Integrated farming Systems and income Security: The case of Arecanut farmers in karnataka, india

Surplus farm income and its stability are two important measures of income security of the farmers. These two parameters will have a profound influence on the economic welfare too. This study is an attempt to at evaluate the income security of farmers in areca based integrated farming systems in the state of Karnataka, India. The results revealed no significant difference in profitability among different arecanut based farming systems. The income generated from different areca based farming systems helped the majority of the farmers to cross the poverty line, indicating the role of such farming systems in ensuring income security in the region. Regression analysis of variability in farmers’ income indicated negative association between diversification in income sources and income variability. Hence, it is beneficial for the farmers if they diversify their sources of income.