Meaning and main characteristics of Nirvah Krishi
- Primary objective: Food security and household consumption rather than generating cash profits or commercial revenue.
- Small and fragmented landholdings: Most practitioners are marginal farmers operating on plots under one hectare.
- Reliance on family labour: Operations depend predominantly on household family members rather than hired farm labour.
- Traditional implements: Heavy reliance on wooden ploughs, sickles, draft animals, and traditional open-pollinated seed varieties.
Types of subsistence farming in India
- Primitive subsistence farming: Traditional slash-and-burn farming (known as Jhum in North-East India) and nomadic pastoralism with minimal chemical inputs.
- Intensive subsistence farming: Practiced in densely populated agricultural plains (such as UP, Bihar, and West Bengal) where high labour input is applied to small plots to maximize food output per unit area.
Pathways to transition from subsistence to profitable farming
Transitioning from subsistence to viable commercial agriculture requires improving access to institutional Kisan Credit Cards, adopting micro-irrigation, shifting a portion of land to high-value vegetables and horticulture, and organizing into Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) for collective marketing.
Official source
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ICAR - Indian Council of Agricultural Research ↗Related on KisanPe
Common questions
What is the Hindi term for subsistence farming?
The Hindi term for subsistence farming is 'निर्वाह कृषि' (Nirvah Krishi) or 'जीविकोपार्जन कृषि'.
What are the key features of intensive subsistence farming in India?
It is characterized by small landholdings, high population pressure on land, intensive use of family labour, and cultivation of staple food crops like paddy and wheat.
How can subsistence farmers increase their household income?
By diversifying into dairy, poultry, high-value vegetable farming, using certified seeds, and joining local Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).
General guidance, not personal advice. For your farm, ask your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra or agriculture officer.
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