Intensification of agriculture in modern farming systems can enhance economic returns at the cost of environment. An integrated dynamic based model is developed to evaluate the effects of alternative agricultural best management practices (BMPs) on overall sustainability of integrated farming systems. The study is conducted at a farm scale in Hampshire county of Massachusetts state, USA. Sustainability index in the model is constructed to evaluate the economic and environmental outcomes and to test different scenarios for determining the changes in sustainability outcomes. Simulations are performed to examine the effect of alternative crop support practices on sediment delivery. Marginal efficiency analysis reveals that strip cropping is the economically efficient crop support practice with substantially high sediment delivery reduction for a marginal expense of monetary profit. In stochastic modelling, two alternative scenarios are evaluated based on a ‘with and without’ approach and ‘with BMPs’ performed better. Mean sustainability index is comparatively larger with less variability in balanced scenario, which implies that balanced farming with equal importance to economic and environmental outcomes would be sustainable in long run. For the adoption of the efficient crop support practice, a conservation incentive package could be extended and the package could be encapsulated into other farm/watershed development programs.
Conservation practices, Dynamic based model, Integrated farming system, Simulation modelling, Soil erosion, Sustainability
