R.B. Rai1 and T. Damodaran2
1 Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, India
2 Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, RRS, Lucknow, India
Introduction
The deteriorating performance of Indian agriculture and slowing of agricultural growth are major concerns for our policy makers in achieving the targeted overall economic growth during the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-07). Agricultural growth has decelerated sharply from 3.2 per cent between 1980-81 and 1995-96 to a trend average of 1.9 per cent subsequently. Small and marginal farmers, whose land holdings are below 2 ha, constitute almost 80% of all Indian farmers, and more than 90% of them are dependent on rain for their crops. Such a poor performance of the agricultural sector is attributed to declining investment and rising input subsidies in agriculture, fatigue in technological change, deceleration or stagnation in the productivity growth of major crops, and fall in the total factor productivity (Rao et al., 2003). Agricultural diversification towards high value commodities (HVCs) is viewed as one of the most promising strategies to reverse the declining growth trend in agriculture (Government of India, 2005). Mere crops pose various risks in commercial agriculture both from nature and from humans. However, as per the concept and existing practices crop-livestock-horticulture-aquaculture integration is considered as Integrated Farming System (IFS). It is to be analyzed whether each component of IFS are performing at their desired optimum level or not? It is certainly a issue to be examined. Under this scenario, an improved system (named as Specialized Integrated Farming System, SIFS) has been developed where each component performs at their optimum level and depending upon the interest of the unemployed youth in the family, one or more components are raised to the level where it serves as self employment venture. While the profitability in the self employment component(s) grow around or more than 50% annually, the whole system profitability must witness profitability growth of 15-25% annually (Damodaran et al., 2011). Under an NAIP project on “Holistic approach for livelihood security through livestock based farming system in Raebareli and Barabanki districts of U.P.” need based integration of technologies developed in specialized IFS models which can be replicated and implemented in other parts of the country with similar ecology and social status.
Results
Integration of commercial banana with rural poultry, dairy and summer pulse production for economic security
Most of the small and marginal farmers of Uttar Pradesh adopt rice-wheat or rice- mustard cultivation for years. Banana is a sustainable medium duration cash crop with high return in irrigated lands. But small farmers fear to adopt it due to fear of risk, high input cost and lack of complete technical back up.
In this scenario present technological approach was developed.
· Commercial banana cultivation was integrated with moong and urd dhal as intercrop at the time of planting (Febraury, March) and rural poultry in 0.30 ha with 0.30 ha under paddy-wheat with resource conservation technologies.
· About 800 tissue cultured banana G-9 variety were planted at a spacing of 1.8 x 1.8m for each beneficiary.
· 50 backyard poultry birds of Nirbhik and Shyama cross breed were integrated with the system. The birds feed cost was made near to nil by supplementing with in-situ azolla cultivation and introduction in the village ponds.
· Bio-priming of the primary hardened plant with native endophytes of Psuedomonas and Trichoderma was done.
· The fertilizer requirement should be supplemented with vermi-composting, Trichoderma and Psuedomonads based liquid and farm manures which also reduced the cost on fertilizers.
· The entire dried leaves were used as mulch in the orchard and poultry birds were allowed to graze in the banana fields.
The technology has resulted in increase in production and productivity of banana the main crop (when compared with the average productivity of state in 2009) from 20 kg/
bunch to 24 kg/bunch on average. The highest bunch weight of 55 kg has been recorded in the intervened farmer’s field. Also it has increased in an average total income of Rs.179314 when compared with the pre intervention income of Rs.60,000.
Intervention of Commercial flower production using elite variety and bioregulators linked with market security and integration of the same with rural poultry and infertility management in dairy
Gladiolus is a monocotyledonous floral crop which is considered one of the most important flowering bulbs grown in India. It can be cultivated throughout the year under protected cultivation or from September to March under Indo-Gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh. The crop becomes remunerative and a very good short duration income generator when it is cultivated during October to February which coincides with the peak marriage and festival seasons of the local market. Keeping these in considerations the technology of commercial cultivation of gladioulus was intervened in the farmer field of Trivediganj and Haidergarh block of Barabanki districts.
· The bulbs of the gladiolus are planted in raised beds during the first and second week of November or last week of October. To suit the regular market requirements and to adjust the harvesting time the corms are planted in two different dates with an interval of 4-5 days.
· Corms of >4cm was selected for planting and the farmers were provided with the planting materials of the following varieties.
Plum Part, Advance Red, Odyssee, Forta Rosa
· The corms are planted at a distance of 15 cm between plants and 30 cm between rows at a depth of 6-8 cm. About 88000 corms can be accommodated in one acre of land. This corm will further produce a minimum of 4-8 cormlets after the harvest of the flower.
