Here is an essay on crop rotation in India.
A rotation specifies the cropping programme for a farm since it determines the crop that will be grown on each field over time. Therefore, it determines how much will be produced of different kinds of crops.
Rotation are used because crops have different requirements for moisture, organic matter, fertility elements, yields generally differ when crops are grown in sequence rather than when one is grown continuously. Rotation may be of two years, three years, four years or five years and so on, this is called long term rotation.
In north India, Paddy, wheat notation is for one year. In case of two years rotation:
Paddy-wheat-pulses.
Paddy-Pulses-maize.
The other advantages of rotation are : Prevention of soil erosion, maintenance of soil fertility, control of diseases, pests and weeds, spread in the use of farm power and machinery over the season, help drainage, provision of livestock feeds, cash income generation, use of land for most profitable crops, selection of best adaptable crops to soil, reduction of risks and uncertainty.
Rotation should contain two kinds of crops:
1. The main purpose crops which in the north India are Paddy, wheat, sugarcane, and potato.
2. Rotation crops like— Pulses (leguminous) and oilseeds.
The basic forces that determine crop production are soil and climate.
The profitable cropping programmes in the first instance are governed by soil, climate and output but the other considerations are—enterprise relationship, product prices, cost per unit of land, labour and capital requirements, the second important considerations are—distribution of labour and power, livestock programmes, the need for cash income (cash crops), farmers’ capital position, risks and uncertainty involved.
Crops are adopted to a particular soil class, for example, heavy soil suits paddy cultivation and wheat needs loam soil; cotton to black cotton soil.
Rotation must fit the circumstances of the individual farm, not only in terms of soil type but also in terms of livestock, capital and many other things. Rotation takes care of yield of crops but profitability is related to prices. Besides, prices, the cost of labour and capital use should be taken into consideration while deciding on the cropping plan or rotation.
The best way to decide on rotation is first to decide on the long run rotation and then short term rotation. Similar purpose crops in rotation (grains or pulses) become competitive enterprises and for deciding upon which is profitable we must consider three factors: yield, prices and costs.
For these enterprises labour and machinery requirements fall simultaneously, they also substitute for each other at constant ratio and are not complementary to each other. So the question arises which crop to grow, in case the two crops have the same cost per hectare, then we should compare their yield and price ratio i.e.,
Yield ratio = Per hectare yield of gram/ Per hectare yield of peas and then compare it with the price ratio = Price of peas/Price of gram if the gram pea ratio is higher than the price ratio, then gram should be produced.
If budgeting exercise is taken to make decision between two competing crops, so partial budgeting is adopted and income and cost (excluding fixed cost) are calculated. If we get into long run rotation and enterprise relationship we need to do complete budgeting particularly where decision involves both crop and livestock.
The smaller millets like koddo, kakoon, sawan could be grown as supplementary crops which does not compete with the fodder or legumes (pulses) crops. Where the crop is supplementary, we need not compare its price and yield with those of the fodder crops. As long as we realize gross return greater than costs, it pays to produce supplementary crops.
As soon as the small millets reach to a point where it is competitive to other crops, through heavy fertilizer application or sowing millets at the expense of other crops, we must immediately make a comparison of price, cost and yield ratio. Crop could be supplementary for one resource and competitive for the others.
Should the selection of the supplementary crop be made around labour or capital the answer depends on which resource is the scarce one. In India labour is not scarce but land and capital are scarce resources therefore, supplementary enterprises be where the use of labour is intensive.
In north India the labour intensive crops are—potato, sugarcane, tobacco, and vegetables, but cereals, pulses, and fodder crops need relatively lesser labour per unit of crops or on per hectare basis. So the labour intensive crops should be grown when their return is higher above the cost.
The labour availability also affects the choice of crops through the season. A calendar of operation reveals the requirement of labour through the month or year and the demand and distribution of labour is done accordingly.
The use of machinery and equipment could ease the labour at peak periods but the cost of human labour be saved by such assistance, if labour is expensive in relation to machinery and equipment. Through the calendar of operation changes could be made in the whole farm, including livestock to increase profit.
In India mixed farming is not common, arable farming is mostly practiced and thus the farm plan is as such designed, and livestock production is fitted in accordance of the crop and its byproducts which could be fed to livestock. On the contrary, if livestock is the major enterprise cropping plan is designed around the livestock feeds and fodder.
Selection of a combination of pasture crop to fit the livestock and give a continuous supply of feed throughout the season is also important. The land which gives low yield of pasture crops should not be used for pasture purpose. Some budgeting must be done to see if the same is put under the hay crop or grain crop or even cash crop and buying the feed thus feed could be had at a lower cost.
Risk and uncertainty are also important in deciding which combination of crops should be grown. This consideration is important both for deciding in the long-run cropping programme or rotation and the combination of similar purpose crops at one place m the system. By combining crops rather than a single crop as specialization one can reduce the variability of income and help assure very low income.
By combining crops to avert disaster from low income is most effective for biological or natural hazards. We can pick crops which mature at different times of the year and not affected by the drought, flood etc. Combining crops to reduce uncertainty is important particularly with the farmer having less capital or debt. So he may not close the business.