Integrated Farming System is based on the principle that “waste is only a misplaced resource”. Explain this statement with suitable examples in the context of Indian agriculture.

Answer: Model Answer approach

Overview: Explain what an integrated farming system is.

• A sustainable agricultural system known as “integrated farming” combines plantation crops, fish, poultry, livestock, crop production, tree crops, and other mutually beneficial systems. It is predicated on the ideas that “waste is only a misplaced resource” and “there is no waste,” meaning that trash from one component becomes an input for another.

Body: Indian agriculture’s potential for an integrated farming system. Obstacles to its adoption.

• Potential of Integrated agricultural Systems in Indian Agriculture: This strategy is thought to be the most effective way to increase agricultural systems’ profitability, particularly for small and marginal farmers. For instance, a farmer might make extra money by keeping animals because their milk and meat can be sold in the market and their waste can be utilized as organic fertilizer in the fields.
• When converted into an integrated farm, tiny landholdings of 1-2 hectares had higher crop yields per hectare than the conventional wheat-rice cropping pattern, according to studies on integrated farming systems.

Conclusion: Measures implemented to encourage integrated agriculture.

• The establishment of integrated farms is encouraged by the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture, one of the programs the Indian government has introduced. In 2015, the Mahatma Gandhi Integrated agricultural Research Institute was established in Bihar as a specialized center for integrated agricultural research and development. 

Therefore, if widely implemented, integrated farming can not only boost farmer incomes but also play a crucial role in advancing India’s goals of nutritional security and environmental sustainability.

Practice Question

Question: “Integrated Farming System (IFS) represents a paradigm shift from input-intensive agriculture to resource-efficient farming.” Discuss in the light of India’s agricultural challenges and opportunities.

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