Prepared and Compiled by,

Prof. WAGHMODE B.R.

Asstt. Professor (Agronomy)
Agronomist (UAS, Dharwad)
ARS-NET (A.S.R.B, New Delhi)
Chapter No. 1 FARMING SYSTEMS: DEFINITION, SCOPE, CLASSIFICATION &
COMPONENTS

Farming is a process of harnessing solar energy in the form of economic plant and animal
products.

A system implies a set of interrelated practices organized into functional entity i.e. an
arrangement of components or parts that interact according to some process and transforms input
into output.

Farming system:- are characterized by their physical, biological and socio-economic setting and
by the farm families, goals and other attributes, access to resources, choices of productive
enterprises and management practices.

OR

Farming system is an integration of farm enterprises such as cropping systems, animal

husbandary, piggery, fishery, poultry, beekeeping, forestry etc. for optimal utilization of
available resources and bringing prosperity to the farmers.

OR

Farming system it is a resource management strategy to achieve economic and sustained

production to meet diverse requirement of farm household while a system is preserving resource
base and maintaining a high level environmental quality.

OR

Farming system it is a decision making tool and land use unit comprising the farm household,
cropping and livestock systems that produce crops and animal products for consumption and
sale.

Concept of Farming System:- Farming system is a set of agricultural activities organized into
functional unit (s) to harness solar energy profitably while preserving land productivity and
environment quality and maintaining desirable level of biological diversity and ecological
stability.
Sustainability is the objectives of farming system where production process is optimized
through efficient utilization of inputs without impairing the quality of soil environment and
natural resources with which it interacts.

The concept of farming system is:-

 To earn profit from different enterprises

 To preserve land productivity
 To preserve environmental quality
 To maintain desirable level of biological diversity and ecological stability.

Objectives of Farming System:-

1. To identify existing farming system in specific area and assess their relative viability.
2. To formulate farming system models involving main and allied enterprises for different
farming situations.
3. To ensure optimal utilization and conservation of available resources and effective
recycling of farm residues within system.
4. To maintain sustainable production without damaging resources and environmental
quality.
5. To raise overall profitability of farm house hold by complementary main and allied
enterprises with each other.
 Collective Farming System:- It includes direct collection of farm products from non arable
lands or natural fallows.
 Cultivation Farming System:- In this system farming community cultivates the land for
growing crops for obtaining maximum production per unit area.

Classification of Farming Systems:-

A) On the basis of type of Rotation:- Rotation means the sequence of crops.

a) Natural Fallow System:- Describes a situation where cultivation of crops alternates with
an uncultivated or natural fallows.

i) A forest fallow:- Comprises woody vegetation with trunks and a closed canopy in which
trees are ecologically dominant.

ii) A bush fallow:- Comprises dense woody vegetation without trunks.

iii) A savanna fallow:- Comprises a mixture of fire resistant trees and grasses in which the
grasses are ecologically dominant.

iv) A grass fallow:- Comprises grasses without woody vegetation. Where grasses are
ecologically dominant.
b) Ley system:- In this system several years of arable farming are followed by several years
of grasses and legumes are utilized for livestock production.

i) Unregulated ley:- In this system natural vegetation of various grasses, bushy growth on
pasture is allowed to grow during the period of fallow.

ii) Regulated ley system:- During the period of fallow certain types of grasses are grown or
planted.

c) Field system:- In this system arable lands and grasslands are clearly separated from each
other.

d) Perennial crop system:- Crops that cover the land for many years are grown.

e.g. Sugarcane, sisal, tea, coffee, oil-palm, rubber.

B) On the basis of Intensity of Rotation:- It denoted by ‘R’.

No. of years of cultivation

Rotational Intensity (R) = -------------------------------------------X 100

Length of the cycle of land utilization

‘R’ indicates the proportion of the area under cultivation in relation to the total area available
for arable farming.

If 40% of the available land in one holding is cultivated then R= 40.

a) Shifting Cultivation:- Indicates the clearing of forest tree species into field system while
soils are exposed or exhausted to erosion.

‘R’ is very small i.e. < 33.

b) Fallow Farming:- Percentage of area cultivated annually is higher in relation to the total
area available for arable farming.

‘R’ exceeds the value > 38

c) Permanent Cultivation:- When land is cultivated nearly every years or even more often.

‘R’ = > 66
d) Multiple cropping:- In this system more than one crop is cultivated on the same piece of
land.

If ‘R’ = 150 means 50% area under two crops in a year

If ‘R’ = 300 means three crops in a year are grown.

C) According to the Water Supply:-

a) Rainfed Farming:- Farming without irrigation is widely referred to as dry farming or

rainfed farming.

Crops are sown taking into consideration annual rainfall of the region.

b) Irrigated Farming:- Water is applied through external sources in addition to natural

sources.

D) On the basis of Cropping Pattern and Animal Activities:-

The farms are grouped according to the leading crops and the livestock activities of the
holding. Each activity has different requirements as to climate, soils, markets and inputs.
Therefore those farms can be grouped together whose gross returns are similarly constituted.
E.g. Coffere-banana holdings, Rice-Jute holdings etc.

E) On the basis of Implements used for cultivation:-

i) Hoe farming

ii) Spade farming

iii) Plough farming

iv) Animal Traction

v) Tractor farming etc.

F) On the basis of Degree of Commercialization:-

1) Subsistence Farming:- Where no sale of crop and animal product is done.

2) Partly Commercialized Farming:- Where more than 50% of the value of the produce is
for home consumption.

