Farming System and Its Characteristics

Farm: It is organized economic unit in which crop and

animal production is carried out with purpose of producing
economic net returns.

Farming System: It is a part of farm system which crop

production, animal production and combination of both i.e
Mixed Farming.

Farm Area: Productive land- cropped area/ fields pastures,

plantations, fishponds, forest etc. + indirectly productive
land- farm building, ditches, roads etc. + fallow land +
unproductive land. Rocks, deserts within farm boundaries.
In the system theory, the terms input and output linked with
farming system. These are Classified as:

1. Economic Input and Output: Are those which usually registered a

farm management sheet and comprise all items which are
gathering brought or sold which have a value in terms of
opportunity cost.

Inputs: Land, labour and means of production.

Outputs: Goods sold and consumed in the farm household.

2. Non-economic Input and Output: Are the free goods from the
point of view of farmers.

Inputs: Solar energy, Rainfall etc.

Out Puts: Salts leaving through drainage, O2 etc.
•Farm resources : Land, labour, water, capital & infrastructure

•Farm enterprises: Dairying, poultry, Honey bee keeping, sericulture, Lac culture,
Piggery, Sheep & Goat raising, Fishery.

•Cropping system : Cropping system represents crop’s (Cropping) patterns used on

farm & their interactions with farm resources, other farm enterprises and available
technology which determine their makeup.

•Crops pattern: means the proportion of area under various crops at a point of time in
a unit area. It indicates yearly sequence and spatial arrangement of crops & fallow in
an area.

•Crop Rotation/Crop sequence : Crop rotation refers to recurrent succession of crops

are so chosen that soil health is not impaired.
 
•Cropping Scheme: Cropping scheme is the plan according to which crops are grown
on individual plots of a farm with an object of getting maximum return form each
crop without impairing the fertility of soil is known as cropping scheme.
 Farming System Concept and Scope
Farming system is a process in which sustainability of production is the
objective for utilization of inputs without impairing the quality of
environment with which it interacts. Main objective is to evolve
technically feasible and economically viable farming system models by
integrating cropping with allied enterprises for irrigated, rained, hilly and
coastal areas with a view to generate income and employment from the
farm.

The Specific Objectives are:

1. To identify existing farming systems in specific areas and access their
relative viability. Model involving main and allied enterprises for different
farming situations.
3. To ensure optional utilization and conservation of available resources
and effective recycling of farm residues within system and
4. To maintain sustainable production system without damaging
resources/environment.
5. To rise over all profitability of farmhouse hold by complementing
main/allied enterprises with other.
 Scope of Farming System:
Farming enterprises include crop, livestock, poultry, fish, free,
sericulture etc. A combination of one or more enterprises with
cropping when carefully chosen planned and executed gives greater
dividends than a single enterprise, especially for small and marginal
farmers. Farm as a unit is to be considered and planned for effective
integration of the enterprises to be combined with crop production
activity.

Integration of Farm Enterprises Depends on Any Factors Such as:

1. Soil and climatic features of the selected area.

2. Availability of the resources, land, labor & Capital.
3. Present level of utilization of resources.
4. Economics of proposed integrated farming system.
5. Managerial skill of farmer.
Points to be Considered while Choosing the Enterprises
for Integrated Farming System (IFS):

1. Soil and climatic feature of an area/ locality.

2. Resource availability with the farmers.
3. Present level of utilization of resources.
4. Economics of proposed integrated farming system.
5. Farmers managerial skill. 
6. Social customs prevailing in the locality.
 Inter-Cropping System Management
Seedbed preparation: Depending on the crop
Deep rooted crop Deep ploughing
Cereals Shallow tillage
Small Seeded Fine seedbed

Since >1 crop involved in intercropping So seedbed preparation is generally

done as per the needs of base crop.
EX: Seedbed for Sugarcane -------- Ridges (SC) and Furrows (intercrop)
Groundnut + Red gram --------- Flat seedbed
Rice + Maize -------------------- Ridges (maize) and trenches (Rice)

Varieties: Varieties of component crop should be less competitive with base crop
and peak nutrient demand period should be different. Difference in maturity
should be minimum of 30 days. Ex: Short duration sorghum hybrid CSH-1, CSH-9
with long duration redgram varieties C 11, LRG 30.
Intercrop should have thin leaved, tolerant to shading, less branching. The
characteristics of base crop should be as in base crop.
 Inter-Cropping System Management
Fertilizer management:
The nutrient uptake is more in intercropping than pure crop. When legumes are
associated with cereal crops, a portion of N requirement of cereal is
supplemented by legumes which may be as small as a few kg to 20 kg/ha.
Application of higher dose of N to cereal + legumes reduces the N fixation
capacity of legumes, but also growth of legume is suppressed by aggressive
cereals owing to fast growth of cereals with increased availability of N.

