Table of Contents
- What is dry farming
- Dryland techniques to reduce evaporation
- Dryland farming areas in India
- Significance of dry farming
- Challenges of dry farming
What is dry farming?
Dry farming is a technique of farming by conserving soil moisture and rainwater harvesting.
Farming Technique: Without irrigation
Dependent on rainfall: Less than 75 cm
conserving soil moisture and rainwater harvesting.
The following dryland techniques are used to reduce evaporation and conserve soil moisture:
- Timely sowing of seed when has enough moisture in soils.
- Mulching
- Weed control
- Shelterbelt along field
- Water harvesting in the lower level of the field
The following will give more details about dry farming:
On the basis of the main sources of moisture in the soil, farming can be classified into two types:
- Irrigated farming
- Non-Irrigated farming
Non-Irrigated farming is further divided into two types:
- Wetland farming
- Dryland farming or dry farming
Dry vs dry land farming
Dryland farming in India:
The following areas include:
- Areas having low rainfall of less than 75 cm annually
- Arid Region
- Semi-arid region
- Sub Humid region
- Uncertain or erratic rainfall areas
- No assured irrigation
It includes Rajasthan, the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, Marathawada, the Vidharbha region of Maharastra, Bundelkhand, and most parts of northern and central Indian, Deccan plateau, and rainshadow zone of Western Ghats.
Significance of dry farming in drought-prone areas:
- 75 % of farmers are in dryland areas are small and marginal farmers and they are doing subsistence agriculture
- It is the source of the larger portion of agriculture employability
- The majority of crops such as Bajara, Maize, Ragi, Oilseed, Jwara, and Cotton, 30 % of total rice production are done through dry farming methods.
- Drylands crops provide more nutritious which is key for nutrition security in India
- Dry farming is needed in drought-prone areas to stop desertification
Challenges of dry farming:
- Low and uncertain rainfall leads to crop failure
- Region of major farmer suicides
- Larger maturity duration crops are not suitable in the dry region that resulting in poor yield
- Poor nitrogen and phosphorous contents in drought-prone areas
- Climate change.
- With the help of a map, indicate the principal areas of dryland farming in the country and account for farmers’ suicides mainly in those areas. ( UPSC 2015, 200 words, 15 marks)
- Explain the significance of dry farming in drought-prone areas of India. (UPSC geography optional paper 2 2019, 10 Marks)
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