3) Commercialized Farming:- Where more than 50% of the produce is for sale.
G) On the basis of Grassland Utilization:-

1) Total Nomadism:- System in which animal owners do not have permanent place of
residence. They do not practice regular cultivation and their families move with the herds.

2) Semi-Nomadism:- Animal owners have a permanent place of residence near which

supplementary cultivation is practiced.

3) Transhumance:- Under this system farmers with a permanent place of residence send
their herds, with herdsmen for long a period of time to distinct grazing areas.

4) Partial Nomadism:- Farmers have permanent residence and who have herds at their
disposal which remain in the vicinity.

5) Stationary Animal Husbandry:- Where the animals remains on the holding or in the
village thought out the entire year.

H) According to the size of farm:-

i) Small scale farming:- Farming is done on a small size of holding, capital and labour risk
is small and the scale of production said to be small.

Advantages:-

i) Intensive cultivation is possible

ii) Per unit output is more

iii) Loss is less due to natural calamities

iv) Farm is easy to manage

Disadvantages:-

i) More per unit cost of production

ii) Mechanization is not possible

iii) No employment throughout the year.

ii) Large Scale Farming:- When farming is done on large scale with large amount of capital,
labour, organization and risk is called as large scale farming.

In India 40-50 ha land holding is called as large scale farming.

Advantages:-

1) Production is more economical.

2) Per unit production cost is less.

3) Mechanization on farm is possible.

4) Better marketing of agricultural produce

5) Subsidiary occupations or employment generation throughout the year.

Disadvantages:-

1) More loss in case of less demand and more production.

2) More loss in case of labour unavailability or strike and natural calamities.

3) Difficult to manage the farm.

I) According to the land, labour and capital investment:-

1) Extensive cultivation:- When more area is brought under cultivation to increase the
output.

2) Intensive cultivation:- More inputs are used to increase the production on same land.
Land remain fixed, however, inputs are increase.

c) According to the value of the products:-

i) Specialized Farming:- The farm on which 50% or more income is received from a single
source.

Advantages:-

1) Better use of land

2) Better marketing

3) Better management

4) Less labour and equipments are needed

5) Costly and efficient machinery can be kept

6) Efficiency and skill is increased.

Disadvantages:-

1) Greater risk

2) Land, labour and capital not fully utilized

3) Knowledge of farm enterprises becomes limited.

ii) Diversified farming:- Farming having several enterprises or sources of income but no
source of income equals as much as 50% of the total receipt.

Advantages:-

a) Better use of land, labour and capital

b) Farmer get regular income through out the year.

c) Provides employment through out the year

d) Risk of failure of crop due to natural calamities

e) Maintain soil fertility due to crop rotations

Disadvantages:-

a) Due to more crop diversification competition for resources within crops increases

b) Maintaining various type of machineries for various crops is not possible

c) Supervision on various enterprises is difficult

iii) Mixed Farming:- Farming in which crop production is combined with raising of
livestock.

Advantages:-

1) More efficient utilization of land, labour and other resources

2) By-product of crops are useful feed for livestock

3) Balanced food is possible

4) Provides money through out the year

5) Maintaining soil fertility through manure

J) According to the supply of irrigation:-

1) Irrigated farming:- Farming in which crops are depends on artificial application of water
is called as irrigated farming.

2) Dry farming:- Means crops are grown where rainfall is less than 750 mm is called as dry
farming.

K) On the basis of type of ownership:-

1. Family Farming:- All agricultural operations are carried out by family members.
Management of inputs and farm is also done by the family members.

2. Co-operative farming:- All the members have ownership in the business. They pool
required resources to run the business. The income is distributed according to their share.

a) Co-operative better farming:- Farming is done by the members independently. They

have ownership on the land. They follow recommended plan of cultivation.

b) Co-operative joint farming:- The members have ownership on the land and cultivation is
done jointly.

c) Co-operative collective farming:- The land is acquired by the society either as freehold
or leasehold.

d) Co-operative tenant farming:- Land is owned by the co-operative society on freehold or

leasehold basis.

3. Institutional farming:- Farms are used for conducting research or demonstrations by an

institution.

4. Capitalistic farming:- Land is owned by businessman/capitalist. All the investment is

made by capitalist.

5. State farming:- Farming is done by the Government. Farm manager and other staff is
appointed for agricultural operations and day to day working.

6. Personal farming:- Farmers have ownership on the land and farming is done
independently.

7. Collective farming:- The members surrender their land, livestock and implement to the
society.

8. Corporate farming:- This is just like a capitalistic system of farming but the right of
ownership is on the basis of shares taken by the members.
 Components of Farming System:-

1. Crops and cropping system

2. Poultry

3. Piggery

4. Duck

5. Forest trees

6. Apiculture or bee-keeping

7. Dairy

8. Sheep and goat

9. Fish

10. Rabit

11. Sericulture

12. Mushroom.

Scope of Farming System:

Farming enterprises include crop, livestock, poultry, fish, free, sericulture etc. A combination of
one or more enterprises with cropping when carefully chosen planned and executed gives greater
dividends than a single enterprise, especially for small and marginal farmers. Farm as a unit is to
be considered and planned for effective integration of the enterprises to be combined with crop
production activity.

Integration of Farm Enterprises Depends on Any Factors Such as:

1. Soil and climatic features of the selected area.

2. Availability of the resources, land, labor & Capital.
3. Present level of utilization of resources.
4. Economics of proposed integrated farming system.
5. Managerial skill of farmer.
BEST OF LUCK