mixed farming

Mixed Farming in Backyard Poultry System It’s Prospective & Constraints

Presented By S. Shwetha kanthi RVM/09-24 Dept of Veterinary Extension

Mixed Farming in backyard

Definition

Bringing crops and live stock into an interactive relationship with the expectations, that together as opposed to alone they will generate positive effects on outcomes of interests such as profitability and productivity and conversion of

non renewable resources -Allen et al-2007

AdvantagesMixed back yard farming provides

various animal species, the flexibility to change from one species to the other, and the low-external-input nature of the management system.

Most families base their livestock keeping on diversified husbandry practices : poultry and pigs scavenge around and do not require major labour or capital input,

cuy (guinea pig) are kept in the kitchen, fed on leftovers.

Though there is high mortality amongst these animals, their output is produced against very low cost.

Cont…..Farmers keep cows, buffaloes,

sheep and goats including small numbers of poultry in backyard to meet their domestic needs.

Animals are raised on agricultural waste.

The animal power is used for agricultural operation and the dung is used as manure and fuel.

Cont…….

Good amount of feed for animals is available from the system itself

The farmyard manure - manuring of crops- 30-35% savings in fertilizers

It may be possible to reach the some level of yield with proportionately less input in the integrated farming

Mixed farming involving diversified components such as agriculture, forestry, and A.H have been proved to be economically viable, technically feasible, environmentally sustainable, and socially acceptable.

Who are practicing

The small landholder, squatter or landless peasant practised mixed farming on small holdings, growing mixtures of fruit trees, annual plants, vegetables, etc., and rearing free-range poultry for eggs and meat, and tethered pigs, sheep, goats or cattle on roadsides or open lands.

All can be reared on domestic waste.

Models of Mixed Farming

INCOME

HUMAN

INTER CROP

MEAT AND EGGS

MANURE

BIRDS

GARDEN

Features of mixed farming

Assured subsistence is high priority Mixed cropping and livestock

common for risk coveragelocal resources –including human

resources Recycle all productsCrop varieties, rotation and mixed

farming provide grain and enough straw to meet human and animal needs.

Multi-purpose objectives

Features of mixed farming

Sizeable population of small animals in semi-arid and arid areas

Are easy to manage and to sellObserved through generationsUse of high yielding varieties of

crops or livestock and of chemical fertilisers and pesticides is minimal

Storage of produce for family use has priority and only surplus, if any, is sold

Principles of farming

Mixed backyard farms are systems that consist of different parts, which together should act as a whole

They thus need to be studied in their entirety and not as separate parts

That principle is here referred to as the "command ideotype“ (Donald, 1981; Schiere et al., 1999)

Study together with the awareness that crops and animals have multiple functions

Each individual unit should contribute a minimum of 18-20% to their counterparts

Forms of mixed backyard farming

Mixed farming systems can be classified in many ways - based on land size, type of crops and animals , Geographical distribution, market orientation, etc.

On-farm versus between-farmMixing within crops and/or animal

systemsDiversified versus integrated

systems

Holistic nature

DAIRY

FISHERYCROPS

PIGPOULTRY

FORESTRY

HOUSE HOLD AND MARKET

Methods - commercial

Poultry + Cows and buffaloes Poultry + Agri farming Poultry + Piggery Poultry + Sheep and goat Poultry + Fish farming Poultry + Azolla + Duck farming

POULTRY + LARGE ANIMALS

POULTRY + LARGE ANIMALS

DUCK + FISH FARMING

China

POULTRY+PIGGERY

POULTRY + AZOLLA + DUCK FARMING

Rice-poultry-fish

Rice crop as per recommended practice

Irrigated through fish pond water

Rice bran for poultry feed Rice bran and straw in fish

pond Recycling of crop residues Poultry excreta to rice

field

Cashew apple waste

Dm-18%Cf-8.5%20% feed of vanaraja -kari

kanthimath et al

Scavenging birdsUses almost no inputs and it can still

be a viable component in the mixed farm.

Scavenging chickens can be fed with waste products and grains to supplement the weeds and insects that are found in the backyard.

Eggs from scavenging chickens in mixed farming systems are preferred to eggs from the commercial farms.

In Nicaragua the eggs from the mixed farming system are called huevos de amor (love eggs) and people prefer them because of their yellow yolks and freshness.

Ducks and geese

Ducks and geese are basically waterfowl, but they can do without water and, except in some rare cases, the keeping of these birds does not develop into large-scale, high-input production.

