Book of Extended summaries ISDA

International Conference on Reimagining Rainfed Agro-ecosystems: Challenges &
Opportunities during 22-24, December 2022 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad
Methodology
Various rainfed integrated farming systems (RIFS)/models were established at farmers’ field
in which integration of different components like pulses, oilseed, vegetables and fodder
crops, fruits, animal, mushroom, vermicompost and sugarcane processing were taken into
account. Total 24 farmers were taken, in both marginal and small category (3 in each
category) under rainfed and partially irrigated conditions (12 in both farming
situations).Various interventions like improved varieties of maize and wheat, introduced
pulses (chickpea, lentil, moong, mash, soybean and arhar) and oilseeds (mustard-rapeseed,
groundnut and sesame)crops, vermibags for vermicomposting, mushroom bags for mushroom
production, seed of fodder crops, mineral mixture and uromin lick for strengthen the animal
component, vegetable kits for kitchen gardening and training on sugarcane processing were
given to the farmers and RIFS models were established under the flagship programme of onfarm
rainfed integrated farming system research.
Results
System productivity of the marginal category farmers under Rainfed Integrated Farming
System (RIFS) model was 9,664 kg per farming system (mean of 3 farmers), which was
higher than traditional maize-wheat cropping system (4,671kg per farming system) in rainfed
situations and RIFS model produced higher system productivity (10,985 kg per farming
system) than maize-wheat cropping system (6,422kg per farming system) under partial
irrigated conditions. Further, RIFS model for marginal category farmers resulted in additional
net returns (Rs.99,922/-per farming system in rainfed conditions and Rs. 91,726/- per farming
system in partial irrigated conditions) and additional employment generation (43 in rainfed
situations and 47 man-days per year per farming system in partial irrigated conditions).
Similarly, RIFS model for the small category farmers resulted in 21,996 kg per farming
system in rainfed conditions and 18,446 kg per farming system in partial irrigated conditions,
system productivity which was higher over maize-wheat (13,291 kg per farming system in
rainfed situation and 12,678 kg per farming system in partial irrigated conditions. RIFS
models for small category farmers recorded additional net returns (Rs. 1,74,998/- per farming
system in rainfed conditions and Rs. 1,15,749/- per farming system in partial irrigated
conditions) and additional employment generation (51 in rainfed situations and 94 man-days
per year per farming system in partial irrigated conditions) than maize-wheat cropping
system.
Conclusion
The study reveals that integration of dairy, mushroom, vermicomposting and sugarcane
processing components with diversified crops through pulses, oilseeds and vegetables in
152 | Page
Ecosystem based approaches for climate change adaptation, ecosystem services, integrated farming system models,
Land degradation neutrality