Rainfed Agriculture and Its types, problems & prospects of rainfed Agriculture .

Rainfed Agriculture and Its types, problems & prospects of rainfed Agriculture .

Defination : Dryland Agriculture refers to growing of crops entirely under rainfed conditions.

Based on the amount of rainfall received, dryland agriculture can be grouped into three categories:
1. Dry Farming: 
Cultivation of crops in areas where average annual rainfall is less than 750 mm per annum. Crop failure is most common due to prolonged dry spells during the crop period. These are arid regions with a growing season (period of adequate soil moisture) less than 75 days. Moisture conservation practices are necessary for crop production.

2. Dryland Farming: 
Cultivation of crops in areas receiving rainfall from 750 to 1150 mm per annum. In spite of prolonged dry spells crop failure is relatively less frequent. These are semi arid tracts with a growing period between 75 and 120 days. Moisture conservation practices are necessary for crop production. However, adequate drainage is required especially for vertisols or black soils.

3. Rainfed Farming : 
Cultivation of crops in regions receiving more than 1,150 mm per annum. Crops are not subjected to soil moisture stress during the crop period. Emphasis is often on disposal of excess water. These are humid regions with growing period more than 120 days.

Problems and prospects of rainfed agriculture in India as well in world : -

Problems or constraints for crop production in dry farming regions Most of the cropping in the arid and semi arid regions continues to be under rainfed conditions. A majority of the farmers are small farmers with meager resources. The poor resource base permits only low input subsistence farming with low and unstable crop yields. The low productivity of agriculture in dry farming regions is due to the cumulative effect of
many constraints for crop production. The constraints can be broadly grouped in to.

1) Inadequate and Uneven Distribution of Rainfall:
In general, the rainfall is low and highly variable which results in uncertain crop
yields. Besides its uncertainty, the distribution of rainfall during the crop period is uneven, receiving high amount of rain, when it is not needed and lack of it when crop needs it.
(a) Cultivation of low water required crops
(b) Short duration crops grown
(c) Providing life saving irrigation

2) Long Gap in Rainfall :
(a) Increase in seed rate to obtain more population
(b) Spraying of urea solution
(c) Providing life saving irrigation at critical growth stages
(d) Weeding and intercultural operations

3) Early Onset of Monsoon :
(a) Cultivate Pearlmillet, Sesamum etc.

4) Late Onset of Monsoon :
Due to late onset of monsoon, the sowing of crops are delayed resulting in poor yields.
(a) Alternate crop &varieties: Castor (Aruna), greengram, cowpea, sunflower
(b) Dry sowing
(c) Pre sowing
(d) Seed soaking/treatment
(e) Transplanting of one month old Bajra seedlings.
(f) Complete weed control
(g) Grow legumes/oilseed crops in place of cereals
(h) Most suitable crop for this condition is Sunflower.

5) Early Cessation of Rains :
 Sometimes the rain may cease very early in the season exposing the crop to drought during flowering and maturity stages which reduces the crop yields considerably
(a) Select short duration varieties
(b) Using mulching/mulches
(c) Life saving irrigation applied
(d) Decrease in plant population

6) Prolonged Dry Spells :
Long breaks in the rainy season is an important feature of Indian monsoon.
These intervening dry spells when prolonged during crop period reduces crop growth and yield and when unduly prolonged crops fail.
(a) If dry spell in 10 days of sowing, resowing
(b) If mild moisture stress at 30-35 days after sowing, thinning of alternate rows of Sorghum and Pearlmillet
(c) If severe moisture stress at 30-35 days afer sowing, cu ing of sorghum and Pearlmillet and rationing
(d) If moisture stress at blooming stage, cutting of sorghum and Pearlmillet and rationing
(e) Breaking of monsoon for short while, shallow inter cultivation for eradicating weeds/soil mulch
(f) Wider spacing for moisture conservation
(g) Spray of 2 per cent urea after drought period is useful for indeterminate crops like castor, pigeonpea and groundnut.
(h) Soil mulching to reduce evaporation losses
(i) In situ water harvesting
(j) Life saving irrigation
(k) Weed control to save water, nutrients etc.

7) Low moisture retention capacity :
The crops raised on red soils, and coarse textured soils suffer due to lack of moisture whenever prolonged dry spells occur due to their low moisture holding capacity. Loss of rain water occurs as runoff due to undulating and sloppy soils.

8) Low fertility of soils :
Soil fertility has to be increased, but there is limited scope for extensive use of chemical fertilizers due to lack of adequate soil moisture.