· The native strains of the Psuedomonads auerogenosa (CSR-P-1) and Trichoderma herzianum (CSR-T-1) which were isolated and screened at CSSRI, RRS and CISH Lucknow were mass multiplied and utilized as the bioagent for foliar spray during the 3rd leaf and 6th leaf stage of growth apart from the chemical fertilizers whose dosage was reduced to 30-40 % of their recommended dose.
· Nearly 90 percent of the stalks produced will produce flowers; the flowers are harvested and are sent to the auction centre on the same day. About 8000 spikes are obtained from 500m2 and the yield potential is 70000 spikes from one acre.
Each spike is valued at price ranging from Rs.2-6/-. (Table 1) Table 1 Profitability of the technology during the post intervention period
Gross income Expenditure Net income No of mandays
Paddy 12000 6500 5500 18
Gladiolus 67500 15000 52500 21
vegetable 24000 8930 15070 35
Poultry 8000 2826 5174 22
dairy 38000 8500 29500 42
Land lease 0 10000 0 0
Miscellaneous 5000 - 5000 45
TOTAL 149,500 51,756 107,744 138
Infertility control and estrous synchronization
To boost the milk and improved calf production, mass infertility control with estrous synchronization using indigenously developed economical non-hormonal technology was intervened. The aim of the intervention was to produce around two lactations instead of one which is being had. At the same time one more improved calf will also be produced which
will help in expanding the dairy without any external cost. The two lactations will result in increase of milk by about 80% during the same period in intervened populations. With this intervention even repeat breeders came to heat and were conceived. The birth of the calves and bringing pregnancy in repeat breeders had created a mark and change in the milk production status of the village as whole.
Strategic research in the field has been initiated to enhance the profitability of bovines where low milk production of existing germplasm becomes secondary source of income in terms of cash. The improved calves produced will establish the dairies in coming years.
Mass vaccination resulted in reduction of cases of death from H.S. and foot and mouth disease and these programmes are being linked with state government activities. Strategic deworming, awareness and mineral mixture supplementation enhanced the milk production by 10-20% along with extra-lactation.
To enhance the availability of green fodder cultivation of high yielding perennial fodder like Hybrid Napier CO-3 has been taken up. Thus, less land is required for fodder and yield may touch 225-250 t/ha with continuous harvesting at 40 days intervals (depression in growth occurs during peak winter month).
Self sustenance model of the Specialized Integrated Farming System Model based on poultry and vegetables developed during 2009-11
Vegetable cultivation has been taken by the small farmers in small scale and with low and marginal returns. Here vegetable cultivation was intervened effectively with rural backyard poultry of 50 birds initially later when sufficient experience have been attained with it commercial poultry with 250 birds were intervened which was subsequently linked with buyer. In-situ azolla cultivation a protein rich supplement of feed for poultry was disseminated successfully in about 800 households of poultry farmers.
Some of the technologies intervened in vegetable cultivation are
· Early or late cultivation of hybrid tomato (var. NS506 or Naveen), bhendi (var.
Hybrid 10 & 564) and cucurbits on riverbeds based on market intillegence.
· Seed treatment with Trichoderma herzianum stratin CSR-T-1 which reduced the soil borne disease incidence by 40%.
· Effective and efficient management of nutrients plays a key role in commercial vegetable cultivation. Most of the intervened farmers are marginal farmers who could not effort for high input cultivation; hence they were substituted with technologies of vermin-composting, Trichoderma and Psuedomonads enriched FYM. This resulted in reduction of threat 30-40% of recommended fertilizer schedule.
· About 0.2% Psuedomonas and Trichoderma are sprayed from the day of first flowering to harvest at an interval of 20 days. This not only takes care of control of diseases but also acts as a source of auxin and gibberellins to increase the fruit set percentage.
Conclusion
Therefore, based on the experience and knowledge acquired in the field level implementation of integrated interventions under various livelihood projects at different eco-systems of the country in the backward districts a holistic approach with realtime integration as in SIFS model can be feasible at the field level and can provide economic with nutrient security to the small and marginal farmers of the country.
References
Damodaran, T, Rai, R.B., Mishra, V.K., Sharma, D.K., Ram, R.A., Sweta Rai and Harendra Kumar. 2011.
Integrated Farming System & Livelihood Security – An Approach. Published by CSSRI, Karnal, pp 1-108.
Government of India. 2005. Economic Survey 2004-05. Ministry of Finance Economic Division. Government of India. New Delhi.
Rao, Hanumantha C.H., and S. Mahendra Dev. 2003. Economic reforms and challenges ahead: an overview.
Economic and Political Weekly 38 (12&13): 1130-1141.