Nitrogen dose recommended for base crop as pure crop is sufficient for
intercropping with Cereals + legumes or Legumes + legumes.

For Phosphorus and potassium, one-eight to one- fourth of the recommended

dose of inter crop is also added in addition to recommended dose of base crop.

Basal dose of N is applied to rows of both components in C+L system. Top

dressing of N is done only to cereal rows. P & K are applied as basal dose to both
crops.
 Important Indices
Gross Return: The total monetary value of economic produce and
byproducts obtained from crops raised in the cropping system is
calculated on the local market price.

Cost of Cultivation: It is the total expenditure incurred for raising crops

in a cropping system. The cost included for this consists of own or
hired human labour, owned or hired bullock labour, value of seeds,
mannures, fertilizers, pesticide, herbicides and irrigation charges.

Net Returns: It is obtained by subtracting cost of cultivation from gross

return.

Cost : Benefit Ratio: It is the ratio of gross returns to cost of cultivation,

which is also expressed as returns per rupee invested. Any value above
2.0 is considered safe as the farmer gets Rs. 2 for every rupee invested.
Area time equivalent ratio (ATER) as a better index for assessing
yield advantage in intercropping systems. In the present study,
both the component crops were of different maturity periods,
thus, we calculated

Ya xTa + Yb x Tb
ATER =---------------------------
T
where
Ya = yield of ‘a’ in intercropping, Yb = yield of ‘b’ in intercropping
Ta = duration of ‘a’, Tb = duration of ‘b’,
T = total duration of intercropping system.

The ATER value greater than unity indicates more efficient use of
area and time.
 Multiple Cropping Index or Multiple Cropping Intensity (MCI):
It is the ratio of total area cropped in a year to the land area available for
cultivation and expressed in percentage.
Or MCI means the sum of areas under various crops raised in a single years
divided by net area available for that cropping pattern multiplied by 100. It is
also called Cropping Intensity.

Total number of crops + with their respective area

      MCI =     ________________________________________ * 100
                                  Net cultivable area

Gross cropped area

Cropping Intensity Index (CII) = ----------------------------- x 100
Net sown area
Ex: A farmer has 10 ha of land and grow different crops in different seasons in one year
as given below:

Crops Area sown (ha)

Kharif Rabi Summer
Rice 5 4 -
Sorgham 5 5 -
Greengram - - 4
Ragi - 1 2

Total area sown or gross cropped area is 26 ha, 10 ha (kharif) + 10 ha (rabi)= 6 ha (summer)

Gross cropped area 26

CII = ----------------------------- x 100 = ---- x 100 = 260%
Net sown area 10

It shows that more than two crops are grown in a year.

Crop equivalent yields (CEY): The yields of different intercrops are converted into
equivalent yield of any one crop based on price of the produce.    

n
CEY= ∑ (Yi . ei)
I=1
Where, Yi is yield of ith component and ei is equivalent factor of ith component or price of ith crop.

Ex: Lets yield of Groundnut and redgram in a ha of intercropping be 1000 and 6oo kg
respectively. The total yield of intercropping system can be expressed as GN equivalent
yield by knowing price if each produce. Price of GN & redgram are Rs 6 and Rs 4/kg
respectively.
1000 x 6
EY of Groundnut = ------------------------------ = 1000 kg
6

600 x 4
EY of Red gram = ------------------------------- = 400 kg
6

EY of system = 1000+ 400 = 1400 kg of groundnut

 Land Equivalent Ratio (LER):
LER is the land area required under sole cropping to give the same yields
achieved in intercropping mixture. LER can be calculated as
n
LER = ∑ (Yi /Yij)
I=1
Where, Yi is yield of ith component from a unit are grown as intercrop and Yij is yield of
ith component grown as sole crop over the same area.

