Land Use

Physical Farm Planning

Form 3 Agriculture

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 Learning Objectives
• Discuss the importance of physical farm
planning.
• Describe the objectives/reasons for farm
planning
• Describe the procedure of farm planning

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 Farm Planning and the Objectives of Farm
Planning
Definition
• Physical farm planning is the planning of where and how various farm
infrastructure will be located and managed depending on the objectives of
the farmer.
• Farm planning is important because it allows the farmer to achieve their
goals in an organized and efficient manner with reduced labour costs.
Objectives of farm planning
• To minimize soil loses on cultivated land
• To ensure maximum/optimum productivity on the farm
• To maintain grazing areas in the correct ecological balance whilst
simultaneously ensuring maximum returns to the farmer.
• To reduce degradation of the land

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Farm Planning

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 Steps in Farm Planning

• Determining the goals for the farm business.

• Have an inventory on resources non the farm
• Assess labour needs for the different enterprises (both temporary and
permanent)
• Assess suitability of different options of crop and livestock enterprises
that can be carried out on the farm.
• Implement plan whilst monitoring the plan.
• Evaluate the physical farm planning process

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 Importance of Physical farm Planning

• It enables the farmer to their farming objectives in an organized and

efficient way.
• Make decisions based on available farm resources and the potential of the
land.
• Help farmer to design a suitable/relevant cropping /livestock programme
• Helps in estimating costs and returns of the farming business.
• Help plan for water use and conservation.
• Plan and implement mechanical and biological conservation measured to
be implemented together with the chosen enterprise.
• Help in identifying inputs and credit needs for the enterprise.

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 Land use

Crop Rotation

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 What Is Crop Rotation?

• It is the growing of different crops in

succession on the same place of land over a
specific period of time for getting maximum
benefit with least investment and without
deteriorating the soil and environment.
• It may include 2-6 different crops with each
crops having a particular benefit either
financial or environmental.

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 Objectives of Crop Rotation
• Achieve better soil fertility and its physical, chemical and
biological properties through addition of organic matters.
• Keep the soil free from disease, pest and weed through
various crop and agronomical/cultural manipulations.
• Regulate continuous supply of food, feed, fodder, fibre and
fuel as well as funds for various family commitments.
• Make best use of residual soil moisture and nutrients by
selective crops.
• Achieve greater insurance against natural calamities and
instability in market prices.
• Make best use of labour power and capital throughout the
year.
• Achieve higher yield without incurring extra
costs/expenditure.

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 Principles Of Crop Rotation
• Deep rooted crops should be succeeded by
shallow rooted crops such as cotton, pigeon pea-
potato.etc
• Dicot crops should be rotated by monocot crops
such as mustard-rice, potato-rice, wheat-
sugarcane
• Leguminous crops should be succeeded by non-
leguminous crops and vice versa.
• Exhaustive crops should be succeeded with
restorative crops such as potato, sorghum,
sugarcane and cowpea
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Principles Of Crop Rotation (Cont)
• Foliage drop crop should be succeeded with. Non-
foliage drop crops such as pulses, cotton-rice.
• Grain crops should be followed by foliage crops such as
wheat.
• Long duration crops should be succeeded by short
duration crops such as sugarcane, cowpea, groundnut.
• Field crops should be succeeded with fodder crops
such as wheat, potato maize, cowpea.
• Seed crop should be succeeded with multi-cut or multi-
harvest crops such as wheat, barley-lucerne.

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 Advantages of crop rotation:
• These are advantages of a crop rotation:
• Higher yield without incurring extra investment.
• Enhanced soil fertility and microbial activities.
• Avoid accumulation of toxic substances.
• Better utilization of nutrients and soil moisture.
• Insurance against natural devastation.
• Maintain soil health by avoiding insect pest diseases and weed
problems.
• Provide proper labour, power and capital distribution throughout
the year.
• Higher chances to provide diversified commodities.
• Slow but steady income, which is beneficial to marginal and small
farmers.
• Deep rooted crops work the soil below plough layer.

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 THE END

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