“A small farm (up to 2 hectare) holds the key to ensuring food and nutritional security of India and therefore, location specific integration of field crops, orchard, floriculture, agro-forestry on one hand and dairy, poultry, piggery, fishery on the other is the answer”, said Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh.
Highlighting the Economic Survey of India 2017-18 which indicated that over a period of 10 years, the share of income of farmers from crop production increased by only 1% while it increased by 7% for livestock, Minister called upon additional avenues for farmers.
Scientifically designed Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) is being promoted to achieve the target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022, Union Minister Singh said this in the in-session meeting attended by Members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government officials and scientists of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
Singh said that the IFS can be classified as natural and intentional integrated systems. The intentional integrated systems are one which addresses the multiple objectives of increased production, profit, cost-reduction through recycling, family nutrition, sustainability, ecological security, employment generation, economic efficiency and social equity.
Expressing happiness, the Minister said ICAR has partnered with 25 State Agricultural universities (SAUs), 5 research institutes and 1 Central University through All India Co-ordinated Research Project (AICRP) and developed 45 Integrated Farming System (IFS) models suitable to 23 states and 1 Union Territory for providing better production and income.
He concluded by requesting the committee and the Members of Parliament to urge upon states to promote these location specific IFS models and initiate the National Mission on Integrated Farming Systems by converging the schemes of crops, horticulture, livestock and fisheries in order to give impetus to integrated farming systems among farmers for fast tracking the goal of doubling farmer’s income by 2022.