Sustainable Organic Agriculture Integrated Organic Farming System (IOFS) Model

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University > Directorate of Crop Management > Sustainable Organic Agriculture Integrated Organic Farming System (IOFS) Model

A one acre Integrated Organic System Model has been established at Eastern Block Farm, TNAU, Coimbatore with the following objectives.

Objectives

  • To quantify the organic resources of integrated organic farming system (IOFS) components
  • To assess the total productivity of the system
  • To work out the economics of organic farming system

The major components of the IOFS model includes crops (System based), dairy, manure pit, perennial tree crops, pest repellent cafeteria, fodder crops etc. The details of the IOFS model are given hereunder. 

Crop component (3400 m2)

Cropping Systems

1. Green manure – Bhendi – Maize (0.12 ha)

2. Green manure – Cotton – Redgram (0.12 ha)

3. Fodder grass (Cumbu-Napier variety CO(CN)5 and Desmanthus (0.10 ha)

Agro forestry (250 m2)

Neem (Azardiracta indica), Pungam (Pongamia pinnata), Gmelina (Gmelina arborea), AilaInthus (Ailanthus excelsia), Wood Apple (Feronia elephantum), Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris), Orchid tree (Bauhinia sp.), Mahua (Madhuca longifolia), Red bead tree (Adenanthera pavonina), Malabar neem (Melia dubia), Jamun (Syzygium cumini), Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), Myrobalan (Terminalia bellerica), Portia tree (Thespesia populnea),Paradise tree (Simarouba glauca)andFig tree (Ficus glomerata)

Pest Repellent Cafeteria (250 m2)

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas), Adhatoda (Adhatoda vasica), Yellow oleander  (Cascabela thevetia), Notchi (Vitex negundo),Indian laurel (Calophyllum inophyllum), Netted custard apple (Annona reticulata), Bael   (Aegle marmelos), Tanner’s cassia  (Cassia auriculata), Karanda  (Carissa carandas),  Paper flower (Bougainvillea glabra), Lemon grass (Cymbopogan citrate), Brazillian button (Centratherum punctatum), Soapnut (Sapindus emarginatus), Cathedral Bells  (Kalanchoe pinnata), Veld grape   (Cissus quadrangularis), Indian snake root (Rauwolfia serpentine), Ringworm Cassia   (Cassia alata), Indian Aloe (Aloe vera),  Dyer’s oleander (Wrightia tinctoria),  Bitter albizia  (Albizia amara), Cekurmanis  (Sauropus androgynus), Morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea),Castor (Ricinus communis), Blue Ginger (Alpinia galangal), Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata), Nerium (Nerium oleander), Century plant (Agave tequilana),Climbing brinjal (Solanum trilobatum), Madras thorn (Pithecellobium dulce), Henna (Lawsonia inermis), Lantana (Lantana camara), Noni (Morinda citrifolia),Calotropis (Calotropis procera), Datura (Datura metel), Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides), Nithya kalyani (Catharanthus roseus), Kalluruki (Scoparia ducis), Karpuravalli  (Plectranthus amboinicus), Thulasi (Ocimum santum),Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Turkey berry (Solanum turvum), Papaya (Carica papaya), Soursop (Annona muricata)and Crepe jasmine (Tabernaemontana divaricata).

Dairy (20 m2) 

Milch animal: 2 cows with one calf

Manure pit (30 m2)

Residue from the crops and manure from Dairy unit will be converted into compost and used as manure for crops

Supporting activities (50 m2)

Threshing floor, cattle shed, cow dung pit, cow urine collection unit composting units, nutrition garden etc.

Border plants

Banana, glyricidia, coconut, desmanthus, annual moringa , teak and curry leaf

Results of the TNAU IOFS Model

Integrated Organic Farming (IOFS) model have been developed for irrigated upland conditions for effective utilization of on farm resources, which enables doubling of small and marginal organic farmers income and employment. The IOFS model comprises vegetable based cropping system, dairy, vermicompost, biofence, remunerative border crops, pest repellents cafeteria, apiary, fodder plots and agroforestry with a net return of Rs. 1,04,924/- per year and BCR of 2.30. This model generated an employment of 464 mandays per year and contributes 143.2 kg of Nitrogen, 33.8 kg of Phosphorous and   56.3 kg of Potassium / ha / year as nutrient contribution through green manuring, FYM, vermicomposting, mulching and weed and crop residue compost additions.

    To promote certified organic farming in Tamil Nadu, characterization and scientific validation of organic and bio inputs are being done at the Department of Sustainable Organic Agriculture and the results are being disseminated through trainings and field days.

Benefits of integrated organic farming system

  • Productivity: IOFS provides an opportunity to increase economic yield per unit area per unit time by virtue of intensification of crop and allied enterprises.
  • Profitability: Use waste material of one component at the least cost. Thus reduction of cost of production and form the linkage of utilization of waste material and elimination of middleman interference in most inputs used. Working out net profit/ BC ratio is increased.
  • Potentiality or Sustainability: Organic supplementation through effective utilization of byproducts of linked component is done thus providing an opportunity to sustain the potentiality of production base for much longer periods.
  • Balanced Food: Components of varied nature are linked to produce different sources of nutrition.  Environmental Safety: In IOFS waste materials are effectively recycled by linking appropriate components, thus minimize environment pollution.
  • Recycling: Effective recycling of waste material (crop residues and livestock wastes) in IOFS. Therefore, there is less reliance to outside inputs – fertilizers, agrochemicals, feeds, energy, etc.
  • Income Rounds the year: Due to interaction of enterprises with crops, eggs, milk, mushroom, honey, cocoons silkworm, it provides flow of money to the farmer round the year. There is higher net return to land and labour resources of the farming family.
  • Adoption of New Technology: Resourceful farmers (big farmer) fully utilize technology. IOFS farmers, linkage of dairy/mushroom / sericulture / vegetable. Money flow round the year gives an inducement to the small/ original farmers to go for the adoption of technologies.
  • Saving Energy: To identify an alternative source to reduce our dependence on fossil energy source within short time. Effective recycling technique the organic wastes available in the system can be utilized to generate biogas. Energy crisis can be postponed to the later period.
  • Meeting Fodder crisis: Every piece of land area is effectively utilized. Plantation of perennial legume fodder trees on field borders and also fixing the atmospheric nitrogen. These practices will greatly relieve the problem of non – availability of quality fodder to the animal component linked. 
  • Solving Fuel and Timber Crisis: Linking agro- forestry appropriately the production level of fuel and industrial wood can be enhanced without determining effect on crop. This will also greatly reduce deforestation, preserving our natural ecosystem.
  • Employment Generation: Combing crop with livestock enterprises would increase the labour requirement significantly and would help in reducing the problems of under employment to a great extent. IOFS provide enough scope to employ family labour round the year.
  • Agro – industries: When one of produce linked in IOFS are increased to commercial level there is surplus value adoption leading to development of allied agro – industries.
  • Increasing Input Efficiency: IOFS provide good scope to use inputs in different component greater efficiency and benefit cost ratio.