Components of farmhouse ecology

A. Farms:

The farming practices followed in the country can be grouped into three broad categories:

a. Shifting cultivation: Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plot of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned while post-disturbance fallow vegetation is allowed to freely grow while the cultivator moves on to another plot. This system is practiced in small areas in void hill forested areas by tribal communities such as Chepang.

b. Sedentary peasant farming: A method of agriculture in which the same land is farmed every year is known as sedentary cultivation. Peasant farming refers to a type of small scale agriculture. Peasant farmers grow crops and often rear some livestock on a small scale. This is commonly adopted farming practice by majority of farmers of our country. It is characteristics of small land holdings and most operations are performed by drought animals.

c. Capitalistic farming: In capitalistic farming the investment of land and capital is done by big business person or capitalist. Wages are paid to the laborers employed. Intensive farming and improved methods of cultivation are adopted. Farms are generally mechanized. Workers are better paid. e.g. tea estates and mechanized farms.

B. Farmer’s social organizations:

It includes the following:

a) Mixed farming: agronomy+livestock+poultry/piggery/fishery.

b) Mixed cropping: growing of several crops together because of small land holding and purchase of all other inputs. Moreover the land are fragmented, wastage of labor and lack of supervision.

C. Crops : Cereals, Vegetables, fruits, oil crops.

D. Animals: Mammals, Aves, Reptiles, Amphibian, Pisces, Insects.