Ex: Lets yield of Groundnut and pigeonpea as a sole crop were 1000 and 5oo kg/ha
respectively. Let to yields of these cops when grown, as intercrop be 700 and 400 kg/ha,
respectively . Price of GN & pigeonpea are Rs 12/kg and Rs 10/kg respectively. Calculate
LER and total monetory returns due to intercropping?
700 400
     LER =     _____ + ________ = 1.50
                       1000 500

LER of 1.50 indicates that a 43 percent yields advantage is obtained when grown as
intercrop compared to growing as sole crops. In other words the sole crops have to be
grown in 1.43 ha to get the same yields level that is obtained from 1.00ha off
intercropping.
Monetary Advantage:

Financial value of sole Groundnut = 1000 x 10 = Rs. 10,000

Financial value of sole pigeonpea = 500 x 12 = Rs. 6,000
Financial value of intercropped groundnut = 700 x 10 = Rs. 7,000
Financial value of intercropped pigeonpea = 400 x 12 = Rs. 4,800

Monetary returns due to intercropping = Rs. 11,800

Relative crowding Coefficient:
The other index used in relative crowding coefficient which can define in terms of LER
component as
LA    LB
___    x     ____
1 – LA     1- LB
The two main indices of dominance are the aggressively and competition index. Aggressively gives a
simple measure of how much the relative yield increase in species A is greater than that for species B. It
is an index of dominance. For replacement series it can be written as:

Mixture yields of A    Mixture yields of B

Aggressivity = _________________   _   ________________
Expected yields of A       Expected yields of B

MA MB
= ------------- - ----------------
SA x ZA SB x ZB
Sown proportion of species A and B are represented as ZA and ZB, respectively. An aggressivity value
Zero indicates that the component species are equally competitive. The basic process in the
competition index is the calculation of two equivalence factors, one for each component species. For
sps A, the equivalence factor is the number of plants of species A which is equally competitive to one
plant species of B. If a given species has an eqvi factor of less than one, it means that it has more
competitive ability than the other species.

So If, competition index is less than one, there has been an advantage of mixing.
Production potential of different components of farming systems
Each cow requires 12 to 18 m2 space and the buffaloes need 12 to 15 m2 . The ration per
animal per day includes concentrate @ 1 kg for 2 litres of milk yield, green fodder (20-30 kg),
straw (5-7 kg) and water (32 litres).

The space requirement for a goat is 4.5 to 5.4 m2. Goat gives birth to 1-3 kitts per time.
Number of evings is three per 2 years.

Floor area of about 0.2 m2 per adult bird is adequate for light breeds such as white Leghorn.
About 0.3-0.4 m2 per bird is required for heavy breeds. One hen is capable of laying 180-230
eggs in a year starting from the six month. In addition, a laying hen produces about 230 g of
fresh droppings (75% moisture) daily. When chicks get the optimum body weight of 1.0-1.5
kg around six weeks, they can be marketed for broiler.

Each variety of carps could be stocked to 500 fingerlings with the total 5000-8000 per ha. This
stocking density will enable to get a maximum yield of 2000 to 5000 kg/ha of fish annually
under good management practices

Button mushroom Cropping continues for 60-75 days. Mushrooms can be harvested at
button stage. Yield ranges from 6-7 kg/m2 . Paddy straw mushroom yield is around 1- 1.5
kg/bed
Each variety of carps could be stocked to 500 fingerlings with the total 5000-8000 per
ha. This stocking density will enable to get a maximum yield of 2000 to 5000 kg/ha of
fish annually under good management practices.

In Rice based cropping system, the production potential can be as high as 19.8 t/ha in
cereal-based cropping system of rice - rice – rice.
  Integrated Farming System (IFS) For Wetland System

Coimbatore (T: N). IFS Components are

1. Crop Component
2. Fish culture
3. Poultry
4. Goat production

This farming system was compared with conventional cropping

normally followed in the region. Rice – Rice – green gram/Black
gram or rice – rice – green manure (0.20 ha).
Farmers of this zone are practicing mono-cropping of rice for two season followed by a
rice fallow pulse. Among the different allied activities, pisciculture plays an important
role in this zone since water is available in the canal about 7 – 8 months. Poultry farming
is another feasible enterprise. By combing the enterprises of poultry – cum fish culture
with rice cropping system the economic status of the small and marginal farmers could
be improved.

