Sustainability of agriculture through mixed farming in the scarce region of western Maharashtra

The economics of mixed farming in the irrigated and rainfed regions in the scarce area of western Maharashtra have been studied based on the primary data collected from 180 mixed farms (90 each from irrigated and rainfed regions) by survey method for the agricultural year 1999–2000. The sample farms were categorized into the small (up to 2.00 ha), medium (2.01 to 4.00 ha) and large farms (above 4.00 ha). The farms of the irrigated region have been found more profitable than those of the rainfed region, both in the crop and livestock production activities. The per hectare gross returns have been found maximum on the small farms (up to 2 ha) and declined with increasing size of farms in both the regions. The net returns per livestock unit have been found maximum on small farms in the irrigated region and large farms in the rainfed region. The per family annual income has direct relation with the farm size. The share of income from crop production has increased with the size of holdings in both the regions, while the share of income from livestock production has depicted a reverse trend. Since livestock has been found as an important activity in influencing the family's income on small and medium farms in the rainfed region, efforts for the development of this enterprise need to be intensified. For this, the study has suggested creation of irrigation potential gradually in the rainfed region.