An Agricultural Innovation to Prevent Food Crisis in India: Integrated Livestock Farming

Abstract
Today India is facing a huge financial crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic, and changing climatic conditions are unfavorable for fulfilling the demand of increasing population hence leading to further food crisis. Now, it is a time to achieve food security by agricultural innovations along with the environmental sustainability. Integrated Livestock Farming (ILF) system is a unique way of vertical expansion in space and time to improve the economic conditions of poor Indian farmers and to maintain ecosystem and expand biodiversity globally. Livelihood sustainability for small and marginal farmers in developing countries is very troublesome. Death rates due to hunger and suicide rates due to crop failure and bank debt are increasing with the time. A mass youth-migration towards cities (urbanization), more use of agro-chemicals and industrialization is negatively affecting the ecosystem. By providing professional business-oriented education and demonstrational experimentations vis-à-vis ILF will produce educated and skilled youth. Integrated Farming System (IFS) combine various expanded systems synergistically like- agriculture, livestock, aquaculture, piggery, duckery, apiary, silviculture, horticulture, floriculture, Silvipasture and agro-industry, so that the residues of one system become the input for other systems, like- energy, fertilizer, and feed at minimum cost with optimum productivity.

Key Words: Integrated Livestock Farming, environmental sustainability, demonstrational experimentations, agro-industry.

Introduction
Traditional farming strategies followed by Indian farmers since era develop some limitations with the time like increasing population, shortage of land due to industrialization, less productivity due to climate change and increase in the inflation rate of various agriculture-based inputs. In India, a series of suicide by small and marginal farmers has become a common headline of every news channel and newspaper since decades. Indian farmers are facing a huge economic crisis that they are not able to sustain livelihood of their families in such an insignificant income. According to Khan et. al., (2010) two-third of total livestock keepers are poor farmers having less than 3 hectares of land. Poor farmers are facing economic crisis since the time of demonetization (8, Nov 2016) till now i.e., high critical period due to novel coronavirus pandemic, due to insufficient savings and dependency on daily wages.

Not only crop cultivation, fish farming has also been affected by the time like excess water availability and inflation in various inputs. Due to improper management of crop residue or livestock manure environment is severely affected resulting into loss of energy and resources. The best possible way to manage this havoc is by using output of one farming as an input for another. This will reduce the cost of production, maximize the return by using a same piece of land for several farming together, higher income generation throughout the year, recycling farm waste and more family labor employment. To fulfill the need of increasing population and constant shortage of arable land vertical expansion of farming can be practiced instead of horizontal traditional farming.

Integration of various farming systems by vertical expansion for upliftment of economic condition of farmers in a scientific manner is called Integrated Livestock Farming (ILF) System. ILF System lead to the improvement in the soil fertility, decrease the risk of crop failure, increases nutritional food security and the trend of productivity. On one hand, worldwide animal welfare communities are spreading the latest fashion of becoming ‘Vegan’ but on the other hand increasing human population with their demand for food of animal origin is also increasing which result into a competition between crops and livestock.  ILF helps to combat the high demand of increasing population, efficient use of by-products, amelioration of unemployment, decrease the negative impact on environment, etc.

Concepts and Components
The only concept behind the installation of Integrated Livestock Farming (ILF) System is the “No wastage”. Efficient use of by-products or output of one enterprise as the valuable product or input for another resulting into low cost production and higher income generation. The concepts associated with ILF System are practiced by throughout the world by many farmers. ILF System is a reliable way of integration of various land-based enterprises to obtain high productivity with minimum fertilizer cost, along with maximum compatibility and replenishment of organic matter by effective recycling of organic wastes. Integrated Farming System (IFS) combine various expanded systems synergistically like- agriculture, livestock, aquaculture, and agro-industry, so that the residues of one system become the input for other systems, like- energy, fertilizer, and feed at minimum cost with optimum productivity.

