Challenges Faced by Farmers in Integrated Farming Systems: Personal and Social Constraints

Abstract

India's agricultural sector is dominated by small and marginal farmers with less than two hectares of land, making it difficult to achieve livelihood security and sustainability through single-enterprise farming. With the average size of landholdings shrinking to 1.08 hectares, there is a growing need to adopt Integrated Farming Systems (IFS), which integrate crop and livestock production to enhance sustainability, productivity, and profitability through resource recycling. This study aimed to examine the personal and social constraints faced by farmers practicing IFS in Haryana, India. Conducted as a cross-sectional study over one year in four districts representing the Eastern and Western agro-climatic zones of Haryana, a total of 120 IFS farmers were selected through purposive and random sampling. Data were gathered through structured interviews based on a well-validated questionnaire, with constraints categorized into personal and social dimensions and analyzed using frequency distributions and weighted mean scores (WMS). The results showed that the most severe personal constraint in the Western zone was the lack of knowledge about the balanced use of pesticides and fertilizers (WMS = 2.2), while the Eastern zone's primary personal constraint was a lack of knowledge about different IFS components (WMS = 2.51). In terms of social constraints, Western zone farmers identified a lack of leisure time for family as the most significant issue (WMS = 2.48), while Eastern zone farmers cited inadequate family support as their main constraint (WMS = 2.5). These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, including knowledge dissemination on IFS components and balanced input usage, as well as improved social support systems to boost the adoption and effectiveness of IFS. The study’s outcomes align with previous research on agricultural challenges and offer actionable recommendations for enhancing IFS practices in Haryana.