The role of integrated cropping-livestock systems (ICLS) in climate smart agricultural practices

Continuous nutrient mining, monocropping and poor farming practices are still norm in many developing countries, and they generally lead to declining soil fertility and quality, and loss of crop productivity and falling income. For sustainable crop production, farmers, especially in developing countries, require to be equipped with the knowledge of how to maintain and even improve soil fertility through best farming practices and increasing crop production with lower environmental footprints. Integrated cropping-livestock system (ICLS) has the most potential to enrich soil with essential plant nutrients, sequester carbon and increase crop productivity. Farmers need to take holistic approach by adopting the different models of ICLS (i.e. growing nitrogen fixing legumes in rotation, recycling of organic residues and manure and animal grazing to minimise their dependence on chemical fertilisers), strategic use of chemical fertilisers and water, and unnecessary cultivation to preserve carbon and nutrients in soil. (author)