Farming is the cultivation of plants, animals, fungi, and other forms of life for food, fibre, biofuel, medicinals, and other products used to sustain and improve human life. Farming has been an important economic activity in our country for centuries. Farming can range from subsistence to commercial. Farming methods based on the nature of the land, soil, agro-climate, availability of water or irrigation facilities, technological know-how, and socio-cultural practises. Farming systems are resource management strategies that aim to achieve economic and sustainable production in order to meet the diverse needs of farm households while preserving the resource base and maintaining a high level of environmental quality. In this article, we will discuss Farming Systems which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Farming System Concept

• In the farming system, the farm is viewed holistically.
• Crops, dairy, poultry, fishery, sericulture, piggery, apiary, tree crops, and other farming enterprises are examples of farming enterprises.
• When carefully chosen, planned, and executed, a combination of one or more cropping enterprises yields greater dividends than a single enterprise, particularly for small and marginal farmers.
• The farm as a unit must be considered and planned for effective integration of the enterprises to be combined with crop production activity, such that the end-products and wastes of one enterprise are effectively utilised as inputs in another enterprise.
• Sustainability is the goal of the farming system in which the production process is optimised through efficient input utilisation without compromising the quality of the environment with which it interacts on the one hand and attempts to meet national goals on the other.

Objectives of Farming System

• Increase crop production, productivity, and profitability per unit area.
• Increasing potential.
• To improve environmental safety and food balance.
• A steady stream of income throughout the year.
• Resolving the crisis of timber, fodder, and fuel.
• Job creation and the potential for the establishment of agro-industries
• Increased input use efficiency.

Types of Farming System

Primitive Subsistence Farming

• This type of farming is still practised in small patches of Indian land using primitive tools such as hoes, daos, and digging sticks, as well as family and community labour.
• The entire crop is saved for family consumption.
• Farmers can choose between dryland farming and wetland farming depending on the monsoon, soil fertility, and the suitability of other environmental conditions to the crops grown.

Shifting Agriculture

• Farmers in this farming system clear a small forest land to grow crops. These are mostly practised by tribal farmers.
• Crops are grown for 2 to 3 years after the land has been cleared, as soil fertility decreases. The farmers then migrate to new land, and the process is repeated.
• The crops grown in this type of farming are typically dry paddy, maize, millets, and vegetables.

Plantation Farming

• This type of farming cultivates closer to the equator/tropical region. It necessitates a high temperature and a high rainfall.
• Plantation farming is a type of tree or bush farming that was introduced during the colonial era in the nineteenth century.
• Tea, rubber, spice crops, coconut, tobacco, cocoa, coffee, lime, oranges, apples, and other crops have been chosen.
• Plantation farming is extremely useful for commercial purposes. These crops are more profitable.

Intensive Farming

• Intensive farming is a cultivation practise that makes intensive use of land to produce a high yield per unit area.
• Farmers used more fertiliser, pest control, and irrigation facilities were available.
• They also use modern technology to increase crop yield. These factors influenced intensive farming.

Crop Rotation

• Crop rotation is the practise of planting multiple crops on the same plot of land in order to improve soil health, optimise nutrients in the soil, and combat pest and weed pressure.
• A simple rotation may include two or three crops, while complex rotations may include a dozen or more.
• Crop rotation aids in the return of nutrients to the soil without the use of synthetic fertilisers.
• Additionally, the practise works to interrupt pest and disease cycles, improve soil health by increasing biomass from different crop root structures, and increase farm biodiversity.

Terrace Farming

• Terrace farming is a farming method in which "steps" known as terraces are built onto the slopes of hills and mountains to cultivate crops.
• Terrace farming is popular in rice-growing countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
• Terrace farming prevents rain from washing away soil nutrients. This results in the development of healthy crops.
• When it rains, the soil nutrients and plants flow to the next terrace rather than down the slope.
• Each step has an outlet that directs water to the next step. This aids in keeping some areas dry while others are wet.
• Terracing is classified into two types: graded terracing and level terracing.
  • Along its length, a graded terrace can have either constant or variable grades.
  • Level terraces, on the other hand, follow a contour line and are best suited for permeable soil.

Wetland Farming

• Wetland farming is a type of agriculture carried out on or next to a body of water.
• Raised agricultural beds are used in wetlands farming, which uses adjacent land to waterways.
• This type of farming is intensive and needs ongoing attention and methodical maintenance.
• Due to the abundance of peat in these areas, wet farming will result in soil that has undergone oxidation and subsidence.
• Rice fields and grain fields on river floodplain soils are two prominent examples of how agriculture has been practised in wetlands for ages.

