Integrated Farming System in Sisal Plantation can be adopted successfully as a profitable venture in Tribal and Drought Prone areas for employment generation, enhancing farm income and sustainable agriculture. The efficient use of available resources will help in generating adequate income due to integration of various farm enterprises and recycling of crop residue and by products within the system itself. Various animal components and crop components along with base crop sisal can be successfully integrated in Sisal based IFS system.
- Backyard poultry can be incorporated by rearing 100 nos. improved breeds of chicks like Vanaraja, Red Rooster and Kadaknath with net profit of Rs. 8,000-10,000 /- per annum.
- Farmers can add net profit of Rs. 25,000/- per annum by taking dairy activities with two cows and the cows can be fed with different fodder crops including the other crop residues taken in interspace of double row sisal plantation.
- An additional net income of Rs. 12,000-15,000 /- per annum can be generated by rearing 10 nos goats.
- Mushroom Cultivation with six beds can also be taken up with the toe fibre and paddy straw of aerobic rice, grown in the interspace of sisal, resulting in net income of Rs. 12000/- per year.
- The vermicomposting can be taken up utilizing the sisal waste, other crop residues and leftover material of mushroom cultivation for raising different intercrops as well as for the main crop sisal, thereby reducing the cost on fertilizer and improving soil health with additional net income of Rs. 14,000 /per annum.
- As sisal is generally grown in sloppy and undulated land, rain water can be profitably harvested. Moreover, taking into consideration of irregular and scanty rainfall and lack of persistent and sustained irrigation facilities, the construction of rainwater harvesting structures can empower sisal growers by providing additional net income through multiple uses of the harvested water. The water harvesting structure should be constructed at the lowest corner of the field in an area of 0.1 Hectare out of 1-hectare total sisal plantation. The dimensions of the structure if 30 m x 30 m x 1.8 m with embankment width of about 1.5 m.
The harvested rainwater in this tank can be utilized in multiple way and has following advantages:
- The harvested water can be utilized for providing supplementary irrigation at critical stage of intercrops as well as base crop sisal for getting additional income and to increase the production and productivity of the sisal-based cropping system.
- The stored water can be utilized for proper washing of fibre during extraction process of sisal.
- Profit of about Rs. 15,000-20,000 /- per annum can be generated through dike height horticulture such as papaya, banana, coconut, drumstick and other seasonal vegetables:
- Composite Pisciculture actives can be taken up in water harvesting structures by rearing catla, rohu and mrigal, by which the farmers can earn Rs. 10,000-12,000 /- per annum.
- An additional income of about Rs. 8,000 per annum can be obtained by rearing 100 nos ducks in the water body.
Read more: https://crijaf.icar.gov.in//pdf/advisory/aae_06_2023.pdf
Original link: https://crijaf.icar.gov.in/