Components: - One ha area has been selected.

                    - 0.06 ha area for fishpond
                    - Cropping as rice- rice, Maize-Sunflower, Vegetables (0.76 ha)
                    - Goat (0.21 ha including fodder area) (10 Females+2Males)
- Poultry Shed (Over fish pond)

Maize being a major constituent of poultry feed was included in the system.

Poly culture fingerlings @ 10,000/ha (Rohu 20%, Catla 30% and Mrigal 40%) were
released into the pond (600 m2).

Thirty poultry birds (Giriraj) were maintained in the poultry shed constructed on the fish
pond. Free fall of poultry dropping into the fish pond add feed for fish.

Goats (10 females + 2 males) were maintained in a shed constructed separately.

 Component Outcome:
Treatments Area (ha) Productivity Cost of Net returns B:C Ratio
(kg/ha/year) Cultivation (Rs)
Integrated farming system
Rice-rice system 0.33 2175 8683 7387 1.84
Hybrid maize- 0.20 908 3697 3540 1.96
sunflower
Vegetables 0.20 2136 4712 3673 2.00
Fodder + goat 0.21 1336 6289 7060 2.73
Fish 0.06 203 515 926 2.13
Poultry (0.005) 327 2145 300 1.13
Total 1.00 7088 (19.42) 18225 22887 1.97
Conventional cropping system
Rice-rice 5611 25503 17293 1.64
(15.37)

Net return was ` 22,887 with an increase of 32.3% higher than conventional rice-rice
system.
 Integrated Farming System for Irrigated Situations (Garden lands):

  Cropping Area ( ha)

I. Cotton + green gram - sorghum + fodder cowpea- sunflower on border 0.75
II Grass Bajra Napier ((Co. I) 0.15
III Lucerne 0.05
IV 150 Trees of Leucaena ( planted in the bunds) 0.05
  Total 1.00

Farm Stead:

Dairy Unit 3 jersey cows + 2 calves

Biogas Unit 2 m3 capacity
Mushroom Production 1.5- 2.0kg/ha

The above integrate system was compared with the conventional cropping
system of Ragi - cotton -sorghum in 0.20 ha area.
Economic Return from System:

The perennial grass fodder (0.15 ha) and legume fodder Lucerne (0.05
ha) were also raised in the holding. Three jersey cross bred milch
cows with 2 calves were included under dairy component. For
effective recycling of farm and animal waste, a biogas unit of 2 m3
capacity was installed for the production of fuel, light and enriched
manure.

Sixty kg of cow dung expected out of 5 animals is sufficient enough to

produce 2 m3 of gas every day which is equivalent to 1.5 litres
kerosene. Two hundred numbers of subabul trees were planted all
along the boundary of the field for fodder and timber production.

The results of the study revealed that the entire system produced a
net income of Rs 20,702/ha/year. This system also facilitated effective
recycling of farm and animal waste, improved farm employment
opportunities and continuous flow of income to farm throughout the
year.
Economic returns from the system:

Maize flour, cottonseed and wheat bran obtained from

the crop components were recycled for preparing dairy
feed from the second year. About 45.5 t of to the animals.
Dung was recycled for the biogas plant. Mean revenue of
Rs. 34,600/ ha was realized in IFS as compared to RS.
13,950 obtained in CCS. Employment opportunity was
also enhanced to the tune of 770 man- days per year
under IFS as against conventional cropping.
 Integrated farming system for Dry Land based system:
Model for Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (mean Annual rainfall; 640 mm).
Crop Components for One Hectare:

  Cropping Area ( ha)

i) Sorghum + cowpea both grain purpose 0.20
ii) Sorghum + cowpea both fodder purpose 0.20
iii) Leucaena ( tree fodder)+ Cenchrus ( grass fodder) 0.20
iv) Aracia Senegal ( tree fodder) + grass 0.20
v) Prosonic cineraris ( tree fodder ) + grass 0.20

Animal Components: 

Tell cherry goat: 6 (5 female + 1 male – stall fed)

Conventional cropping system = 0.20 ha (sorghum+ cowpea- grain purpose).