*For detailed notes on this topic, check this link Wetland Farming

Dry Land Farming

• Dryland farming is a term used to describe a region or a particular type of farming that is carried out in sub-humid to arid conditions with inefficient hydrology, a lack of irrigation facilities, total reliance on monsoon rainfall, and typical cropping patterns of coarse grains, millets, and oilseeds, pulses, cotton, etc.
• Dryland farming relies on choosing crops and growth techniques that make the most of the land's limited moisture as well as on effective soil moisture storage.
• The usual practices involve tilling the ground soon after harvest and maintaining it free of weeds, but in some latitudes, stubble is left in the fields after harvest to catch snow.
• Weed removal and runoff mitigation make up the majority of moisture control measures used during crop growth.
• The ideal soil surface is devoid of weeds but contains enough clods or decayed plant material to slow runoff and stop erosion.

*For detailed notes on this topic, check this link Dryland Farming

Rain Fed Farming

• The term "rainfed farming" refers to the area where different kinds of crops are grown and whose cultivation is reliant on monsoon rainfall.
• In general, rain-dependent regions can be divided into two categories: "dry lands," which receive less than 750 mm of rain annually, and "rainfed areas," which receive more than 750 mm.
• Rainfed farming is carried out in a wide range of soil types, and agroclimatic conditions and annual rainfall ranges from 400 mm to 1600 mm.
• Because developing countries rely heavily on rainfed agriculture, there is a significant link between poverty, hunger, and water stress.
• Furthermore, due to increased weather variability, rain-fed farmers are predicted to be more susceptible to climate change.

*For detailed notes on this topic, check this link Rain Fed Farming

Mixed Farming

• A "mixed farming" system includes agricultural production, livestock, poultry, fisheries, beekeeping, and other activities on a single farm in order to support and meet the farmer's needs in as many ways as possible.
• The major objective of mixed farming is subsistence. Higher profitability without compromising the ecological balance is crucial for this farming system.
• The cropping system is a critical component of mixed farming.
• A proper cropping system could be achieved with the help of mixed farming, such as the use of domesticated animal manure (organic farming), the combination of fisheries with different crops (rice-fish in Eastern parts of India), and so on.
• It provides a high return on agricultural labor because every product is utilized.

*For detailed notes on this topic, check this link Mixed Farming

Specialized Farming

• A specialized farm is one that derives 50% or more of its receipts/income from a single source. For example crops, cattle, dairy, poultry, etc.
• We can define specialisation as the production of only one commodity for market, so that the farmer is primarily dependent on a single source of income.
• For this farming, specialized market channels and stable economic conditions are required.
• Names are frequently given to primary crops or businesses whose farm income is greater than 50% of the total farm income.
• A farm that earns 50% or more of its income from sugarcane is classified as a sugarcane farm, while one that earns 50% or more of its income from vegetables is classified as a vegetable farm.

*For detailed notes on this topic, check this link Specialized Farming

Diversified Farming

• A diversified farm is one that has several production enterprises or sources of income, but no source of income equals more than 50% of total income from that source. Farmers on such farms rely on multiple sources of income.
• Eg: Crop production + dairy + poultry + fishing + Fruit production + Sheep farming
• This farming method makes better use of land, labour, and capital while lowering business risk from a single crop failure.
• Aside from that, various enterprises provide consistent returns.
• Diversified Farming Systems around the world rely on various cultures, customs, and governmental frameworks to sustain their locally tailored management systems.

*For detailed notes on this topic, check this link Diversified Farming

Impact of Climate Change on Farming Systems

• Each region of India has a unique soil and climate that is only suitable for certain types of farming.
• Many regions on the western side of India receive less than 50 cm of rain per year, so farming systems are limited to cultivating crops that can withstand drought conditions, and farmers are usually limited to single cropping.
  • Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and northern Maharashtra all have this climate, and each region grows crops such as jowar, bajra, and peas.
• In comparison, the eastern side of India receives an average of 100-200 cm of rainfall per year without irrigation, allowing these regions to double crop.
  • This climate is associated with West Coast and the states of West Bengal, parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Assam, where crops such as rice, sugarcane, jute, and others are grown.
• In India, three types of crops are grown: rice, wheat, and maize. Each type is grown in a different season based on its compatibility with specific weather conditions.
• Kharif crops are grown from the beginning of the monsoon until the beginning of winter, roughly from June to November.
  • Rice, corn, millet, groundnut, moong, and urad are examples of such crops.
• Rabi crops are winter crops planted in October-November and harvested in February-March.
  • Wheat, boro paddy, jowar, nuts, and other crops are typical examples.
• Zaid crops, which are summer crops, are the third type. It is sown between February and March and harvested between May and June.
  • Aush paddy, vegetables, and jute are some examples.

Conclusion

Farming systems are ways to improve productivity, profitability, and long-term production systems, which would aid in resolving the fuel, feed, and energy crises, creating more job opportunities, ensuring consistent income, and encouraging agricultural-oriented industry. The use of organic manure, balanced chemical fertilisers, and the adoption of an integrated and precision farming system with a balanced biological system all contribute to sustainable agriculture and improves the standard of living by maximising total net return and providing more employment, recycling crop residues, optimising resource use, minimising risks, and maintaining harmony with the environment through a carefully selected combination of components/entities.