Here is a compilation of essays on ‘Farming Systems’ for class 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on ‘Farming Systems’ especially written for school and college students.
Essay on the Farming Systems
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Introduction to Farming Systems
- Essay on the Concept of Farming Systems
- Essay on the Strategy Used in Farming Systems
- Essay on the Farming Systems Research
- Essay on the Activities of Integrated Farming Systems
- Essay on the Sustainable Farming Systems
- Essay on the Implementable Farming Systems
- Essay on the Farming Systems Followed in India
Essay # 1. Introduction to Farming Systems:
In the past three decades, India has made tremendous progress in food production to green revolution. However, the benefits of green revolution with high input modern technology have been predominantly confined to favourable farming situations.
Only 44 out of 453 districts are nearly contributing to around 50 per cent of food-grain production in the country and out of these 44 districts only 14 accounts for 25 per cent of national food basket. Thus, the lower productivity over a greater part of the country calls for an alternative pathway for ameliorating the situation to benefit a large number of small land holders in fragile and problematic environments.
Green revolution also resulted in over exploitation of land and water resources, deforestation and degradation of environment. Indiscriminate use of resources and agro-chemicals has not only halted further yield improvement but also resulted in decline of productivity even of major foo-grain crops like rice and wheat in irrigated environment.
The production systems in drylands, covering around two thirds of cultivated area, are characterised by not only low productivity but also lesser stability, greater risk and unemployment, which affected the economic condition of farmers.
In these areas, it is utmost important to improve the productivity, economic returns and employment potential of farm lands. Thus, there is need for developing packages of technologies that focus on improvement in productivity, economic stability, equitability and long term sustainability in both irrigated and rainfed areas.
Fulfillment of this gigantic task will not be an easy proposition, as it has to cover a large number of resource poor farmers operating fragmented small holdings in harsh environment.
This apparently warrants adoption of diverse activities because conventional single crop production enterprise is subjected high degree of risk and uncertainty owing to seasonal, irregular and uncertain income and unemployment. In other-words, the solution lies in integrating farming system management, which is a holistic approach.
Essay # 2. Concept of Farming Systems:
The farming system, as a concept, takes into account the components of soil, crops, livestock, labour, capital, energy and other resources, which the family at center managing agriculture and other related activities. The farm family functions within the limitations of its capability and resources, the socio-cultural settings and interactions of those components with the physical, biological and economic factors.
Integrated farming systems are productive and profitable as they encourage habitat conservation, value addition and urtilisation of products and wastes as inputs in other enterprises with the farm.
Essay # 3. Strategy Used in Farming Systems:
Farming system is a resource management strategy to achieve economic and sustained agricultural production to meet diverse requirements of farm livelihood while preserving resource base and maintaining a high level of environmental quality.
Thus, in farming systems approach, major emphasis is given to develop broad based package of technology for optimisation of resources on a farm to attain higher agricultural production and economic returns on sustainable basis without impairing the quality of environment.
In simple terms, farming systems strategy is integration of farm enterprises like dairy, poultry, piggery, fishery, sericulture, forestry etc. suited to a given agro-climatic conditions and socio-economic status of farmers for optimal utilisation of resources bringing prosperity to the farmers.
Identification of the key processes, pursuing action research and appropriate decisions to develop broad based, location specific agro-technological package by direct interaction with the farmers would require multidisciplinary approach.
Agronomy, which integrates a whole range of knowledge and technology from diverse fields of basic and applied sciences, may be the most appropriate discipline to cover a major part of farming systems activities.
In farming system’s agro-technological package, one has to include not just crop production but also other complementary enterprises (dairy, poultry, agroforestry, bee keeping, silvipasture, agroforestry, floriculture, value addition, processing etc.) to increase farmer’s income and employment on long-term basis.
Thus, agronomist, with proper coordination and interaction of allied disciplines, could lead the multidisciplinary team to develop agro-technological package for integrated farming system to reshape sustainable process in agriculture.
Essay # 4. Farming Systems Research:
Improved agricultural technologies, even when considered as technically sound, are of limited value if the farming community does not adopt them. In the absence of adequate attention to understanding of the agro-climatic and socio-economic milieu in which the farmers operate, generated and transferred technologies are found inappropriate to the needs and circumstances of the practicing farmers.
