Sustainable Agriculture: Impact of LEISA and HEIA

Abstract

This paper observed the effect of low external input agricultural farming system on the 
efficiency of resource poor farmer. In India majority of farmers are small scale entrepreneurs whose farm 
actions are performed with low input agricultural technologies. Majority of the technologies contained the 
refined indigenous information system. Farm size, labour inputs, capital inputs, planting materials and 
organic manure are the most determinants of the gross income of LEISA farmers. High external input 
Agriculture (HEIA) are technologies that apply high external inputs such as inorganic or chemical 
fertilizers to extend nutrient reduction from the soil, pesticides to manage pests and diseases, herbicides to 
regulate weeds and irrigation facilities for water management within the farms. Farmers inclinations for 
low input system vary significantly provisional upon the phase of crop production which include 
technologies for land groundwork use of draught animals, natural/organic substitute for inorganic 
pesticides and fertilizers, seed growth technologies, simple irrigation and drainage method, low input 
processing. There is also a substantial interest among farmers for low input methods for most phases of 
production. There is therefore the need for farmers to adopt these cost active agricultural technologies 
since they are not only readily available, but also they do not require too much skills and also poses the 
capacity of making the process of rural development more sustainable.