, kale, parsley, and lettuce were introduced, which increased regular income. With the adoption of a multi-tier-based system, the net returns from the system improved from 0.6 lakh to 2.20 lakhs per ha. Enhancing the fodder availability resulted in a 27.5% milk yield improvement. The study’s outcomes demonstrated that a five-member family’s annual protein (110–125 kg) and carbohydrate (550 to 575 kg) requirements can be easily met using the IFS technique. According to the study, IFS approaches combined with better technical interventions can ensure the long-term viability of farming systems and improve livelihoods

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Not AvailableCrop productivity is a major concern all over the world to provide food security, resulting in the green revolution. It is noteworthy that the fertilizer implemented to farmland leads to more desirable cropping patterns. Utilization of agricultural land efficiently for the crop production requires the knowledge of the nutrient inconsistency. This paper has presented the power of geomatics, to retrieve the synoptic and substantial changes in cropping pattern. Results and interpretations lead to the evaluation of the contemporaneous cropping systems. After a major yield parameter scrutiny for crops (rice, wheat, sugarcane, and onion), the magnificent accelerations were suggested. Results demonstrated a correlation r2 value of 0.834 with the estimated crop yield and normalized difference vegetation index. The Rice EquivalentYield (REY)is highestat therange of 17–21 t/ha in the North, central and southern lower part, lowest at the western part ranging from 7–12 t/ha, with some part with 12–14 t/ha, while the most of the eastern part of the study site has shown the REY values ranging from 14 to 17 t/ha. The surveyed information, such as pH, electical conductivity, and organic carbon of the soil specimen, was used to examine the spatial discrepancies of rice-based cropping system’s productivity. Ultimately, the spatialtemporal maps of fertilization pattern, yield parameters (e.g., N, P, andK), and relational REY observation were illustrated using spatial interpolation.Not Availabl

Ecosystem Network Analysis in a Smallholder Integrated Crop–Livestock System for Coastal Lowland Situation in Tropical Humid Conditions of India

The integrated crop–livestock system (ICLS) is a farming strategy that helps to sustain agrobiodiversity, ecosystem services, and restores environmental sustainability. Furthermore, ICLS provides food and nutritional security to the small and marginal farmers in developing nations. In this context a mass-balanced ecosystem model was constructed for a smallholder ICLS along the Indian west coast to analyze the agro-ecological performance in terms of sustainability, resource use, nutrient balance and recycling. Thirteen functional groups were defined in the ICLS model with trophic levels ranging from 1.00 (detritus and benthic nitrogen fixers) to 3.00 (poultry and ruminants). The total system throughput index was estimated to be 1134.9 kg N ha−1 year−1 of which 60% was from consumption, 15% from exports, 10% from respiration, and the remaining 15% eventually flowing into detritus. The gross efficiency of the ecosystem was estimated to 0.3, which indicated higher growth rates and low maintenance energy costs. The higher food self-sufficiency ration of 7.4 indicated the integration of crop–livestock as an imperative system to meet the food and nutritional requirement of the farm family. The indices such as system overhead (60%), Finn’s cycling index (16.6) and mean path length (3.5) denoted that the ICLS is a small, resource-efficient, stable, maturing and sustainable ecosystem in terms of the ecosystem principles and recycling. The present model will serve as the first model on the ICLS from the humid tropics and will help in the evaluation of the other agro-ecological systems using the Ecopath modelling approach. In conclusion, farm intensification through crop and animal diversification has the highest impact on farm productivity, food self-sufficiency and resource-use-efficiency of the smallholder’s livelihood security

Ecosystem Network Analysis in a Smallholder Integrated Crop–Livestock System for Coastal Lowland Situation in Tropical Humid Conditions of India

Not AvailableThe integrated crop–livestock system (ICLS) is a farming strategy that helps to sustain agrobiodiversity, ecosystem services, and restores environmental sustainability. Furthermore, ICLS provides food and nutritional security to the small and marginal farmers in developing nations. In this context a mass-balanced ecosystem model was constructed for a smallholder ICLS along the Indian west coast to analyze the agro-ecological performance in terms of sustainability, resource use, nutrient balance and recycling. Thirteen functional groups were defined in the ICLS model with trophic levels ranging from 1.00 (detritus and benthic nitrogen fixers) to 3.00 (poultry and ruminants). The total system throughput index was estimated to be 1134.9 kg N ha−1 year−1 of which 60% was from consumption, 15% from exports, 10% from respiration, and the remaining 15% eventually flowing into detritus. The gross efficiency of the ecosystem was estimated to 0.3, which indicated higher growth rates and low maintenance energy costs. The higher food self-sufficiency ration of 7.4 indicated the integration of crop–livestock as an imperative system to meet the food and nutritional requirement of the farm family. The indices such as system overhead (60%), Finn’s cycling index (16.6) and mean path length (3.5) denoted that the ICLS is a small, resource-efficient, stable, maturing and sustainable ecosystem in terms of the ecosystem principles and recycling. The present model will serve as the first model on the ICLS from the humid tropics and will help in the evaluation of the other agro-ecological systems using the Ecopath modelling approach. In conclusion, farm intensification through crop and animal diversification has the highest impact on farm productivity, food self-sufficiency and resource-use-efficiency of the smallholder’s livelihood security

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Not AvailableIntegrated 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.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableImproving the farming systems to attain the household level self-sufficiency, land utilization efficiency and sustainable livelihood security depends on the better socio-economic and ecological aspects of the systems practiced by the small farmers in the semi-arid regions. The higher sustainable livelihood security index (SLSI) in integrated crops-livestock system helps to restore economical and ecological sustainability. The aim of this study was to analyze how various modules of farming in different combinations have interacted with the diversification of existing systems on ecological security index (ESI), economic efficiency index (EEI), and social equity index (SEI) for providing SLSI of improved integrated farming system (IFS) compared with benchmark farming under semi-arid regions. In this study, different existing IFS comprising of seven modules (field crops, dairy, goatery, poultry, horticulture, fishery and apiary) in different combinations were studied. Results revealed that 72.5% farmers preferred to integrate two modules, where 95% of farmers adopted field crops + dairy (FC + D) than other modules. The sustainability indicators like ESI ( + 43.3%), EEI ( + 16.0%), SEI ( + 11.6%), and SLSI ( + 6.0%) were improved in FC + D farming system than other IFS module combinations. Similarly, improved IFS interventions also increased sustainability indicators over benchmark farming. Based on large scale household studies over five years, our findings suggest that the improved IFS succeeded in providing a wider array of livelihood security than existing practices. Hence, the paradigm shift from component approach to an IFS based resilient system that is economically viable, environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable are needed for development of semi-arid regions.Not Availabl