The potential beneficiaries, particularly those farmers with limited resource operating in less favourable natural environment, often do not adopt the new technologies due to various reasons:
1. Lack of awareness about the technology.
2. Ineffective extension services.
3. Non representation of their conditions by the research stations, where the technologies are developed.
4. Lack of resources to invest on the required inputs.
5. Non availability of inputs in time.
Conventional approach of research and extension in agriculture has been suffering from several lacunae.
The characteristic features of conventional approach have been:
1. Single commodity based.
2. Single discipline oriented.
3. Top down planning.
4. Resource exploitative.
5. Input intensive.
This approach has led the Indian agriculture to sluggish growth in productivity after initial remarkable success, large-scale resource degradation, poor rate of technology transfer, decline factor productivity and decreasing benefit cost: benefit ratio. This approach lacked an insight into development of strategies to solve the problems of farmers who operate in the complex, diverse and risk prone environments.
It is a common observation, that the improved technologies, even when considered technically sound, have found limited acceptance by vast majority of these resource poor farmers because such technologies have either been developed targeting mainly resource rich farmers, who can adopt intensive production systems without consideration at all to farmer’s actual needs.
Lack of mechanisms to build up research programmes that take into account the biophysical, socio-economic and institutional constraints being encountered by the farmers and experience and knowledge, also known as indigenous technology knowhow (ITK) base that exists within the farming community to resolve them had given a poor perception of the problems that they tried to solve without acknowledging the actuality that to improve upon existing agro-technologies, involvement of farmers in conceptualization and extension of technologies is of paramount importance.
Future research in agriculture, therefore, need to be dealt in such a way that takes into account the farming system including available natural resources, for sustainable development.
Inadequacies in conventional research and extension approach to solve the problems of farmers have led to development of Farming Systems Research (FSR) in 1970s in response to the observation that small farm families operating in harsh environment were not benefiting from the conventional agricultural research and extension strategies.
The term FRS in its broadest sense is any research that views the farm in a holistic manner and considers interactions (between components and of components with environment) in the system.
This type of research is most appropriately carried out by inter disciplinary team of scientists, who, in association with extensionists, continuously interact with farmers in the identification of problems and in advising ways of solving them. It aims at generating and transferring technologies to increase the resource productivity for an identified group of farmers.
FRS Activities:
The FRS approach requires that scientists should begin the technology generation by learning about the farming systems and problems of representative farm families in a wide variety of agro-climatic and socio-economic contexts.
On the basis of this learning, on- farm research activities are to be designed, implemented and evaluated by the scientists in association with the farmers. Feed-back from the farmers will provide the agenda for further on- station research and extension services.
The FRS process involves a set of integrated activities including:
1. Target and research area selection.
2. Problem identification and development of a research base.
3. Planning on-farm research.
4. On-farm research and analysis for further testing.
5. Monitoring the impact of new technologies and providing a feedback to researchers for refinement.
When the search for successful traditional technology is combined with evaluation of current constraints to production and when the farmer is directly involved with the choice of alternatives and the field testing, there is a high probability that the right questions will be answered and the technologies will be appropriate and adopted.
The feedback activities that are emphasised in this process are also critical to its long term success. A functional and rewarding association is thus created between the people involved in research, extension and on-farm application of results. Although, the FRS concept has been widely talked about, its implementation is not much evident in India.
Essay # 5. Activities of Integrated Farming Systems:
It appears that the farming systems approach is not entirely a new approach to farming communities in developing countries and India is not an exception. An insight into traditional farm activities in India, earlier to 1950s, clearly indicates that intensive farming systems were in existence from times immemorial. Before the introduction of fertilisers, the main sources of nutrient supply to crops were FYM and green leaf from farm surroundings and nearby forest.
As adequate grazing land was available at that time, farmers used to maintain cattle, sheep or goat herds primarily for obtaining manure to their fields irrespective of the additional income.
However, with the introduction of fertilisers, HYVs, improved technology and increasing pressure on cultivable land, maintenance of such herds has progressively decreased. Still, we can observe small intensive farming systems in several rural situations.
In India, akin to other developing countries, majority of farmers belong to the category of marginal to small land holders. As their resource use capabilities are low, their farming activities remain, by and large, subsistence in nature than commercial.
Self-reliance for household food needs has been an issue of primary importance to many millions of them. However, the farmer is not working in isolation. His farming activities are constantly influenced by biophysical, social and economical factors.