The animal components, tell cherry goat, numbering 6 (5 female+ 1 male)
were kept in a shed ( 6 * 4 m ). The goals were stall fed form the cropping
components. Two kg each of green and dry fodder and 100 g of concentrate
were given to each animal. At the end of second year. All the 4 male goats
were disposed retaining one number. From the end of third year onwards, 20
female and one male were retained and remaining disposed. The litter form
the goat shed was used for composting and recycled as manure.

A farm pond was dug in an area of 300 m2 and the rain water harvested was
utilized for pot watering the tree saplings. 

Economic returns from the system:

men additional revenue of Rs. 3750ha / year was obtained from IFS over
CCS. The employment generation under IFS was 153- man days/ ha / year
whereas it was only 40- man days/ ha/ year in the CCS.
 IFS for island Ecosystem:
IFS models have been developed for the Andaman and Nikobar Islands –

1.Coconut – cum – fodder- cum – milch cattle: Mixed farming by raising fodder grass
coconut has been founded profitable; grass in coconut has been found profitable,
grass like hybrid Napier or leguminous fodder like Stylo in Coconut garden can
support 4- 5 dairy animals. Animal supply large qualities of cattle manure applied to
coconut garden improve the soil fertility.

2. Coconut – cum fish culture in salt affected lands: Coconut grows successfully even
in salt affected paddy fields if the fields are within the approach of brackish water.
The bunds of fields at water entrance gate should be raised to maintain the
required level of water. Field bunds should also be raised a per the requirement.
Water will be exchanged and thus fish raising can be taken up together with
coconut in dry period. In rainy season, salinity tolerant rice varieties could be
cultivated in the same field with coconut and fish culture.

3. Fruits- fodder- milch cattle: The space available between the fruit trees can be
utilized for growing fodder crops such as cow pear, rice bean, germ gram and black
gram. The fodder could be used for feeding the cattle and cattle manure could be
applied to the fruit trees and fodder crops.
 Benefits or Advantages of Integrated Farming System
1) Productivity:  IFS provides an opportunity to increase economic yield per unit
area per unit time by virtue of intensification of crop and allied enterprises.
2) Profitability: Use waste material of one component at the least cost. Thus
reduction of cost of production and form the linkage of utilization of waste
material, elimination of middleman interference in most input used. Working out
net profit B/ C ratio is increased.
3) Potentiality or Sustainability: Organic supplementation through effective
utilization of by products of linked component is done thus providing an
opportunity to sustain the potentiality of production base for much longer
periods.
4)  Balanced Food: We link components of varied nature enabling to produce
different sources of nutrition.
5) Environmental Safety: In IFFS waste materials are effectively recycled by
linking appropriate components, thus minimize environment pollution.
6) Recycling: Effective recycling of waste material in IFFS.
7) Income Rounds the year: Due to interaction of enterprises with crops, eggs,
milk, mushroom, honey, cocoons silkworm. Provides flow of money to the
farmer round the year.
8) Adoption of New Technology: Resources farmer ( big farmer) fully utilize technology. IFS
farmers, linkage of dairy / mushroom / sericulture / vegetable.  Money flow round the year
gives an inducement to the small/ original farmers to go for the adoption technologies.
9) Saving Energy: To identify an alternative source to reduce our dependence on fossil
energy source within short time. Effective recycling technique the organic wastes available in
the system can be utilized to generate biogas. Energy crisis can be postponed to the later
period.
10) Meeting Fodder crisis: Every piece of land area is effectively utilized. Plantation of
perennial legume fodder trees on field borders and also fixing the atmospheric nitrogen.
These practices will greatly relieve the problem of non – availability of quality fodder to the
animal component linked.
11) Solving Fuel and Timber Crisis: Linking agro- forestry appropriately the production level
of fuel and industrial wood can be enhanced without determining effect on crop. This will
also greatly reduce deforestation, preserving our natural ecosystem.
12) Employment Generation: Combing crop with livestock enterprises would increase the
labour requirement significantly and would help in reducing the problems of under
employment to a great extent IFS provide enough scope to employ family labour round the
year.
13) Agro – industries: When one of produce linked in IFS are increased to commercial level
there is surplus value adoption leading to development of allied agro – industries.
14) Increasing Input Efficiency: IFS provide good scope to use inputs in different component
greater efficiency and benefit cost ratio.
Thank You!