Productivity improvement in jhum fields through integrated farming system

Abstract

An experiment was conducted during 2004-07 to establish integrated farming systems in jhum (slash and burn agriculture) field in Peren district of Nagaland to identify suitable combination of crops and livestock for better eco- nomic return and employment opportunities. Seven cropping systems were tested and integrated in different farm- ing systems. The ricefivegetable peafibeans cropping system was most suitable under jhum land of Nagaland. In- tegration of fish, pig, dairy cattle, duck, and the crops such as rice, vegetable pea and beans showed maximum system productivity, i.e., 126.5 tlha (rice-equivalent yield). This was followed by cultivation of rice, vegetable pea and beans along with dairy cattle (free grazing), having system productivity of 105.0 tlha of rice-equivalent yield. However, least system productivity was recorded with cultivation of rice, vegetable pea, beans, hybrid Napier, win- ter maize and soybean together with dairy cattle, with rice-equivalent yield of 56.6 tlha. Except piggery, all live- stock components (dairy, poultry, duckery and fishery) recorded better economic viability (6: C ratio > 1). The farm- ing-system approach of land use, therefore, could be adopted for sustainable production of jhum fields, and combi- nation of rice, vegetable pea, bean, fish, pig, duck and dairy cattle was found to be most sustainable and profitable.