373explicit objective of any program or intervention intended to tackle food
insecurity.
Improving the situation with respect to food security, poverty and nutrition is a
recognized goal of all policy interventions, but certain elements in the existing
socioeconomic setting can impede these goals. Among them, an important chal-
lenge is improving the situation with high population pressure with smaller size of
farms. Poor infrastructure, both hard and soft, is another determinant and deter-
mined aspect of socioeconomic conditions. At the regional level, the lack of politi-
cal trust also results in suboptimal policy making which is reflected in poor
adherence to or inadequate implementation of various regional agreements.
4 Opportunities for Resilient Dryland Agriculture
The elimination of poverty, improvement in nutrition and the supply of safe food are
of prime importance for most SAARC countries. There is renewed emphasis on
agriculture for development and on addressing poverty and hunger. Agricultural
growth not only offers a pathway out of poverty but it promotes employment in non-
farm rural activities and facilitates the migration to non-agricultural avenues with-
out distress. Based on this, growth in agriculture and overall rural development are
considered essential for a sustainable exit from poverty (FAO 2002 ). Agricultural
growth helps to reduce poverty and hunger, not only by raising the income of the
poor but by keeping food prices in check. Recognition of the importance of agricul-
ture has shifted the emphasis from growth per se to inclusive growth (Chand 2010 ).
Growth in output and farm income depends on many factors, such as input and
output prices and non-price factors. Increasing growth requires remunerative price
for output, access to improved technology, application of quality inputs, and the use
of modern machinery. There is vast potential for enhancing agricultural production
in dryland agriculture, especially in South Asia. The potential of rainfed agriculture
needs to be unlocked through the efficient management of natural resources to
increase farm productivity and profitability in South Asian countries. Soil and water
management will play a critical role in this.
4.1 Technological Approaches
Technology is the prime mover for agricultural growth. Considering the costs and
constraints of resources such as water, nutrients and energy, the genetic enhance-
ment of productivity should be coupled with input-use efficiency. This will be pos-
sible only by using the existing improved technology and by developing new
technologies (Chand 2010 ). Agricultural research systems have developed some
promising technologies for overcoming the barriers, outlining the needs of farmers
Dryland Agriculture in South Asia: Experiences, Challenges and Opportunities