DRYLAND AGRICULTURE AND WASTELAND MANAGEMENT

Indian agriculture is predominantly rainfed under which both dry farming and dryland agriculture are included. Out of the total 143 million ha of cultivated area in the country, 101 million ha, i.e. nearly 70 per cent is rainfed. The dryland areas of the country contribute about 42 per cent of the total foodgrain production. In order to meet the targeted foodgrain production of 240 million tonnes, production from drylands has to be increased to 60 per cent.Dryland agriculture in India is always a challenge, since crop production in dryland areas depends on monsoon showers. The major concerns of dryland farmers are unpredictability of onset, duration and distribution of rainfall; unfavourable crop growth environment; limited choice of crop varieties; low fertility of soils; and short growing seasons.There is an urgent need to formulate strategies to improve agriculture production in the dry farming tracts. Some improved techniques and practices recommended by experts include using resistant, tolerant, high-yielding and short-duration crop varieties; observing weather conditions closely and planning farming activities accordingly; and exercising substitution in favour of those crops which are efficient utilizers of moisture and more responsive to inputs.Dryland Agriculture and Wasteland Management Emerging Issues and Extension Strategies is an anthology of well-researched articles by scientists, scholars and researchers on pertinent topics related to dryland agriculture such as wasteland management, soil evaluation, farming systems, extension strategies, indigenous technical knowledge, watershed management and sustainability of farming in different areas.The book will prove to be an ideal reference source for students, teachers, researchers, administrators and all those concerned with the development of dryland agriculture in India.

Book Contents

Preface; 1. Identification of Problems in an Agro-Ecosystem Through Snowball TechniqueL.M. Ahire, Sandhya Shenoy and V.K. Jayaraghavendra Rao; 2. A Study of Adoption of Dryland Agricultural Innovations of Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth by the Farmers from Maharashtra StateS.B. Shinde and A.G. Sawant; 3. Effect of Soil Amendments on Improvement of Soil Physical Condition and Crop Growth of Pigeon PeaG.J. Patel, D.B. Patel and T.P. Kotecha; 4. Decision Making Pattern of Dryland Farmers in Tamil NaduK. Thangaraja, C. Karthikeyan and J. Venkatapirabu; 5. Appropriate Farming and Extension Strategies for Wasteland and Dryland Areas An Empirical MatrixK. Chandrakandan, C. Cinthia Fernandaz and R. Ganesan; 6. Scope of Refining and Promoting ITKs on Soil and Water Conservation in Rainfed AreasP.K. Mishra, M. Osman and G.R. Maruthi Sanker; 7. Socio-Economic Constraints of Dry Farming in Tamil NaduK. Thangaraja, C. Karthikeyan and J. Venkatapirabu; 8. Emerging Trends in Gully ManagementAn Integrated Approach with Peoples ParticipationAsim Biswas and S.L. Budihal; 9. Impact Evaluation of DPAP Watersheds in Tamil NaduP. Balaji and C. Velavan; 10. Farm Watershed Management Strategies for Arid Agro-EcosystemG.D. Singh; 11. Participatory Irrigation Management and its Success in Tamil NaduM. Shantha Sheela, R. Rajasekaran and K. Palanisami; 12. Social Gains and Effect of Encroachment in Tank Irrigation SystemD. Karpagam and C. Karthikeyan; 13. Need for Integrated Watershed Development ProgrammeE. Mahalakshmi Geetha, N. Kalaichelvi and A. Manickavalli; 14. Paired Comparison Ranking for Participatory Field Problem IdentificationV.K. Jayaraghavendra Rao and N. Sandhya Shenoy; 15. Lessons Learnt from Watershed Management and its Development ProgrammesN. Kalaichelvi and E. Mahalakshmi Geetha; 16. Capacity Building Measures in Management of a Successful Watershed in Coimbatore DistrictK. Palanisami, A. Raviraj and S. Gurunathan; 17. Role of Project Implementing Agency (PIA) in Watershed Development ProgrammeP. Balaji and S. Gurunathan; 18. Sustainability of Watershed DevelopmentM. Malini and M. Ranichandra; 19. Motivation and Adoption of Agroforestry (Wadi) in the Peri-Urban Village ChannapurAnasuya Patil, G.H. Yogesh and C.S. Hunshal; 20. Problems and Constraints of Supplementary Enterprises in Dryland Integrated Farming SystemsA Case Study of Rabbitry in Himachal PradeshAshok Kumar, K.C. Sood, Atul Dogra and S.K. Sharma; 21. Small Animals for Sustainable FarmingSelected Case Studies on Integrated Farming SystemC. Cinthia Fernandaz and K.Chandrakandan; 22. Integrated Farming System (IFS) with Special Focus on Organic Farming Approaches and Possibilities in the Context of Indian AgricultureN. Deepa, A. Rohini and S. Moghana Lavanya; 23. Constraints and Prospects of Farming in the Hills of Himachal PradeshK.C. Sood, K. Bassi, S.S. Masand, Ashok Kumar and Atul Dogra; 24. Integrated Farming SystemMeans to Achieve Sustainable Economic Returns for Small and Medium FarmersD.S.M. Gowda, S.M. Hiremath, P.V. Kusagur and K.B. Yadahalli; 25. IFS DemonstrationsAn Approach for Sustainable DevelopmentS.M. Hiremath, D.S.M. Gowda, P.V. Kusagur, H.R. Nagaraju and R.A. Budihal; 26. Impact of Wasteland Development Programmes in IndiaAn Appraisal on Commissions of OmissionsC. Cinthia Fernandaz and K. Chandrakandan; 27. Socio-Economic Concerns in Wasteland ManagementG.P. Reddy; 28. Traditional Dry Land Farming Practices of Farmers in Tamil NaduK. Thangaraja, C. Karthikeyan, J. Venkatapirabu and R. Rajasekaran; 29. Rainfed Agricultural Development in Tamil NaduR. Balasubramanian and N. Venkatesa Palanichamy; Contributors