This concept helps the farmer to minimize the risk of crop failure, improve the production level, availability of cheap inputs via. output of other enterprises and provide crop and organic waste management. Integrated livestock farming is different from Mixed farming as in ILF each system interact eco-biologically in space and time and are inter-dependable. Examples of ILF enterprises are as follows:

1. Agriculture with different crop combinations
2. Agriculture + Livestock
3. Agriculture + Livestock + Poultry
4. Agriculture(rice) + Fish culture
5. Agriculture(rice) + Fish culture + Mushroom cultivation
6. Agriculture(rice) + Horticulture + Sericulture
7. Fishery + Duckery + Piggery
8. Agro-forestry + Silvipasture
9. Floriculture + Apiary

Goals of ILF System
The goals of ILF System is to help farmers to get a stable income throughout the year and to enhance the productivity in space and time. The bearing capacity of environment is limited but due to the increasing population, human intervention to fulfill their demands is causing negative impact to the ecosystem so another goal of Integrated Farming System (IFS) is to conserve natural resources and to enhance the prosperity by providing financially viable technology and sustainable use of natural resources. Also, use of organic crop inputs prevent the soil from chemicals like pesticide, weedicide and other toxic commercial fertilizers hence agro-ecological equilibrium can be achieved.

Empowerment of Women through ILF System
Male farmers are migrating towards urban areas to earn more by working in the non-agricultural sectors. On the other hand, women empowerment and education sector development is helping agriculture system to become women-centric and constant training and support will create feminization of agricultural sector soon. Insufficient income generation by following the traditional farming systems can be ameliorated by implementing newer technology and merging various farming sectors to reduce the farming failure. Small and poor farmers can start with the small livestock such as chickens, ducks, pigs, goats by utilizing family labor i.e., ‘Ladder concept’ (Soni et. al. 2014).

Livestock-Cropping Integrated Farming System
Most of the Indian villages are dominated by poor farmers and majority of them are following livestock-cropping integration farming system whereas rearing livestock alone is not a benefiting the farmers exclusively (Khan et. al. 2010). Crop residues and by-products are used to improve animal nutrition and its productivity. Whereas, animal will provide livestock products like- milk, meat, egg, fur, and hide and its manure can be used to enhance crop production by improving nutrient cycle and to generate fuel like- biogas.

Integrated Farming of Fish and Livestock
Integration of edible fishes with domesticated livestock species like- cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig and poultry species. IFS is now very common globally including Asia especially China, Europe and in some extent to Africa and America. The fish feed and pond fertilizers can be replaced by organic livestock wastes by 60% of the input cost in aqua farming (Khan 2011). Both indigenous fish species (such as Catla (Catla catla), Rohu (Labio rohita), Mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala) and Kalabasu (Labio calabasu), and exotic species such as Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and Silver carp ( Hypophthalmichthys molotrix) and, Grey mullet, hybrid of Tilapia, and Eels are raised in polyculture. There can be several combinations of integration such as fish-cum-pig, fish-cum-poultry, fish-cum-duck, fish-cum-cattle, etc.

Fish-Cum-Pig Farming
It is a widely practiced integrated farming system followed in various south-east Asian countries (such as Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia and in other parts of Asian countries like India, Nepal and Bhutan. Pig sties are constructed on the dykes of the fishpond and piglet sties can be prepared on the pond. Pig excreta can be prior fermented or directly released in the pond. Fresh manure can fertilize the pond very efficiently while feed spilled from sties can be consumed by the fishes. Due to the better performance of exotic pigs, indigenous pigs are rarely used in IFS.  Depending upon the pig size and water quality of pond, a range of 40 to 300 pigs are sufficient to manage one hectare of pond. Whereas, 100 piglets/ hectare of pond and 30-40 adult pigs are enough to fertilize one hectare of land. Pigs get market. Annual harvesting of fishes are generally done while pigs attain marketable weight at 6 months of age hence, two crops of pigs and one crop of fish can be produced in common space and time.

