An Integrated Farming System (IFS) is a resource-efficient, location-adapted agricultural model that combines two or more complementary enterprises — e.g., crops, livestock, aquaculture, agroforestry, horticulture, and on-farm processing — to optimize resource use, diversify income, reduce risk, and improve ecological sustainability.
Based on the benefits and challenges of the integrated farming system model, several recommendations can be made for policymakers and practitioners:
5. Temporal Sequencing (Staggered Activities)
| From | Output/By-product | To | Resulting Benefit | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Crop field (Rice) | Straw / Husk | Livestock (Cow) | Animal bedding & roughage | | Livestock (Cow) | Dung & Urine | Biogas Plant | Methane for cooking | | Biogas Plant | Slurry (effluent) | Fish Pond & Crop field | Algae growth (fish food) & organic fertilizer | | Fish Pond | Silt (dredged) | Crop field | Rich topsoil amendment | | Kitchen/Household | Vegetable peels | Poultry & Fish | Supplementary feed | | Boundary Trees (Gliricidia) | Lopped leaves | Crop field | Green manure (nitrogen) |
An Integrated Farming System (IFS) is a resource-efficient, location-adapted agricultural model that combines two or more complementary enterprises — e.g., crops, livestock, aquaculture, agroforestry, horticulture, and on-farm processing — to optimize resource use, diversify income, reduce risk, and improve ecological sustainability.
Based on the benefits and challenges of the integrated farming system model, several recommendations can be made for policymakers and practitioners: integrated farming system model
5. Temporal Sequencing (Staggered Activities) Integrated Farming System (IFS) — Overview and Practical
| From | Output/By-product | To | Resulting Benefit | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Crop field (Rice) | Straw / Husk | Livestock (Cow) | Animal bedding & roughage | | Livestock (Cow) | Dung & Urine | Biogas Plant | Methane for cooking | | Biogas Plant | Slurry (effluent) | Fish Pond & Crop field | Algae growth (fish food) & organic fertilizer | | Fish Pond | Silt (dredged) | Crop field | Rich topsoil amendment | | Kitchen/Household | Vegetable peels | Poultry & Fish | Supplementary feed | | Boundary Trees (Gliricidia) | Lopped leaves | Crop field | Green manure (nitrogen) | integrated farming system model