The Indian economy is primarily based on agriculture. Small and marginal farmers constitute the backbone of India's rural economy, accounting for 85 percent of the total agricultural population but just 44 percent of total operating land (GOI 2014). From 2.28 ha in 1970-71 to 1.16 ha in 2010-11, the average size of operating land holdings has been cut in half. India's operational farm holdings are still shrinking. Integrated farming system plays important role in the agriculture. Now days where the natural resources are decreasing day by day. Integrated Farming System (IFS) is considered to be powerful tool and holds the key for ensuring income, employment, livelihood and nutritional security in a sustainable mode for small and marginal farmers who constitute 84.97% of total operational holdings and operated 44.31% of area. Integrated system meets goals through multiple uses of natural resources such as land, water, nutrients and energy in a complimentary way thus giving scope for round the year sustainable income from various enterprises. Residue recycling is an integral part of the farming systems which is one of the most promising approaches of recycling agriculture residues for sustainable development, the adoption of which paves way for higher input use efficiency, reduction of risks, employment generation that ultimately culminates in higher farm income. Characterization of existing farming systems throughout the country indicates existence of 19 pre-dominant farming systems with majority as crop + livestock (85%). Although crop + livestock system is dominating in the country, based on the contribution to net income, the systems are classified as crop, horticulture, livestock, fisheries dominant systems where in dominant component contributes more than 50% of the total net returns. Accordingly, it was found that crop dominant farming systems are existing in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, North-East Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal while livestock dominant systems are observed in Rajasthan and Gujarat. West Bengal, parts of Odisha and Assam states have the fisheries as a major source of income to the existing farming systems.