SISTER NIVEDITA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEM (IFS)

MODEL

BY SURYA CHAKRABORTY
B.SC. AG. HONS. – 2ND YEAR
 INTRODUCTION -
As the term “integrate” means to form into one whole. It refers to
Integration of various agricultural enterprises like crop production, animal
husbandry, fishery, forestry etc. which not only supplement the income of
the farmers but also help in increasing the family labor employment.
This system is a whole farm management system which aims to deliver
more sustainable agriculture.
It is a dynamic approach which can be applied to any farming system.
Integrated Farming combines the best of modern tools and technologies
with traditional practices based on site and situation. It means using many
ways of cultivation on a piece of land.
Integrated Farming System (IFS) is an interdependent, interrelated often
interlocking production systems based on crop production, rearing animals
and related subsidiary enterprises in such a way that maximize the
utilization of resources of each system and also minimize the negative effect
of these enterprises on environment.
 What is Intregated Farming System (IFS) ?
INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEM (IFS) IS AN INTERDEPENDENT, INTERRELATED
OFTEN INTERLOCKING PRODUCTION SYSTEMS BASED ON FEW CROPS, ANIMALS
AND RELATED SUBSIDIARY ENTERPRISES IN SUCH A WAY THAT MAXIMIZE THE
UTILIZATION OF NUTRIENTS OF EACH SYSTEM AND MINIMIZE THE NEGATIVE
EFFECT OF THESE ENTERPRISES ON ENVIRONMENT.
THE INTERRELATED, INTER-DEPENDENT-INTERLOCKING NATURE OF IFS INVOLVES
THE UTILIZATION OF PRIMARY PRODUCE AND SECONDARY PRODUCE OF ONE
SYSTEM, AS BASIC INPUT OF THE OTHER SYSTEM, THUS MAKING THEM MUTUALLY
INTEGRATED AS ONE WHOLE UNIT.

OBJECTIVES -

❑ MAXIMIZATION OF YIELD OF ALL COMPONENT ENTERPRISES TO PROVIDE

STEADY AND STABLE INCOME AT HIGHER LEVELS.
❑ REJUVENATION/AMELIORATION OF SYSTEMS PRODUCTIVITY AND ACHIEVE
AGRO ECOLOGICAL EQUILIBRIUM.
❑ CONTROL THE BUILT-UP OF INSECTS-PEST, DISEASES AND WEEDS POPULATION
THROUGH NATURAL CROPPING SYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND KEEP THEM AT LOW
LEVEL OF INTENSITY.
❑ INCREASE IN NATURAL RESOURCE USE EFFICIENCY BY EARLY RECYCLING OF
NUTRIENTS.
 Components of integrated farming system --

The components of integrated farming system can be divided into four

major categories.

(A) Crop -
Cereals, Pulses, Oilseeds, Fruits, Vegetables, Spices, Plantation crops,
Flowers, Fodder/forage crop, Agro-forestry, Sugarcane, Fibre crops.

(B) Livestock & Poultry -

Cattle, Buffalo, Pig, Goat, Sheep, Chicken, Duck.

(C) Fishery -
Composite fish, culture, Fingerling production,Paddy cum fish culture.

(D) Secondary Agriculture -

Bee keeping, Mushroom cultivation, Food processing, Vermicomposting,
Biogas production, Azolla cultivation, Sericulture, Moriculture.
 IFS MODEL -

Component I :

Fish - livestock farming systems -

Fish- livestock farming systems are recognized as highly assured technology where
predetermined quantum of livestock waste obtained by rearing the live stock in the
pond area is applied in pond to raise the fish crop without any other additional supply
of nutrients.

The main potential linkages between livestock and fish production concern use of
nutrients, particularly reuse of livestock manures for fish production. The term
nutrients mainly refer to elements such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) which
functions as fertilizers to stimulate natural food webs rather than conventional
livestock nutrition usage such as feed ingredients.

Both production and processing of livestock generate by-products that can be used for
aquaculture. Direct use of livestock production wastes is the most widespread and
conventionally recognized type of integrated farming. Production wastes include
manure, urine and spilled feed; and they may be used as fresh inputs or be processed
Component II :

Cattle-Fish Culture -
Manuring of fish pond by using cow dung is one of the common practices all-over the
world. A healthy cow excretes over 4,000-5,000 kg dung, 3,500-4,000 litres urine on
an annual basis.

Manuring with cow dung, which is rich in nutrients results in increase of natural food
organism and bacteria in fishpond. A unit of 5-6 cows can provide adequate manure
for 1 ha of pond.

In addition to 9,000 kg of milk, about 3,000-4,000 kg fish/ha/year can also be

harvested with such integration. Cowshed should be built close to fishpond to
simplify handling of cow manure. A cow requires about 7,000-8,000 kg of green
grass annually. Grass carp utilizes the left over grasses, which are about 2,500 kg.

Fish also utilize the fine feed which consists of grains wasted by cows. In place of raw
cow dung, biogas slurry could be used with equally good production. Twenty to
thirty thousand kg of biogas slurry are recycled in 1 ha water area to get over 4000
kg of fish without feed or any fertilizer application.
Component III :

Pig-Fish system -
The waste produced by 30-40 pigs is equivalent to 1 tonne of ammonium sulphate. Exotic
breeds like White Yorkshire, Landrace and Hampshire are reared in pig-sty near the fish pond.
Depending on the size of the fishponds and their manure requirements, such a system can
either be built on the bund dividing two fishponds or on the dry-side of the bund. Pigsties,
however, may also be constructed in a nearby place where the urine and dung of pigs are first
allowed to the oxidation tanks (digestion chambers) of biogas plants for the production of
methane for household use. The liquid manure (slurry) is then discharged into the fishponds
through small ditches running through pond bunds.

