Integrated Farming System (IFS) Approach for Rural Livelihood Security in Kandhamal District of Odisha

Integrated farming system (IFS) approach aims at increasing income and employment from small holdings by integrating various farm enterprises and recycling crop residues and by-products within the farm itself. This paper entails information on IFS adopted by 3 farmers in the Phulbani block of Kandhamal district of Odisha promoted by All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture (AICRPDA), Phulbani under Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) for three consecutive years (2015–16 to 2017–18). The data collected from the 3 IFS models of the 3 farmers’ were analyzed for both existing conventional components and modified IFS components. In case of IFS model 1, the net profit from IFS was 1,12,000/- with a B:C ratio of 2.24 and employment generation of 515 man-days from 1.6 ha of land. In this model, the farmer realized 124% increase in net returns than the traditional farming system. In case of IFS model 2, the net profit was 1,54,000/- with a B:C ratio of 2.17 and employment generation of 523 man-days from 2.8 ha of land. Similarly in case of IFS model 3, net profit of 1,13,500/- was obtained with a B:C ratio of 2.13 and employment generation of 458 man-days from 2.0 ha of land. By adopting IFS model, the farmers of IFS model 2 and 3 realized 120 and 89% increase in net returns, respectively than the traditional farming system.