Indigenous variety: It is evolved over a number of decades and centuries in an agro climatic region. It is easily adaptable, responsive to low input conditions, tolerant to drought, pests and diseases. Nutritionally better in quality.
Livestock: Source of manure and biomass for soil nutrition. Manures from livestock add beneficial microbes to the soil. Manure from poultry birds is an effective alternative to chemical fertilizers as it is a rich in major nutrients besides supplying secondary and micronutrients also. Livestock is income generating besides being the source of nutrition for the farming family.
Agro forestry: Creates microclimate. Important instrument in maintaining temperature, humidity, ecological balance like promoting natural enemies of pests, preventing soil and water erosion, etc. Useful source of fodder for livestock and fuel wood for the farming family. Adds biomass to the soil. Promotes the population of useful pollinators like honey bee. Attracts birds which are natural enemies of insect pests. Birds add guano, a source of nutrient to the soil.
Soil and water conservation: Practices such as bunding , trench cum bunding, farm ponds, contour sowing, bench terracing help conserve the fertile top soil and improve the water table thus making crop growing more successful under adverse conditions also.
Soil management and manures : Application of manures, vermicompost, oil cakes etc improve soil fertility, water holding capacity, texture and structure. Practices like green leaf manuring and green manuring in-situ keep the soil nitrogen rich. They create healthy soil by promoting beneficial microbes. Application of tank silt and forest soil improves texture, fertility and water holding capacity of the soils.
Water management: Mulching is the most effective tool in conserving moisture. It presents weed growth thus reducing the cost in farming. Water requirement of a crop reduces by 40% in mulching. It keeps the soil soft, aerated and promotes proliferation of beneficial microbes in the root zone. Indirectly, it improves crop growth. From the practical point of view, a farmer can increase his cropped area by 40% with the same available water by adopting mulching. Adoption of low water input technology like SRI in wet land paddy is another such practice for water management.
Multicropping and Intercropping: Increase the biodiversity, reduces pest and disease problems, ensures food and nutritional security, improves the soil health and fertility. It insures against crop failure risks. Acts as buffer against market fluctuations which hit the farmer in mono cropping practices. Intercropping (like in banana) increases the use efficiency of precious resources like water and gives additional income besides the main crop. Important component like fodder can be incorporated in intercropping.
Fodder crop: Closely linked to soil and water management as it is the source of feed for livestock. It should be a part of multicropping and intercropping in a sustainable farming practice.
Innovative crop practices: Plant intensification technique, raised bed in vegetables, border cropping, trap cropping, biodynamic practices, Homa therapy, EM, pheromone traps, NPVs, seed treatment, etc make the farming more successful and sustainable.
Livestock: Source of manure and biomass for soil nutrition. Manures from livestock add beneficial microbes to the soil. Manure from poultry birds is an effective alternative to chemical fertilizers as it is a rich in major nutrients besides supplying secondary and micronutrients also. Livestock is income generating besides being the source of nutrition for the farming family.
Agro forestry: Creates microclimate. Important instrument in maintaining temperature, humidity, ecological balance like promoting natural enemies of pests, preventing soil and water erosion, etc. Useful source of fodder for livestock and fuel wood for the farming family. Adds biomass to the soil. Promotes the population of useful pollinators like honey bee. Attracts birds which are natural enemies of insect pests. Birds add guano, a source of nutrient to the soil.
Soil and water conservation: Practices such as bunding , trench cum bunding, farm ponds, contour sowing, bench terracing help conserve the fertile top soil and improve the water table thus making crop growing more successful under adverse conditions also.
Soil management and manures : Application of manures, vermicompost, oil cakes etc improve soil fertility, water holding capacity, texture and structure. Practices like green leaf manuring and green manuring in-situ keep the soil nitrogen rich. They create healthy soil by promoting beneficial microbes. Application of tank silt and forest soil improves texture, fertility and water holding capacity of the soils.
Water management: Mulching is the most effective tool in conserving moisture. It presents weed growth thus reducing the cost in farming. Water requirement of a crop reduces by 40% in mulching. It keeps the soil soft, aerated and promotes proliferation of beneficial microbes in the root zone. Indirectly, it improves crop growth. From the practical point of view, a farmer can increase his cropped area by 40% with the same available water by adopting mulching. Adoption of low water input technology like SRI in wet land paddy is another such practice for water management.
Multicropping and Intercropping: Increase the biodiversity, reduces pest and disease problems, ensures food and nutritional security, improves the soil health and fertility. It insures against crop failure risks. Acts as buffer against market fluctuations which hit the farmer in mono cropping practices. Intercropping (like in banana) increases the use efficiency of precious resources like water and gives additional income besides the main crop. Important component like fodder can be incorporated in intercropping.
Fodder crop: Closely linked to soil and water management as it is the source of feed for livestock. It should be a part of multicropping and intercropping in a sustainable farming practice.
Innovative crop practices: Plant intensification technique, raised bed in vegetables, border cropping, trap cropping, biodynamic practices, Homa therapy, EM, pheromone traps, NPVs, seed treatment, etc make the farming more successful and sustainable.
1 comment:
A few addendums:
Being only indegenous may not suffice. Within this broad frame, the seeds should have been purified for improving and uniformity of specific traits for which it is held by the farmers. All grains that are indigenous are not seeds. The seed definition must be explicitly mentioned as caution.
Within the livestock, small ruminants are considered to be efficient producers in dry land contexts in terms of returns per unit of the capital employed.
An excellent reading to outline the concepts crisply.
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