On any given farm, farming activities, by and large, may comprise of any one or combination of the following:
1. Cropping: mono or multiple.
2. Horticulture: vegetable, orchards, plantations, flower cultivation or nursery.
3. Agroforestry systems (agrihorticulture, agripasture, silvipasture, agrisilvipasture etc.).
4. Livestock: milch animals/draught animals.
5. Sheep/goat rearing.
6. Poultry.
7. Piggery.
8. Fisheries.
9. Sericulture.
10. Apiculture (bee keeping).
A farming system may comprise one or more than one enterprise and in most situations, only one of them is of primary importance around which the entire farm activities revolve, whereas others, if any, may be of secondary or tertiary importance. Farmer’s resource base and his needs are important and not the multiplicity of enterprises on his farm under farming systems approach.
Essay # 6. Sustainable Farming Systems:
Majority of farmers in India belong to the category of marginal and small land holders and their farming activities remain subsistence in nature rather than commercial. Any farm activity, other than crop production, requiring considerable capital investment is not within the capabilities of such farmers. As such, several recommended profitable integrated farming systems to such farmers remained as recommendations only.
However, such improved capital requiring enterprises like dairy, poultry, fishery etc., have been taken up on commercial scale in and around urban areas where there is no problem for marketing the products.
Small and marginal farmers are still adopting low capital requiring traditional farming systems to meet their domestic needs. The intensity of farming systems, generally, increases with increasing size of the farm holdings and family members available for work.
More common farming systems of small and marginal farmers are indicated below:
i. Holdings less than 1.0 ha:
Crops with a pair of draught animals and 5 to 10 chicks.
ii. Holdings from 1.0 to 2.0 ha:
Crops with a pair of draught animals, one milk cow/buffalo, one or two sheep/goats and 10 to 15 chicks.
iii. Holdings from 2.0 to 3.0 ha:
Crops with two pairs of draught animals along with two milk cows/buffalos, 2 or 3 sheep/goats and 10 to 20 chicks.
iv. Holdings from 3.0 to 5.0 ha:
Crops including sericulture with 2 to 3 pairs of draught animals along with 3 or 4 milk cows/buffalos and 10 to 25 chicks.
The above are only examples to give an idea of the existing farming systems. Actual combinations and the sizes of enterprises vary greatly depending on farming situations. From the above, it is evident that the small sizes of farming systems, though intensive, are aimed at production stability and subsistence.
Farmers are well aware of the role of improved breeds and .elated production technology for overall farm productivity. Major problem limiting switching over to improved breeds is the necessity for additional inputs and greater care to maintain the improved breeds.
With the improved breeds and latest production technology, big landlords and industrialists have made spectacular progress in dairy, poultry and fisheries as commercial enterprises but not as components in farming systems.
Several small and marginal farmers are now maintaining one or two dairy cattle as the private dairy industries are collecting milk even from remote areas. This indicate that there is scope for the farmers in remote rural areas to go for integrated farming systems involving livestock, if transport and marketing problems are solved.
Essay # 7. Implementable Farming Systems:
The role of integrated farming systems in stabilising the productivity and production without degrading natural resources and environment is an established fact. However, small and marginal farmers are not in a position to adopt the recommended systems in a big way due to several location specific problems including poor economic position.
To site an example, it is often argued that rearing around 20 sheep/goat is remunerative in dryland farming systems of Andhra Pradesh (Rayalaseema) as the groundnut haulms can be used for feeding them during summer months.
However, the scope for such a system is limited in dryland farming where the groundnut haulms are largely used for feeding the draught animals or dairy cattle/buffalos. If the groundnut haulms are fed to sheep/goat, the farmer is forced to feed the draft animals or cattle/ buffalos by purchasing the feed and fodder.
There is also need for a separate person to maintain a herd of 20 sheep/goat. Under these circumstances, farmers are not for sheep or goat raring if they have work animals or dairy animals. If the groundnut haulms are going as waste, then sheep/ goat raring could be a viable system. Hence, an insight into an existing system is a must for advocating an alternative system under a given farming situation.
The traditional farming systems followed by the resource poor farmers at present are similar to the new improved systems recommended in the recent past in all aspects except that the total output from the traditional systems is relatively low. There is scope for improvement in such traditional systems with minimum investment by way of replacing traditional breeds of cattle, buffalos, sheep, goats etc., with a few improved breeds.
As of now, the resource poor farmers may not be in a position to adopt the entire recommended package including housing, stall fee Jing and feeding schedule to the recommended farm enterprise. Hence, implementable farming systems, as of now, are those traditional systems in practice with a couple of improved breeds of livestock components requiring minimum investment.
