Rainfed Agriculture

Featured Articles
August 10, 2022
Taming water - Irrigation and drought protection in colonial India and the present
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
Hidden treasure: Adivasi’s traditional food diversity
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
Non pesticide management – a viable alternative
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
Scaling up sustainable agriculture critical to improve farm incomes
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
COVID-19 and social protection: Impact in the agriculture sector
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
Strengthening the frontline for water security
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)
Background information for the Twelfth Year Plan: Reports of the Planning Commission working groups
This article includes the details of working group reports related to water, agriculture and environment by the Government of India
Planning Commission
Posted on 16 Jun, 2012 04:53 PM

The Twelfth Five Year Plan of the Government of India commences during the year 2012-13. This plan has been developed following the recommendations of a number of Working Groups covering 26 different areas.
Adaptive sustainable agriculture: Crop system intensification in Andhra Pradesh
Along with the soil and water conservation programmes, promotion of agricultural techniques and practices is equally important in sustaining the livelihoods of the people in the long term. All too often, market considerations exert undue pressure on the agricultural practices, which in turn affect the production base and cause irreversible imbalances in the eco system. This report by WOTR deals with the issue.
Chandrasekhar Nemani
Posted on 30 Apr, 2012 07:01 PM

WOTR has been extensively promoting sustainable agriculture practices as part of its adaptive sustainable development approach.  The objective is to promote low external inputs, increase land productivity, use of indigenous seeds, and reduce cost of cultivation.
Accelerating agricultural development for inclusive growth: Strategic issues and policy options
Like most other developing countries, India has predominantly been an agrarian economy, with agriculture sector contributing the largest share to gross domestic product (GDP) and employment. The introduction of high yielding varieties (HYV) technology in mid- 1960s yielded spectacular results in foodgrains production. However, growth in productivity is slowing down in many states while the scope for expanding the area under cultivation as well as irrigation is limited. Therefore, the real challenges for agricultural sector in future would be to feed the ever growing population and to protect long-term sustainable productive capacity of natural resources like land and water.
Vijay Paul Sharma
Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 01:30 PM

Article Courtesy :  Vikalpa, Volume 37, No 1, January-March 2012

Author: Vijay Paul Sharma
Microfinance institutions get away with farmer suicide abetment charges: Police close a third of the cases in Andhra Pradesh
In 2010, Andhra Pradesh witnessed a series of suicides. These were not cases of farmers' suicides—a regular occurrence in the state which continues to be in the grip of an agrarian crisis. The victims in these cases happened to be the poorest of the poor; most of them illiterate dalits and adivasis. The first information reports (FIRs) of the police reveal that most of the suicides were due to coercive loan recovery tactics adopted by the mighty microfinance institutions (MFIs), that had given these people a few thousands of rupees as loans. Ironically, 2010 happened to be a year in which the micro finance industry registered a spectacular growth. This article by M Suchitra in Down to Earth deals with the issue.
M Suchitra
Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 12:43 PM

Article Courtesy : Down to Earth

Author : M Suchitra
Sikkim’s organic farming to feature in Satyamev Jayate, Aamir Khan’s first television project on DD1
Aamir Khan’s first television project Satyamev Jayate will have one full episode on organic farming in Sikkim. Sikkim is on its way to become totally organic and out of the cultivable land of 58,168 hectares, about 8,168 hectares had already been certified as organic by accredited institutions.
iSikkim
Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 11:36 AM

Article and Image Courtesy : iSikkim
Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network invites applications for summer internship, Secunderabad
Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 08:07 AM

Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network invites applications for summer Secundarabad.
Citizens voice alarm over recent Supreme Court judgement on interlinking of rivers
Prominent experts, concerned citizens and neighboring countries have raised concerns over the recent Supreme Court judgement.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 25 Apr, 2012 10:39 AM

The Supreme Court of India has in its judgment of 27 February 2012 on the interlinking of rivers project, given categorical directions to the Executive Government to implement the ‘project’ as a whole in a time bound manner and has also asked the Centre to appoint a Special Committee to work out the modalities and oversee the implementation of the project.
Critical review of the impacts, challenges, prospects and conflict management for vitally needed inter-linking of rivers in India
Hon’ble Supreme Court in its judgment of 27th February 2012, directed union and concerned states governments, to implement ambitious interlinking of the rivers project (ILR) in a time bound manner and also asked Union Government to appoint a high-powered committee for planning and implementation of the project. Social tensions, political instability and street fights are already being experienced in India, on account of fast deteriorating situation of availability of qualitative water in adequate quantity.
This article presents a critical review of basic objectives, controversies, social & ecological impacts besides concrete suggestions to overcome the blockades in Inter-basin Transfer of Water (IBTW), now commonly known as Inter-linking of Rivers (ILR).
Er. Radhey Shyam Goel
Posted on 23 Apr, 2012 12:17 PM

Guest post by : Er. Radhey Shyam Goel

1. Introduction
Appointment of young professionals as Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellows - Some questions
There has been quite a bit of news and excitement about the Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellows recently appointed by selecting young professionals from top professionals institutions like IITs, IIMs, TISS and others. It is a welcome idea that large numbers of professionals have been attracted to be such Fellows. It is to be seen if they will deliver what is expected out of them, especially while working in the districts affected by left wing extremism. I wish them all success but the history of such ideas and experiments have failed globally and we should have deeper analysis of them, says Achyut Das of Agragamee, Orissa.
Achyut Das
Posted on 23 Apr, 2012 11:19 AM

The critics of the PMRDFS have already started asking questions as follows:
Water supply and demand management of the Indus basin : Options for current and future sustainable water resources management
The Indus basin is one of the regions in the world that is faced with major challenges for its water sector, due to population growth, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, environmental degradation, unregulated utilization of the resources, inefficient water use and poverty, all aggravated by climate change. The Indus Basin is shared by 4 countries – Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and China. With a current population of 237 million people which is projected to increase to 319 million in 2025 and 383 million in 2050, already today water resources are abstracted almost entirely (more than 95% for irrigation). Climate change will result in increased water availability in the short term.
A.N. Laghari
D.Vanham
and W.Rauch
Posted on 17 Apr, 2012 12:04 PM

Article Courtesy : Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS)

Authors : A.N. Laghari, D.Vanham, and W.Rauch
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