Case studies on successful integrated farming systems in West Bengal: Lessons for small farmers

Abstract

An integrated farming system (IFS) is a sustainable farming technique specifically designed for small and marginal farmers with the objective of enhancing system productivity, profitability, and employment prospects, ultimately ensuring their food and nutritional security. This approach utilizes livestock to manage pests that affect crops, cultivates fodder crops to provide food for animal sustenance, and applies animal waste to fields to acquire nutrients for crops. The article evaluates the impact of six distinct models under IFS against the traditional farming system popularly practised by small and marginal farmers in the Nadia district of West Bengal. All IFS models have exhibited superior economic performance in terms of benefit-cost ratio (B:C ratio), ranging from 1.21 to 2.72. The optimal combination has been achieved by merging horticulture (fruits and flowers) and dairy components, resulting in a gross return of `8.23 lakh/ha with a B:C ratio of 2.72. However, the integration of agriculture, fodder production, horticulture (fruits and flowers), and dairy in another model resulted in the highest number of job opportunities (632 mandays/ha/ annum), which is 165% more than the jobs created by the traditional farming system.