INM in rice based integrated farming system model for food security and enhanced productivity

Agricultural production systems need to be tuned towards enhanced productivity for assuring food security. More important is that these systems should be based on resource conserving technologies like integrated nutrient management, for achieving sustainability. Integrated Farming System is a potential tool in realizing the goals of higher productivity and food security, based on resource recycling strategies. Research works carried out for five years suggest that the model is quite successful in diversifying crop production to achieve food security, ensures higher productivity and is quite eco-friendly in terms of on farm generation of nutrients, well in support of integrated nutrient management. On an average, the model could generate 190: 83: 90 kg of N, P and K nutrients, equivalent to 413 kg urea, 415 kg rock phosphate and 150 kg of muriate of potash. Substantial quantities of chemical fertilizers could thus be replaced. Diverse food products to the tune of 1436 kg rice, 1764 litres of milk, 1285 kg vegetables, 8605 eggs, 60 kg meat, 90 kg fish and 110 kg of mushroom could be generated annually from the model. The average productivity from this model was 10.22 t whereas rice crop alone yielded as low as 1.87 t. This model could be well adopted by lowland farmers of similar agro-climatic tracts for higher productivity and food security based on sustainable principles of crop nutrition.