Examples of integrated farming include: “pig tractor” systems where the animals are confined in crop fields well prior to planting and “plough” the field by digging for roots; poultry used in orchards or vineyards after harvest to clear rotten fruit and weeds while fertilising the soil; cattle or other livestock allowed to graze cover crops between crops on farms that contain both cropland and pasture (or where transhumance is employed)
There are also water based agricultural systems that provide way for effective and efficient recycling of farm nutrients producing fuel, fertiliser and a compost tea/mineralised irrigation water in the process.
An aspect of aquaculture is the integration of fish farming with livestock production and farming of agricultural crops, including vegetable farming.
Although integrated farming is economically and environmentally sound, the motivation for integration will support the national policy of diversification of production.
The following have been positively identified as advantages of an integrated farming system.
Higher food production to equate the demand of the exploding population of our nation; Increased farm income through proper residue recycling and allied components; sustainable soil fertility and productivity through organic waste recycling; Regular stable income through the products like egg, milk, mushroom, vegetables, honey from the linked activities in integrated farming; Inclusion of biogas to solve /mitigate the prognosticated energy crisis.
The opportunities provided by integrated farming :
Includes productivity/ increased economic yield per unit area – per unit time by virtue of intensification of crops , agricultural crop rotation and allied enterprises.
Integrated Farming Systems provide opportunities as crop insurance cover as money round the year are obtained from different farm produces. It promotes technology Infusion Research and Development (R&D) integrated with indigenous/Traditional knowledge.
Sustainability: In Integrated Farming Systems, organic supplementation through effective utilisation of by-products of linked components as a measure is possible and this will certainly provide opportunity to promote soil health and to sustain the potentiality of the soil which is the production base.
Balanced food: In Integrated Farming Systems, components of different nature are linked enabling production of different sources of nutrition, namely, protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins, etc from the same unit. It provides opportunity to mitigate malnutrition problem of the farmers.
Pollution abatement: In crop based activity, some of the organics are left as waste materials which in turn pollute the environment on decomposition. Application of huge quantities of fertilisers, pesticides, weedicides,insecticides, etc. pollute soil, water and air.
Much of the wastes could be converted/recycled to some other forms of economic/ecological/social value, under the Integrated Farming System.
Integrated farming also provides opportunities for agri-oriented industries, tourism and related tourism based activities.
(By Clifford Stanley)