Chicken-Cum-Fish Farming
Poultry manure being the richest source of nitrogen among any livestock specie. Chicken house can be directly constructed on the fishpond with no external access. Both broiler and layers can be raised although broiler production gives better and immediate return to the farmer in chicken-cum-fish farming system. Chicken excreta directly fall in the pond and 500-600 birds are enough to fertilize one hectare of land. One bird produces 25 kg compost annually and a daily dose of 40-50 kg/hectare is recommended (Khan 2011). Manure addition should be skipped if algal bloom is visible. Deep litter is well suited for integrated farming whereas Rhode Island red and improved breeds like Vanraja are suited for these types of farming. Chicken-cum-fish farming is a hygienic system and can be easily managed by women and children of the family. This system is gaining popularity in the areas where bird feed is easily and cheaply available like- India, Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines. A total of 2.3-2.8 tonnes of fish, approx. 100,000 eggs and 1,250 kg of live birds can be obtained from 500-600 birds.

Duck-Cum-Fish Farming
Duck-cum-fish farming is another integrated farming for minimizing cost of production. Khaki Campbell is most recommended breeds of duck for fish-cum-duck integrated farming. Ducks are reared in sheds constructed on the bank of the pond or over the pond and should be kept away from the dykes. Ducks create a safe habitat for fishes by consuming frogs, tadpoles, dragonfly, snails and other small sized insects. About 300 ducks are enough to fertilize one hectare of land. Stocking density of ducks depends on the climatic conditions, method of rearing (extensive or intensive), water quality and other factors. A total of 4,323 kg of fish per hectare, 250 kg of ducks (live weight) and 1,835 eggs can be obtained in a year.

Ruminant-Cum-Fish Farming
Ruminant-cum-fish farming is least used integrated farming due to poor nutritive value of ruminant excreta as compared to pig and poultry. Construction of livestock shed near pond is not preferred and are allowed to graze so the collection of dung after dying further deteriorates the value of dung. A 5-6 adult unit of cows is enough to utilize one hectare of land with an average production of 9,000 kg of milk and 3,000-4,000 kg fish per hectare of pond annually. In few countries like- India, Indonesia and Philippines, integrated goat-cum-fish and sheep-cum-fish farming is encouraged.

Conclusion
For developing countries like India, ILF system will be a revolutionary way to meet the big targets in near future. Food security and healthy nutrition for a country with second largest population and a severe GDP fall due to covid-19 pandemic, can only be re-established by surplus production for export and decreasing the import of commodities. ILF is an efficient way to utilize limited space for maximum diversified production and higher net return for the poor farmers. Producing skilled and educated youth with a mindset to adopt IFS by providing professional business-oriented education and demonstrational experimentations will reverse the process of urbanization. ILF is a unique way to maintain ecosystem and to expand our biodiversity which we lost in various global hazards (like- Brutal Australian bushfire, 2019) due to climate change and human intervention. Less dependency on agro-chemicals and more dependency on biofuels for a long-term will improve the present environmental hazards. Various types of integrated farming has already been adopted by many farmers but a complete transition of traditional farming to integrated farming by farmers is necessary for the development of both farmers and the nation.

References

• Gupta, V., Rai, P. K., & Risam, K. S. (2012). Integrated crop-livestock farming systems: A strategy for resource conservation and environmental sustainability. Indian Research Journal of Extension Education, Special Issue, 2, 49-54.
• Khan, M. H. (2011). Integrated Livestock-Fish Production Models for Livelihood Security in North-eastern India. International Journal of Bio-resource and Stress Management, 2(3), 377-381.
• Khan, N., & Iqubal, A. (2010). Livestock revolution and its impacts on the sustainability of marginal and small farmers in India: a case study. Revija za geografijo, 5(2), 95-108.
• Soni, R. P., Katoch, M., & Ladohia, R. (2014). Integrated farming systems-a review. IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science (IOSR-JAVS), 7(10), 36-42.