More systemic work involving large number of farm families and development of synergies between traditional and sustainable farming systems and modern methods is needed to bring overall prosperity through holistic approach of farming system in rural areas.
Research and development on integrated farming systems for sustained productivity of small and marginal farmers has to go a long way before clear recommendations to suit location specific needs in different agro-ecological zones are formulated.
Hence, crops and cropping system diversification and adoption of recently developed alternate land use systems are of immense significance to impart sustainability and economic stability in harsh farming environments.
Essay # 8. Farming Systems Followed in India:
1. Lowland Farming Systems:
Common cropping system in rice based systems, especially under agro-climatic conditions of south India is rice-rice-pulse. Modified cropping system includes crops like maize, groundnut, sesame. Rice-poultry-fish culture system appears to more remunerative. Poultry droppings from the poultry shed placed well above the farm pond meets the needs of fish in the ponded water.
Water in the pond can be used for irrigating the crops. About 500 layer chicks are sufficient to void required quantum of excreta to meet the feed requirement of 7,500 polyculture fingerlings in one ha of ponded water. Rice-fish system is also remunerative.
Identified lowland farming systems are:
i. Rice based cropping with poultry-cum-fish culture.
ii. Cropping with dairy.
iii. Cropping with goat raring.
iv. Cropping with aquaculture.
2. Upland Irrigated Farming Systems:
Additional income can be generated by adding enterprises like dairy, biogas and silviculture to the usual cropping systems. Two to three milch cows can be maintained from one ha straw. Recycling of farm and animal wastes through biogas unit can produce cooking gas for family use. Several such integrations can greatly increase farm income, besides providing work to family members although the year.
3. Rainfed Farming Systems:
Principles of relevant components of environmentally sustainable farming systems should include:
i. Reducing soil erosion and improving soil conservation.
ii. Inclusion of legumes and cover crops in crop rotations.
iii. Agroforestry as an alternate land use system.
iv. judicious use of organic wastes.
Environmentally sustainable dryland farming systems emphasise conservation and utilisation of natural resources. Agronomic practices of conservation, tillage and mulch farming, rotational cropping, use of legumes and cover crops for improving soil fertility and suppressing weeds and efficient use of cattle manure are some of the components of sustainable farming systems. Following are the scientifically proven components that go into sustainable farming systems.
Sustainable farming systems for different ecological regions are:
A sound land use policy is necessary to tackle the problem of deteriorating natural resources, especially soil and water. Land use according to land capability and minimising human and livestock pressure on land in accordance with carrying capacity should form central theme of land use policy.
Agriculture on steep slopes is stopped. Alternate land use systems, in place of arable cropping, should be popularised among small and marginal farmers. A strong political will and commitment is needed to combat forces leading to land degradation.
By and large, many medium and marginal farmers are used to farming systems since they started cultivating crops. Majority of the farmers in rural areas are maintaining work animals, milch animals, chicks, sheep, goats etc., in addition to crop production. More than 75 per cent of farming community is used to farming systems approach. The usual farming systems are agriculture along with milch animals or chicks or both milch animals and chicks.
What is required for the farmers at present is not educating them on the benefits of farming systems for which the) are used since they started crop production, but improving the productivity of the existing farming systems through latest technological innovations.
4. Integrated Farming Systems (IFS):
The IFS is defined as the biologically integrated farming system which integrates natural resources regulation mechanisms into farming activities to achieve maximum replacement of off farm, inputs, secures sustainable production of high quality food and other products through ecologically proffered technologies, sustain farm income, reduces sources of present environment pollutions generated by agriculture and sustains the multiple function of agriculture (IOBC 1993). Thus IFS must be built on sound foundation of ecological science.
The objective of IFS can be achieved by:
a. Efficient recycling of farm and animal wastes.
b. Minimising nutrient losses.
c. Maximising the nutrient use efficiency.
d. Efficient cropping systems and crop rotations.
e. Complementary combination of farm enterprises.
Integrated Farming System Models for India:
Different farming systems models developed for Indian conditions are:
a. Composite fish culture.
b. Pig-cum-fish farming.
c. Poultry-cum-fish farming.
d. Fish-cum-duck farming.
e. Cropping-cum-mushroom.
f. Rice + pig + fish + duck + azolla farming.
g. Rice + pig + fish + mushroom farming.
h. Rice + fish + poultry farming.
i. Rice + fish + azolla farming.
j. Rice + fish + dairy farming.
k. Rice + dairy + biogas + silviculture.
l. Crop + livestock + fish farming.