Alternately, the pig manure may be heaped in localized places of fishponds or may be applied in
fishponds by dissolving in water. Pig manure contains more than 70 percent digestible feed for
fish. The undigested solids present in the pig dung also serve as direct food source to tilapia
and common carp. A density of 40 pigs has been found to be enough to fertilize a fish pond of
one hectare area. The optimum dose of pig manure per hectare has been estimated as five
tonnes for a culture period of one year. Fish like grass carp, silver carp and common carp
(1:2:1) are suitable for integration with pigs.

Pigs attain slaughter maturity size (60-70 kg) within 6 months and give 6-12 piglets in every
litter. Their age at first maturity ranges from 6-8 months. Fish attain marketable size in a year.
Final harvesting is done after 12 months of rearing. It is seen that a fish production of 3,000
kg/ha could be achieved under a stocking density of 6,000 fish fingerlings/ha in a culture
period of six months.
Component IV :

Poultry-Fish Culture -
Poultry raising for meat (broilers) or eggs (layers) can be integrated with fish culture to
reduce costs on fertilizers and feeds in fish culture and maximize benefits. Poultry can be
raised over or adjacent to the ponds and the poultry excreta recycled to fertilize the
fishponds.

Poultry housing, when constructed above the water level using bamboo poles would fertilize
fishponds directly. In fish poultry integration, birds housed under intensive system are
considered best. Birds are kept in confinement with no access to outside. Deep litter is well
suited for this type of farming. About 6-8 cm thick layer prepared from chopped straw, dry
leaves, saw dust or groundnut shell is sufficient.

Poultry dung in the form of fully built up dip litter contains: 3% nitrogen, 2% phosphate and
2% potash, therefore it acts as a good fertilizer which helps in producing fish feed i.e.
phytoplankton and zooplankton in fish pond. So application of extra fertilizer to fish pond for
raising fish is not needed. This cuts the cost of fish production by 60%. In one year 25-30
birds can produce 1 tonne dip litter and based on that it is found that 500-600 birds are
enough to fertilize 1 ha water spread area for good fish production. Daily at the rate of 50
kg/ha water spread area poultry dung is applied to the fish pond. When phytoplanktonic
bloom is seen over the surface water of fish pond then application of poultry dung to the
pond should immediately be suspended. Poultry-fish integration also maximizes the use of
space; saves labour in transporting manure to the ponds and the poultry house is more
Component V :

Duck-Fish Culture --
A fish-pond being a semi-closed biological system with several aquatic animals andplants,provides
excellent disease-free environment for ducks.In return ducks consumejuvenile frogs, tadpoles and
dragonfly, thus making a safe environment for fish. Duckdropping goes directly in pond, which in
turn provides essential nutrients to stimulategrowth of natural food. This has two advantages,
there is no loss of energy and fertilizationis homogeneous.

This integrated farming has been followed in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu,Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Tripura and Karnataka. Most commonly used breed for thissystem in India
is the ‘Indian runners’.

It is highly profitable as it greatly enhances the animal protein production in terms of fishand duck
per unit area. Ducks are known as living manuring machines. The duck droppingcontain 25 per
cent organic and 20 percent inorganic substances with a number ofelements such as carbon,
phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, calcium,etc.

Hence, it forms a very good source of fertilizer in fish ponds for the production of fish
foodorganisms. Besides manuring, ducks eradicate the unwanted insects, snails and theirlarvae
which may be the vectors of fish pathogenic organisms and water-borne disease-causing
organisms infecting human beings. Further, ducks also help in releasing nutrientsfrom the soil of
ponds, particularly when they agitate the shore areas of the pond.

For duck-fish culture, ducks may be periodically allowed to range freely, or may be put inscreened
resting places above the water. Floating pens or sheds made of bamboo splits mayalso be
INTERACTION BETWEEN THE COMPONENTS -

Duck-Fish Farming Poultry-Fish Farming

CATTLE-FISH CULTURE PIG-FISH

CULTURE
 Advantages of Integrated Farming System -

1. Productivity: one of the main benefits of maintaining IFS, to increase yield of different
components in terms of per unit area or per unit of cost involved with it.

2. Profitability: by utilising each other by-product as a raw material of other components

reduce cost of cultivation/maintenance as well as enhancing soil fertility for
sustainableproduction, leads a higher BC ratio by managing waste of by-products and full
utilization of investment.

3. Potentiality or Sustainability: In long term aspects, by linking of different components actas

organic supplementary through effective utilization of available resources, provides
anopportunity to regain potentiality of production.

4. Balanced Food: different component supplies different nutrients which can fulfill ones daily
required nutrients.

5. Environmental Safety: Effectively recycling of waste material as others raw materials through
IFS models, thus minimize environment pollution.

6. Recycling: In IFS, Effective recycling of waste material (crop residues and livestock wastes)
helps to make a farm self-sufficient in terms of avoiding outside inputs –fertilizers,
agrochemicals, feeds, energy, etc.

7. Income Rounds the year: Due to maintenance of different enterprises with crops, eggs,milk,
mushroom, honey, cocoons silkworm, it provides income throughout the year.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE IFS MODEL -

Integrated Farming System (IFS) is an interdependent, interrelated often interlocking

production systems based on few crops, animals and related subsidiary enterprises in
such a way that maximize the utilization of nutrients of each system and minimize the
negative effect of these enterprises on environment.

Under Indian conditions where large population of farmers comes under small and
marginal farmers, it becomes very necessary to find out the farming techniques which are
best suited to them. Traditional farming system of cultivating only specific crops and
some livestock species in some specific season is found not that much profitable and
sustainable ascompared to integrated farming system.