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tailor crop management practices according to the local climatic conditions.
Practices such as residue burning and fallow period tillage have reduced soil organic
carbon levels by as much as 60 %. Current no-till dryland systems with intensified
crop rotations have stabilized soil carbon and increased soil organic matter
accretion.
Livestock production in drylands is expected to play a major role in response to
the demands for animal protein production over the coming decades. However, live-
stock production in these areas is prone to several risks and threats. Nonetheless,
sustainability in livestock production in dryland areas can be achieved by raising
shrubs and native plant combinations in silvopastoral systems with strategies to
promote self-herding and by the careful selection of animal species.
Despite the availability of several recent publications on various aspects of dry-
land agriculture, no single book covers the basic concepts, elements, potential ben-
efits, experiences, challenges and innovations in dryland agriculture. This book is a
timely effort to fill the gap. The book describes various elements of dryland agricul-
ture, highlights associated breeding and modelling efforts, analyses the experiences
and challenges in dryland agriculture in different regions and proposes some practi-
cal innovations and new areas of research in this critical area of agriculture.
This volume edited by Associate Professor Muhammed Farooq and Professor
Kadambot Siddique will be a ready reference on dryland agriculture to develop
environmentally sustainable and profitable food production systems in this region.
Chennai, India M.S. Swaminathan
Foreword