From time immemorial, mankind has been struggling hard to get the maximum yield per unit area per unit time. In modern times, this struggle takes the form of multiple cropping, intensive cultivation of high yielding varieties, integrated farming and mixed cropping with a view to keeping land, labour, capital and other resources occupied for the maximum period during the year, maintaining their productive efficiency at the highest level and thereby, attaining the highest yields in terms of agricultural production as well as return on the resources employed.

In fact, multiple cropping, intensive cultivation, mixed cropping and integrated farming are interrelated and have to be viewed together. The future of Indian agriculture depends on the development of appropriate farming system as applicable to resource poor farm families and as suited to different agro-ecological zones. Restricting the use of purchased inputs in farming could be achieved through multiple cropping and diversified farming including animal husbandry, forestry, dairy, duckery, fisheries, apiary, sericulture, etc. The demand must be met from limited resources such as land, water, energy and labour. Increasing food supplies with limited natural resources is a great challenge to the scientific communities.

Under this situation, Integrated Farming System (IFS) seems to be the answer, considering the current scenario in agriculture in India. Besides, facilitating cash income and increased employment opportunities, Integrated Farming Systems minimize the quantum of purchased inputs in farming by effective recycling of products and by-products among the component enterprises, reduce the ill effects of inorganic fertilizers and chemicals (pesticides, herbicides etc.) or pollution hazards. Integrated farming system is not only a reliable way of obtaining fairly high productivity with substantial fertilizer economy, but also a concept of ecological soundness leading to sustainable agriculture. Integrated farming system will generate appreciable employment potentialities providing more man-days in a year. Even for the educated persons particularly agricultural graduates, such farming systems are likely to be more profitable than white collar jobs thus partially reducing the job demands by the graduates. As a whole, such system will increase production of agriculture in the state, particularly, fruits, vegetables and produce from dairy, poultry, duckery and fishery which are of very much shortage in the state.

At present, there is no comprehensive text book on Cropping and Farming Systems and applied aspects suitable for farmers.

This book will provide a comprehensive information on the subject matter and fulfil the needs of students and other professionals. This is a book containing all sorts of chapters on integrated farming and cropping systems. Though this book primarily written to serve as a text book/reference for the students of agriculture in under graduate and post graduate levels and technologists in developing organisations, it is hoped that this book will be valuable for similar groups in the third world countries of Asia and Africa. This book also serves as a valuable reference for the candidates preparing Agricultural Research Services and other competitive examinations. Professional Institutions in Soil Conservation, Krishi Vigyna Kendras and Rural Institutions and similar other Institutions would find this book very much helpful. The farmers may refer this book to practice integrated farming and cropping systems as the considerable emphasis is placed for obtaining maximum, profitable production per unit area per unit time.