Which of the following is the chief characteristic of ‘mixed farming’?
- Cultivation of both cash crops and food crops
- Cultivation of two or more crops in the same field
- Rearing of animals and cultivation of crops together
- None of the above
Explanation
Option (c) is correct
- Mixed farming involves mixed crops along with livestock operations. It has several advantages:
- Optimum diversity may be obtained by integrating crops and livestock in the same farming operation.
- Growing crops only on more level land and pastures or forages on steeper slopes will reduce soil erosion.
- Pasture and leguminous forage crops in rotation enhance soil quality and reduce erosion; livestock manure, in turn, contributes to soil fertility.
- Livestock can buffer the negative impacts of low rainfall periods by consuming crop residue, which in “plant only” systems would have been considered crop failure.
- Feeding and marketing are flexible in animal production systems. This can help cushion farmers against price fluctuations and make more efficient use of farm labour
