Innovations in Dryland Agriculture

359

stock of the province. In Baluchistan approximately 87 % of the people directly or
indirectly drive their livelihood from livestock rearing (Heymell 1989 ).
Farmers in the drought-prone areas of the Gulmi District of Nepal grow drought-
resistant crops like elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.)
Nicolson), taro (Colocasia spp (L.) Schott), cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz),
winter bean (Vicia faba L.), air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera L.), cush-cush yam
(Dioscorea trifida L.f.) and brinjal (Solanum melongena L.). Similarly, in the mar-
ginal areas in the dryland Gulmi District, farmers grow cassava, winter bean,
elephant foot yam, taro, sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.), turmeric (Curcuma
longa L.), ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt) and legumes (Regmi et al. 2009 ).
Based on an ex-post facto study involving 120 farmers, Desai et al. ( 2009 ) identi-
fied the most economical rainfed farming system models for Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states in India (Table 4 ). They observed the prevalence
of different farming systems across farm sizes and states. The major components of
the farming systems were cereal crops, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, bovines and
caprines.
The inclusion of perennial components like trees and grasses in dryland farming
systems imparts stability to farming by reducing the effect of yearly variations in
rainfall on these components, protecting the crops from water and wind erosion, and
improving soil fertility. The returns in arid/dryland ecosystems are much higher
when trees are associated with crops/grasses in silvi-pasture, agri-horti and agrofor-
estry systems. In addition to the economic benefits, tree-based systems improve soil

Forestry/ Wildlife / Recreation

250 500 750 1000 1250+

I

II

III

IV

V

Land Capability Clas

s

VI

VII

VIII

Pastures for

systemanimal based

Millets/ Pluses/ Oilseeds

sole crops

Millets + legu

mes

Intercrops/ agro

• forestry

Cereals

Millets

Pulses

Oilseeds

Fibers

Horticulture

intercr

ops

sequence

crops

Rice Based

Sequence/ relay

(Jute/pulse/

oilseed)

crops

Multi

• purpos
  e trees
  
  
  • 
    
  
  
  
  

Pastures for animal

s

Perennial trees/ bushes

Ri ce + Fish

farming

Silvi-pastures

for small

ruminants

Horti-past

ruminants oral and large Horti-pastora

+ Dairy systeml

Multitierplantation

Fish+

duck

Farmin

g/

Pi gs

Annual Rainfall (mm)

Aridisols Inceptisols Vertisols Alfisols Alfisols Inceptisols Inceptisols Oxisols

Productive farming system matrix in rainfed agriculture

Fig. 2 Productive farming system matrix in rainfed agriculture in India

Dryland Agriculture in South Asia: Experiences, Challenges and Opportunities