Indian Journal of Agronomy

An experiment was conducted during 2004–07 to establish integrated farming systems in jhum (slash and burn agriculture) field in Peren district of Nagaland to identify suitable combination of crops and livestock for better economic return and employment opportunities. Seven cropping systems were tested and integrated in different farming systems. The rice-vegetable pea-beans cropping system was most suitable under jhum land of Nagaland. Integration of fish, pig, dairy cattle, duck, and the crops such as rice, vegetable pea and beans showed maximum system productivity, i.e., 126.5 t/ha (rice-equivalent yield). This was followed by cultivation of rice, vegetable pea and beans along with dairy cattle (free grazing), having system productivity of 105.0 t/ha of rice-equivalent yield. However, least system productivity was recorded with cultivation of rice, vegetable pea, beans, hybrid Napier, winter maize and soybean together with dairy cattle, with rice-equivalent yield of 56.6 t/ha. Except piggery, all live-stock components (dairy, poultry, duckery and fishery) recorded better economic viability (B: C ratio > 1). The farming-system approach of land use, therefore, could be adopted for sustainable production of jhum fields, and combination of rice, vegetable pea, bean, fish, pig, duck and dairy cattle was found to be most sustainable and profitable.