What is Integrated Farming

Prakriti Integrated Organic Farm

Integrated organic farming is a zero waste process as the wastes generated from one process can serve as raw material for the other. This increases the efficiency of production without the use of inorganic agrochemicals.
Biologically Integrated Farming is the identification and encouragement of particular existing biological relationships within a farm system in order to reduce or avoid potential negative impacts of the farm's operations on habitats, natural resources, and communities.
In Integrated farming system, agriculture is integrated with livestock, poultry and fish. The whole setup is maintained at the same place to generate employment and income. Eg : Raising pigs and poultry, crop and vegetable farming, growing grass and aquatic plants and farming of fish.

Ramesh Chandra Dagar, a farmer in Sonepat, Haryana introduced integrated organic farming. He has integrated bee-keeping, dairy management, water harvesting, composting and agriculture in a chain of processes, which support each other and allow an extremely economical and sustainable venture
Advantages of integrated organic farming is that using integrated techniques such as crop rotation, organic fertilizers, cover crops, and very little pesticide application would use less energy and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions per unit of production than either organic or conventional farms.

The father of integrated farming system in India is P.K. Ramachandran Nair

The specific areas of his research include: agroforestry in the tropics and subtropics, integrated farming systems, soil carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation, ecosystem services, and soil fertility management. The father of organic farming in India is Subash Palekar.

Crops, livestock, birds and trees are the major components of any IFS.

Crop may have subsystem like monocrop, mixed/intercrop, multi-tier crops of cereals, legumes (pulses), oilseeds, forage etc.

Livestock components may be milch cow, goat, sheep, poultry, bees.

Tree components may include timber, fuel, fodder and fruit trees.

The following factors have to be considered while selecting IFS in rainfed areas. Soil types, rainfall and its distribution and length of growing season are the major factors that decide the selection of suitable annual crops, trees and livestock components. The needs and resource base of the farmers also decides the selection of IFS components in any farm.

1. 1.Suitable grain crops: According to soil type we can select suitable crops.
   
   Black soil     : 
   Cereals        : Maize
   Millets         : Sorghum, bajra
   Pulses         : Greengram, blackgram, redgram, chickpea, soybean, horse gram
   Oilseeds       : Sunflower, safflower
   FIbre          : Cotton
   Other crops    : Coriander, chillies,
   Red soil
   Millets:            Sorghum
   Minor Millets: ragi, tenai, samai, pani varagu, varagu
   Pulses:             Lab- lab, greengram, red gram, soybean, horse gram, cowpea
   Oilseeds:         Groundnut, castor, sesame


2. 2.Suitable forage crops
   
   Black soils
   Fodder sorghum, fodder bajra, fodder cowpea, desmanthus, Rhodes grass, Mayil kondai pul, Elusine sp., Thomson grass
   
   
3. Red soils
   Fodder cholam, fodder bajra, Neelakolukattai (Blue Buffel Grass), fodder ragi, Sanku pushpam (Conch flower creeper), fodder cowpea, Muyal Masal (Stylo), siratro, marvel grasses, spear grass,


4. 3.Suitable tree species
   
   Tamarind, Simarouba,Vagai (Ladies tongue), Arappu, Kodai vel, A.tortilis, Maan Kathu vel, A.mellifera, Neem, Hardwickia binata, Ber, Indian Gooseberry, Casuarina, Silk cotton etc. are suitable for red gravelly/sandy red loam soils. Karu vel, A.tortilis, A.albida, Neem, Vagai,   Holoptelia integrifolia, Manja neythi, Hibiscus tilifolia, Gmelina arborea, Casuarina, Subabuland Adina cordifolia are suitable for black soils.
   

4.Suitable livestock and birds

Goat, sheep, white cattle, black cattle, pigeon, rabbit, quail and poultry.

The various agronomic approaches for increasing the overall productivity and sustainability of IFS

Adoption of improved cropping system according to the rainfall and soil moisture availability

Selection of suitable grain crop species, tree species that supply pods/leaves for a longer period or throughout the year

The surplus fodder leaves, crop residues etc. during the rainy season should be preserved as silage/hay for lean season (summer).

Prakriti Integrated Organic Farm is run by Jose John a retired banker by profession, who was passionate in agricultural activities even during his employment. He is also the executive committee member of Nedumbassery - Aluva FPO. He is being supported by his better half Laly Antony, a retired teacher, his son and daughter Rosy Jose, an Architect by profession.

The farm is situated in a scenic village Kongorpilly, Kochi, Kerala, 20 kms from Kochi.

The farm sprawls in 75 cents of land with more than 125 types of fruit plants, local as well as imported varieties, medicinal plants, coconut, arecanut, nutmeg, pepper, teak wood, rose wood, sandal wood, Oudh etc.

Visitors will have a feast to their eyes as they move along watching various types of fishes, chics,ducks, rabbit and birds.

Stingless bee keeping is an added attraction. During the month of October , visitors can learn the method of division of bee hives and in the month of April, learn about honey extraction. Both with prior appointments .