Mixed Farming | Advantages And Disadvantages

By /

Hello, welcome to this article on mixed Farming, I will be writing on the Meaning, advantages of mixed Farming and disadvantages of mixed Farming.

Let’s get started!!!

The Meaning of Mixed Farming

Mixed Farming: This system involves the cultivation of crops and the rearing of animals simultaneously on the same piece of land or Farm. The system may be practiced on a small or large scale. May be divided into two parts. One part for growing crops and the other part for the growing of grass, and keeping of livestock, or the entire Farm may be cultivated with grass or crop (alternate husbandry).

Read Also

The grass or the remains of crops serve as food for the animals, while the animal dung and droppings are used as organic manure to improve the soil fertility for the crops. Mixed farming is commonly practiced on a small scale in Nigeria.

Advantages of mixed Farming

Below are the advantages of mixed Farming in agriculture:

  • Animal dungs and droppings are used as organic manure to improve soil fertility, which in turn helps to increase crop yield.
  • Another advantages of mixed Farming is that the animals kept on the farm such as cattle, donkey, sheep and goat served as a source of milk, meat and work animals.
  • The crop residues or by-products, such as groundnuts, cowpea or rice husk, can be used as food for the animals, which help to reduce the cost of feeding the animals.
  • It provides an alternative source of income for farmers. This is another advantages of mixed Farming because For example, if there is crop failure, the Farmer falls back on his animals as an alternative source of income.
  • All parts of the Farmlands can be effectively used by the Farmer. For example, if there is a part of the farm which cannot support the growing of crops, such parts can be used for the rearing of animals.
  • Another advantages of mixed Farming is that Farmers have a regular source of income to provide for their needs.
  • Due to constant grazing of the animals, weed growth is drastically reduced on the farm.

Disadvantages of mixed Farming

Below are the disadvantages of mixed farming:

  • The system encourages soil erosion due to overgrazing and trampling on the farmland by The Animals.
  • Another disadvantages of mixed Farming is that the animals can destroy or feed on the crops if they are not properly control or managed.
  • A great skill is required by the Farmer to succeed.
  • The attention of the Farmer may be divided on how to care for both the crops and livestock at the same time.

Factors that determine the use of Farming System

There are many factors that may be responsible for the use of particular system in any given area. This includes:

  1. Environmental Factor: Climatic Factor which include rainfall, relative humidity and temperature, in no small way determine the type of crops that can be grown in an area. For example tree crops such as oil palm, cocoa and kolanut are grown in the Southern part of Nigeria due to heavy rainfall and order favorable climate condition such as high relative humidity and vegetational cover (Forest zone) while Crops such as millet and sorghum are grown in the northern parts, which is covered by grassland due to high temperature, low rainfall and low relative humidity, which favour is the growing of such crops.
  2. Soil Factor: Soil Factor which are also environmental factors such as structure, texture and nutrients availability also determined the type of crops that can be grown on a particular soil. For example, deep loamy soil can be used for growing a number of crops such as yam, cassava, etc. soil such as Sandy soil cannot give good yield of such crops. Also, heavy clay soil does not favor the growing of groundnut
  3. Social Factor: This factors include the taste and religious belief of some people in an area. For example, pigs are not kept or reared by Muslims, because they forbid the eating of pork. Some culture in the country forbid the eating of goat meat, due to their local belief or taste, why it is a delicacy to some.
  4. Land tenure system: This is a system of inheritance that greatly determines the type of farming system that may be used at a particular time in an area. For example, if the land in an area belongs to the community, it is very difficult for an individual to practice large scale farming, because such land is usually shared to every member of that community in small portion for small scale farming

Revision Questions

  1. What is the meaning of mixed farming?
  2. State the advantages and Disadvantages of mixed farm.
  3. What are the factors that determine the use of mixed farming system?
Scroll to Top