Rainfed Farming – Analysis

Contribution to Food Security

Rainfed areas in India are highly diverse, ranging from resource rich areas to resource-constrained areas. Some of the resource rich areas are highly productive and have experienced widespread adoption of technology. However, most of the areas are resource constrained and dry areas.
Rainfed agro ecologies in India cover about 55% of the net cultivated area of India and is widely distributed in the country. Of the total food production in the country, 44% is from rained/dryland farming which also supports 40% of the population. Around 68% of non food crops are accounted for by rainfed areas.  Approximately 85% of coarse cereals, 80% pulses, 70% oilseeds, 65% cotton and 45% rice is grown in rainfed areas and these areas support around 78% cattle, 64% sheep and 75% goats.

Problems Associated With Rainfed Areas

The Green Revolution, set in motion during the mid-1960s, bypassed rainfed agriculture, and this is the main reason for the parlous state in which this segment of farming finds itself. As of today, Rainfed agriculture is complex, diverse and risk prone in terms of soil and water resources. It is characterized by low levels of productivity and input coupled with vagaries of monsoon leading to wide variation and instability in yields. The cropping intensity is low, there is poor adoption of modern technology, uncertainty in output and there is always the issue of the increasing number of suicides among farmers and the high incidence of rural poverty. The  cost of cultivation is high, there is lack of institutional credit and public investment is also inadequate.

The Response

The era of planned development saw governments making efforts to improve the performance of rainfed agriculture as part of their plan to alleviate rural poverty. Although over the years productivity has increased, it is still way behind the performance of the irrigated regions. To address the problem of soil fragility and water scarcity, which are among the major problems plaguing rainfed agriculture, Watershed Development Programme represents an important official intervention for the conservation of land and water resources in rainfed areas.

The Rainfed Area Development Programme (RADP) was launched in the year 2011-12 as a sub-scheme under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) to ensure agriculture growth in the rainfed areas. It aims at improving quality of life of farmers’ especially, small and marginal farmers, by offering a complete package of activities to maximize farm returns in rainfed areas. RADP focuses on Integrated Farming System (IFS) by integrating location specific cropping system with livestock, fisheries and other livelihood support activities for enhancing productivity and minimizing risks associated with climatic variability. It seeks to harness efficiency of natural resources/assets/ commodities by supporting location-specific farming systems

Vidharbha Intensive Irrigation Development Programme (VIIDP) has also been initiated from the year 2012-13 to 2016-17 as a sub scheme under RKVY. The objective is to bring more farming areas in the Vidharbha region under protective irrigation and increase the productivity of rainfed cotton farming through rainwater harvesting, intensive irrigation (to enhance water use efficiency through application of drip/sprinkler irrigation) and better crop management.

The way Forward

Without investing in infrastructure development (irrigation, rural roads, markets, etc.), the performance of rainfed agriculture cannot be improved.  M.S. Swaminathan speaks of a ‘Community Land care Movement' based on conservation farming techniques to improve rainfed agriculture and says that the gram panchayats must be actively involved in it. Since moisture stress is often found to be a major reason for the underperformance of rainfed agriculture, adoption of drip and sprinkler irrigation is suggested as a remedy. The importance of livestock production system in rainfed areas cannot be overestimated. While raising livestock can be expected to enhance the livelihood opportunities, however, the question arises whether people living in the rainfed region will be able to maintain the livestock without there being any improvement on the farm front. After all, it is agriculture that provides fodder for livestock.

By: Deepak Garg