Rare cases of specialized production of these animals are, for example, geese for "foie gras" (fat liver) or ducks for meat in countries such as France and China

cont....

More typical for mixed farming systems is duck keeping for eggs in harvested rice fields, such as in Java, where fallen grains, weeds, snails and worms provide free feed for large flocks of special runner ducks kept by individuals from the village. The occasional use of geese as "watchdogs” in farms

Fish-Back yard poultry

Farmer can practise the poultry-fish farming integrated system only when a 100 m2 fish pond can be fed with 1 kg dried poultry manure per day

15 chicken - 1-1.2 kg manure/day

POULTRY + LARGE ANIMALS

POULTRY + AGRI FARMING

POULTRY+PIGGERY

POULTRY+ SHEEP AND GOAT

POULTRY + FISH FARMING

POULTRY + AZOLLA + DUCK

FARMING

Constraints

Multi tasking Non availability Lack of Know-how on feed

supplementing constitution Marketing Investment

Cont……Some smaller farmers are increasingly

dependent on production methods based on a mixture of new and traditional practices.

These include utilising local natural feeds, recycling waste,

Integrating their livestock with cropping activities, limited aquaculture production

The limit of land availability dictates that integrated, intensive methods are risky

Studies

The integrated farming system with 4 bullocks + 2 cow + 2 buffaloes + 25 goats along with other subsidiaries like poultry and duck is the most beneficial system.

Rural women’s perceptions and preferences with regard to mixed farming poultry production.

1. The major interest of women in backyard poultry is as a source of small cash and nutritious food for the family at low cost.

2. Women are not interested in increasing the number of birds and add other species due to management difficulties and the need for external inputs it would require.

3. The local breeds are preferred since they are easy to manage. They are able to protect themselves from predators, but the most important reason is that local birds and eggs are sold at a premium.

Cont……

4. Backyard poultry permit entertainment of important guests and functions.

5. Women consider diseases in chicks the major problem in poultry keeping.

6. women felt it difficult at multi tasking

It has been calculated that 90% of rural families in central and south Bolivia earn more than 50% of their income through activities like mixed farming .

(Jimenez Sardon, 1984)

Is it a sign of improvement?

The choice of mixed farming is not always a sign of improvement.

Fulani herdsmen in West Africa engage in crop production only when forced by circumstances, such as drought or animal diseases, leading to severe losses in livestock, making continuation of their former way of life impossible.

Mixed farming is for them a poverty-induced option.

Resource-poor farmers going into mixed farming have to apply labour- intensive techniques (their only resource) and, because of their low purchasing power, they cannot afford external inputs and have no option but to overexploit the environment.

(Based on Slingerland, 2000.)

Where we stand

Employing 1.5 million persons and contributing 35,000 cr to GNP

3rd Egg, 5th Meat!B.Y.P - 30% to Egg Production Producing 41

Billion Eggs 1600 Million Meat

What's the need of the hour

Research requirements in support of crop-livestock-tree systems in Asia are baseline studies to quantify energy flows.

Simulation studies to identify possible coefficient changes in the system.

Field testing of possible interventions and new technologies

“Test marketing" of proposed developments on representative sub populations within the region.

It is further suggested (Timor, 1992) that such studies need to be carried out across national boundaries within ecoregions.

Cont……..Soil health aspects and nutrient flow

systemFarming system developed for the

poorest and land less laborWomen empowermentWhole By analysis for house hold

nutrition and income security and gain full employment for folk and youth

Creation of data base for M.F for different agro climatic regions.

Cont……

This general situation of integrated farming practices has been mainly reversed and there are at least three aspects to this:

The search for modernisation of agriculture;

Pressures of the wider economy on agriculture and resource use

The failure to recognise and deal with agriculture for local consumption.

ConclusionsImproved backyard poultry and goat

production would not only improve income of women but would also contribute to family nutrition.

women Para-extension workersSkill trainingFor health control would be needed.

Formation of women's groups for sale of milk, animals, eggs and birds need be organised

AimsProductivitySustainabilityBalanced dietClean environmentRecycling of resourcesRound the year incomeAdoption of new techSolving energy crisisIncrease standardIncrease input-out put efficiency

Aims

• Soil and climate• Future resolution• Present level of resource utility• Economics• Managing skills• Alternate land using Options• Pooling and sharing of resources• Consumption, preservation,

Utilization of farm bio mass

`Mixed farming in backyard ’

type of rearing Is a critical concept or

can it be implemented ?

Mass production is not needed but production by masses is needed

THANK YOU