Increasing incomes of resource-poor farm families through an integrated farming system

This study was undertaken in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh North Eastern plain agro-climatic zone. The total Area of Moradabad is 37174 Sq. Km. it is 28th largest district of Uttar Pradesh and 329 largest in India in term of area. Where more than 80% of total geographical area is under agriculture. Three villages were randomly Selected from the three community development blocks of the district with a sample size of 150 small and marginal Farmers, 50 from each village. It was found that out of the 13 farming systems followed by the resource-poor community of Moradabad district, rice-pulse and pulse-wheat with 1 tractor was the most prevalent farming system adopted by 20.5% of total farm households followed by rice-pulse and pulse-wheat with live stock, rice-oilseeds-vegetable crop combination was adopted by only 35.7% of respondents. On the basis of survey to assess a suitable integrated farming system (IFS) in one hectare of land for resource-poor farmers of this complex-diversified and risk prone (CDR) NE Zone eco-system comprising both crops (rice-lentil-cucurbits) and (black gram-wheat with intercrop of mentha) and non crop components (poultry, mushroom, vermicompost, bee-keeping etc) was tested by Krishi Vigyan Kendra Moradabad during 2015-16. It was found that the gap of the net income between the farming system was Rs.85,670.00. BC Ratio calculated was 1.96 and 1.75 of the recommended and the traditional systems respectively. The IFS was found valid for resource-poor farmer families in North-Eastern Plain Zone eco-system with increasing land use efficiency, sustaining livelihood. By strengthening the economic status and generating employment using the land and time judiciously