A time for rainfed agriculture: Eleventh Coromandel Lecture

In this lecture a plea is made for the study and promotion of increased agricultural production and stabilization of crop yields in rainfed areas of India, based on experience gained by the author in different parts of the world and particularly at ICRISAT. The increasing pressure of population on land resources in India, and particularly the weather, makes it essential to get the maximum food production both from irrigated and rainfed areas. Out of 142 ha of cultivated land in India, about 108 mill ha depend on rainfed agriculture, accounting for 42% of foodgrains production. Average yields are low, generally below 800 kg/ha. It is possible to increase the yields by 50 to 100% with the existing technologies. The contribution of improved, input-responsive seeds and fertilizers, improved management of soil and rainfall, proper choice of cropping systems, supplementary irrigation and water harvesting in rainfed areas, and adoption of full packages of practices will enable modern agriculture and higher production and farm incomes to spread throughout the rainfed areas