Rainfed Agriculture

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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)
Status of SRI in India - Upscaling strategy and global experience sharing - A roundtable discussion at IARI
A roundtable discussion was held on upscaling strategy and global experience sharing to gain more insights on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). Posted on 26 May, 2011 08:16 AM

SRIThe issues of sustainable food security assume national importance, as the country is debating on the crucial National Food Security Bill. Breaking yield barrier, accelerating growth of production and ensuring sustainability are the critical policy concerns in Indian agriculture.

The roundtable discussion underlined the need to harness the opportunities offered by the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and its extensions to crop production in many areas. This may help in substantially reducing the need for embedded subsidies in every grain of rice while achieving increases in yield by 15 per cent to 40 per cent or more over present conventional methods. In India about 1.7 million farmers are estimated to have adopted the technique on more than 7.5 lakh hectares across 160 districts, without any major project funding so far. Tamil Nadu and Tripura are the leading states for adoption of SRI, but many others are following suit.

My experiment with SRI
My journey of experiments with nature started seriously 2 years back. Posted on 18 May, 2011 06:28 PM

 Due to my childhood acquaintance with paddy cultivation, I used to be curious to understand global processes and methodologies around this cultivation and to do better to help my local community benefit.

Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) produces more sugarcane with less water and chemical inputs - Videos by AgSRI
These videos produced by AgSRI, provide an insight into farmers' experiences in cultivating sugarcane through the Sustainable Sugarcase Initiative (SSI) approach. Posted on 17 May, 2011 04:38 PM

 

 

 

Uses of a farm pond - A film by Digital Green
This film demonstrates uses of farm pond in the farmers lands. Posted on 17 May, 2011 04:27 PM

 

 

 

Ecologically sound, economically viable community managed sustainable agriculture in Andhra Pradesh – A report by Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty and World Bank
The learning note describes CMSA program and its approach, the institutional model supporting it and the implementation process. Posted on 15 May, 2011 09:56 PM

CMSAThis report by Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty and World Bank deals with Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture (CMSA) in Andhra Pradesh.  The paper also analyses the initial results of economic and environmental impact of CMSA, distills the key lessons learned from the Andhra Pradesh experience, and draws possible implications for future.

To address the adverse impacts of green revolution, the alternative approach to manage agriculture i.e., CMSA is being tested and practiced in the State. The CMSA approach replaces the use of chemical pesticides with a combination of physical and biological measures—including eco-friendly bio-pesticides—and complements it by adopting biological and agronomic soil fertility improvement measures leading to reduced use of chemical fertilizers.

Towards a Kisan Swaraj Policy based on people's control over agricultural resources
Farmers and citizens around the country joined the Kisan Swaraj Yatra through twenty states from Sabarmati to Rajghat during the period Oct 2 to Dec 11, 2010. Posted on 11 May, 2011 07:10 AM

Kisan Swaraj YatraThis pan-Indian outreach effort involved dialogues with tens of thousands of citizens, demanding that the nation should devote urgent attention to the continuing agricultural crisis and allocate highest priority to the agriculture sector, ending decades of neglect.

"Media getting sensitive towards water and sanitation issues in North Bihar"-Recent updates from the work of Megh Pyne Abhiyan
The effort of Megh Pyne Abhiyan (MPA) since 2006 has started to impact different sections of the society differently Posted on 10 May, 2011 06:41 PM

. I had shared how Megh Pyne Abhiyan through its local partner - Samta in Khagaria (supported by Gramyasheel, Kosi Seva Sadan, Ghoghardiha Prakhand Swarajya Vikas Sangh and Water Action) has been able to collaborate with the district administration to mainstream issues concerning water and sanitation for the flood prone areas.

In Supaul, the district administration requested our local partner, Gramyasheel to write about alternative drinking water practices (appropriate for the district) for a publication - Supaul Zila Ki Smarika, brought out by the district administration. A definite indication of the WATSAN practices being recognized at the local level. Though the collaboration is an ongoing process which would lead to positive results if time, ideas and perseverance are invested appropriately.

Enabling dry land farmers to cope with climate change in Karnataka - An article by R Dwarakinath, AME Foundation
The next option after the green revolution is development of dry farming, associating resource poor, middle level farmers. Posted on 10 May, 2011 12:58 PM

Author: R Dwarakinath

‘Miles to go before I sleep’ Indian agriculture, after green revolution, has fallen on to a lower trajectory of growth. But, this requires a different set of technologies and different kind of development strategy. This is necessary to lift sector production, alleviate poverty, regenerate ecology, and also to cope with climate change. A formidable but inevitable task.

Climate change has become a fact of life. The concern is assuming threatening proportions by the day. There are several efforts at the global, national and institutional levels to understand the phenomenon and to deal with its impact. At the moment, two dimensions of the problem are engaging the attention – how to mitigate, if possible reverse, the building up processes; and, how to cope with, if possible counter, the effects of climate change on human life, including farming. The answers are vague. So far, South Asia is regarded as one of the most vulnerable areas in the world. Naturally, it has become a matter of great concern, as it pertains to the well-being of the dry land farmers on the upland areas in Karnataka.

Traditional knowledge used in paddy cultivation in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh – A paper in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge
This paper presents the traditional knowledge used in paddy cultivation in Dharsiva block of Raipur in Chhattisgarh Posted on 22 Apr, 2011 07:42 PM

 Rice is the main crop cultivated in the State and several indigenous technologies are being used by farmers for seed germination, preventing the crop from insect/pest attack in the field as well as for storage.

Interventions that make agriculture sustainably high-yielding, eco-friendly and empower small-holder farmers - A research paper (2009)
This paper discusses agricultural techniques that rely on non-chemical methods that enhance crop productivity. Posted on 19 Apr, 2011 04:18 AM

 Stating that modern agriculture increases production cost, the author observes that productivity of the same crop was higher in pre-British times than what it is now with modern agriculture techniques.

As these old agricultural techniques have not been scientifically researched there is a lot of scepticism which also results in them not being promoted. The paper lists out agricultural techniques, which result in sustainable high yields and are accepted by the scientific community.

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