Abstract:
The Paddy-Cattle Integrated Farming System (PCIFS) is one of the dominant
farming systems in the dry zone, Sri Lanka which contributes to the well-being of
small-scale farmers. These systems are subjected to high risk and uncertainty
uttered by poor productivity and food insecurity related issues. Hence, the study
aimed at investigating the impacts of adoption for sustainable agricultural practices
on household food security in PCIFS in Anuradhapura district. A survey was
employed to gather data from 300 randomly selected paddy-cattle integrated
farmers. Descriptive and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Farming
experience, age of respondents, income from milk, awareness on sustainable
agricultural practices, training participation and gender were identified as the
factors affecting the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. Further,
household income (p<0.1), age, farming experience, and adoption for sustainable
agricultural practices significantly (p<0.05) affected on the Food Consumption
Score while household size (p<0.1), access to credits, and adoption for sustainable
agricultural practices significantly (p<0.05) influenced the Household Food
Insecurity Access Score. The study concludes that the adoption for sustainable
agricultural practices ensure sustainable and food secured farming systems in the
Anuradhapura district. The results suggest the importance of promoting sustainable
agricultural practices among the paddy-cattle integrated farmers.
