{"id":66480,"date":"2026-02-11T18:31:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T13:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=66480"},"modified":"2026-02-12T11:32:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T06:02:32","slug":"integrated-farming-small-farmers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-02-2026\/integrated-farming-small-farmers","title":{"rendered":"Agriculture Minister has Urged Integrated Farming Models for Small Farmers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Union Agriculture and Farmers\u2019 Welfare Minister called upon Agri Scientists to develop <strong>Integrated farming models for small farmers.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He mentioned models that <strong>integrate poultry, fisheries, animal husbandry, horticulture and other agriculture-based cultivation<\/strong> will help small farmers to get better income.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He also asked them to reduce the number of years for the varieties and hybrids developed in labs to reach farmers from four to five years to just two years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Integrated farming systems (IFS)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Integrated farming systems (IFS) <\/strong>is a positive interaction between two or more components \u2014 such as horticulture crops, livestock, aquaculture, poultry\/ducks, apiculture, and mushroom cultivation.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It uses the principles of minimum competition and maximum complementarity with <strong>advanced agronomic management tools.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Its goal is <strong>to sustain an environmentally friendly farm income, family nutrition, and ecosystem services.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Objectives of IFS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>To minimize the waste<\/strong> from various subsystems of the farm by expanding the symbiotic systems so that the waste of one process becomes the input for other operations.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The waste can be utilised <\/strong>such as energy, fertilizer, and feed, for optimum productivity at minimum cost.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>To enhance ecological diversity<\/strong> by selecting the appropriate cropping methodology, intercropping, to reduce competition including mixed crop rotation, and for water, nutrition, and space.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>To use the entire available area effectively <\/strong>and ensure interactions between biotic and abiotic components.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>To improve the farm household&#8217;s dietary diversity<\/strong> and achieve sustainable livelihoods by diversifying the rural farm to minimize risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impact of IFS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Higher Overall Productivity:<\/strong> IFS increases total production compared to monocropping systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhanced Farm Income:<\/strong> Diversified enterprises (dairy, poultry, fisheries, horticulture) significantly raise net returns up to three times higher in some regions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Year-Round Income Stability:<\/strong> Multiple enterprises reduce dependency on a single crop and ensure continuous cash flow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improved Nutritional Security: <\/strong>Greater crop and home garden diversity improves diet diversity and food self-sufficiency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women\u2019s Economic Participation:<\/strong> It expands livelihood opportunities in dairy, livestock, and poultry sectors for women.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Soil Health Improvement:<\/strong> Promotes nutrient recycling, increases soil organic carbon, enhances microbial activity, and reduces erosion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Biodiversity &amp; Ecological Benefits:<\/strong> Increases crop and species diversity, improves nutrient cycling, and potentially reduces emissions through residue recycling and agroforestry integration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): <\/strong>Promotes climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Encourages integrated crop, livestock, horticulture and fishery systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Focuses on soil health, water conservation, and resource-use efficiency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY): <\/strong>It enhances irrigation coverage by promoting \u201cPer Drop More Crop\u201d for water-use efficiency and supports water-efficient integrated models like horticulture and fishery-based systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Livestock Mission (NLM): <\/strong>It supports livestock development (dairy, poultry, small ruminants) and encourages livestock integration with crop farming.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH): <\/strong>It promotes fruits, vegetables, spices, plantation crops which strengthens diversification, a key pillar of IFS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) &amp; Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs): <\/strong>It develops region-specific IFS models and provides demonstrations and farmer training.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It promotes technology transfer and capacity building.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsonair.gov.in\/agriculture-minister-shivraj-singh-chouhan-urges-integrated-farming-models-for-small-farmers\/#:~:text=Interacting%20with%20the%20Scientists%20of,farmers%20to%20get%20better%20income.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>AIR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Union Agriculture and Farmers\u2019 Welfare Minister called upon Agri Scientists to develop Integrated farming models for small farmers.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> He mentioned models that integrate poultry, fisheries, animal husbandry, horticulture and other agriculture-based cultivation will help small farmers to get better income.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> He also asked them to reduce the number of years for the varieties and hybrids developed in labs to reach farmers from four to five years to just two years. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" The Agriculture Minister has urged adoption of integrated farming models to enhance income, sustainability, and resilience for small farmers.\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66480"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66482,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66480\/revisions\/66482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}