Rainfed Agriculture

Featured Articles
August 10, 2022 The irrigation at all costs mindset and narrow policies for drought protection during the colonial rule ignored rainfed agriculture and local practices that sustained agriculture in the Bombay Deccan. This continues even today.
Recurrent droughts and the struggle for survival (Image Source: Gaurav Bhosale via Wikimedia Commons):
June 19, 2022 Odisha Millets Mission is trying to bring back the glory of millets in tribal areas
A range of millet recipes and ready to cook items are sold by Millets on Wheels in Jashipur block in Mayurbhanj district. This initiative is supported by Odisha Millets Mission (Image: Odisha Millets Mission)
May 25, 2022 A study assesses the impact of the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming programme
The APCNF policy promotes zero synthetic chemical inputs (Image: Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming Facebook Page)
April 24, 2021 Study by CEEW proposes several measures for promoting sustainable agricultural practices and systems, including restructured government support and rigorous evidence generation
SRI rice field (Image: Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0)
April 1, 2021 Lower transaction costs, minimal leakages, and immediate delivery make a strong case for direct cash transfers, says study.
Access to credit increased farmers' expenditures on farm-related activities. (Image: Pixy.org)
March 12, 2021 Challenges and aspirations of community champions and how programs can address them
Kalyani Dash works with 150 households in the village directly and trains them on chemical-free farming techniques, water secure crop production, efficient water use in agriculture for a sustainable farming future as well as kitchen and nutrition gardening. (Image: FES)
Krishi Vigyan Kendra to the rescue!
To combat the water shortage caused by irregular rainfall as well as crop rotation patterns, the village of Nidhan in Madhya Pradesh implemented options suggested by the local Krishi Vigyan Kendra. Posted on 07 Mar, 2014 10:27 AM

Nidhan is about 30 km away from its district headquarter Morena, Madhya Pradesh. The village receives an annual average rainfall of 450 mm concentrated in the months of July and August. While much of the village depends on rainfed agriculture, the main source of irrigation in the rabi (winter) season is borewells.

The farmer got bumper crop of pigeon pea
Farm like the rishis!
Raju and Shalini Titus have been engaged in no-till farming for over 23 years. Contrary to pop wisdom, their net income has gone up because of increased yields and a reduction in input costs. Posted on 09 Feb, 2014 08:20 PM

It all started in the eighties when Friends Rural Centre, a group of Gandhian Quakers in Rasuliya village, near Hoshanagabad, Madhya Pradesh came in contact with Masanobu Fukuoka.

Results of no till farming; Image: Titus
Small schemes, big impact
Local knowledge, low cost technology, community participation and maximum conservation of available water from natural sources have helped increase available water in Pauri Garhwal. Posted on 13 Jan, 2014 01:54 PM

Despite being endowed with adequate rainfall, most parts of the Himalayas are considered water-stressed for both agricultural and domestic purposes. This is mainly due to the seasonality of precipitation, which is concentrated to the monsoon months. It remains dry for rest of the year.

A recharge pit under construction (Source: HIMCON)
Water News: 2013 in review
Beginning with the Kumbh Mela and moving on to natural disasters like the floods in Uttarakhand and the cyclone in eastern India, water made big news throughout 2013. Posted on 06 Jan, 2014 12:16 PM

Kumbh Mela left its trash behind

Shiva statue, Kedarnath (Source: ibtimes.co.uk)
Where are the toilets?
Policy matters this week: Ministry sets up committee to investigate discrepancy in toilet data and India and Asian Development Bank fund embankments in Nepal and Assam. Posted on 15 Dec, 2013 09:23 PM

Committee to investigate discrepancy in data on toilets

Open defecation due to lack of toilets
Are there greener pastures for pastoralists?
With grazing lands being utilised for development projects, more and more livestock-dependent communities are being impacted and the huge diversity of grazing practices is disappearing. Posted on 01 Dec, 2013 08:34 PM

Pastoralist communities are those that depend primarily on livestock (domesticated animals in an agricultural setting) for their living. India has the world’s highest livestock population with 440 million livestock heads distributed over 100 million households (1) but in recent years, pastoralists have been facing threats to their way of life.

Goat rearing in Udaipur
The unique 'Khachar' system explained
In spite of the high rainfall it receives, Mulshi taluka is one of Pune's more agriculturally backward talukas. Can the 'Khachar' system and other local methods change the scenario? Posted on 17 Nov, 2013 10:19 PM

India is one of the world's largest producers of white and brown varieties of paddy and contributes to around 20% of all the paddy production in the world. Rice (de-husked form of paddy) is the staple food in the eastern and southern parts of the country and is mainly grown in rain-fed areas that receive heavy annual rainfall [1].

Farmers transplanting paddy seedlings
Applications invited for the post of 'Chief Executive Officer (CEO)', Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network (RRA Network) , Secunderabad
A network that is advocating for a differentiated agricultural policy and support system for rainfed areas in India.
Posted on 13 Nov, 2013 02:17 PM

For more information on the Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network (RRA Network), please click here.

Vacancy for the posts of 'Program Specialist' & ' Project Manager', Jal Bhagirathi Foundation, Rajasthan
An opportunity to work with an organization that provides an enabling environment where communities can access adequate drinking water.
Posted on 04 Nov, 2013 12:24 PM

For further information on the organisation 'Jal Bhagirathi Foundation', please click here.

Invitation for Certificate course 'Understanding Groundwater', ACWADAM, Pune, January 6-21, 2014
An initiative to strengthen Civil Society capabilities in groundwater management, using the watershed management platform.
Posted on 18 Oct, 2013 09:16 AM

For details on the training programme on groundwater training, please click here.

For further information on course, please see attachement below.

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