A Review: Integrated Farming Systems for Sustainable Livelihood Security of Small and Marginal Farmers

The current farming situation in India, calls for an integrated effort to deal with the emerging issues. The integrated farming systems are considered to be the most influential tools for enhancing productivity and profitability of farming systems, particularly for small and marginal farmers to make them self reliant. In fact, our past experience has clearly depicted that the income from cropping alone is hardly sufficient for small and marginal farmer's needs. With improved consumerism in rural areas, requirements cash for the farmer's have also increased to improve the standard of living which is specially true in case of small and marginal farmers. Therefore, farmer's profitability and food security would have to be increased by adoption of different efficient allied enterprises like horticulture (fruits/ vegetables/ flowers/ medicinal and aromatic plants), dairy, apiary, fisheries, apiculture, mushroom cultivation, etc. These integrated farming systems required to be designed, planned, implemented and critically analyzed for productivity and cost economics of the farmers. The sustainability of livelihoods of the farmers becomes a function of how farm men and farm women utilize asset portfolios on a short and long-term basis. Sustainable livelihoods of the farmers are those that are able to cope up with and recover from stresses and shocks such as drought, flood, civil war and policy failure by the adaptive and coping strategies (Jirli et al., 2008). Sustainability, capability and equity combine in the concept of sustainable livelihood. In this regard, Indian Council of Agricultural Research has launched National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) on 26^th July, 2006 with endeavor to establish system and action research for livelihood enhancement of vulnerable groups in different disadvantaged regions of India.