Rainfed Farming
Growing of crops on natural preciption without irrigation.
Dry farming areas : Dry farming areas (as per the IV five year plan) are those areas receiving an annual rainfall ranging from 375 to 1125 mm and very limited irrigation facilities. Areas which receive less than 375 mm of average rainfall are considered as absolutely arid or desert areas, which require special treatment. As many as 128 districts in the country falls under category of dry farming areas as defined above. Out of these 25 dists from the states of Rajasthan, Sourashtra and rainshado region of Maharashtra and Karnataka belong to very high intensity dryfarming areas (i.e. rainfall ranges from 375 to 750 mm and irrigated area belong 10% of the cropped area.)
As the Encylopedia Britanmputs Dry land farming consists of making the best use of limited water supply by storing in the soil and much of the rainfall as possible and by going suitable crop plants those make the best use of this moisture.
The major physiographic regions observed in India namely
i) Mountain region
ii) Indogangatic alluvial plains
iii) Peninsular or Deccan plateau &
iv) Coastal plains.
National Agricultural Research Project (NARP) launched in 1979 by ICAR with soft loan support from International Development Agency (IDA) of World Bank. Where in state Agricultural Universities were advised to divide each zone / state into subzons (NARP). Accordingly 120 sub zone map based primarily on rainfall, existing cropping pattern and administrative units was prepared.
Although the agro climatic regional approach considers an agro – climatic zone having a greater degree of commonality of the relevant basic fetures of soils, topography, climate and water resources. Yet in practice this approach neighter gave adequate consideration to soils and environmental conditions nor had a uniform criterion. Moreover, the use of state as a unit for sub – division may not be reconciled with, as it resulted is the creation of many sub – divisions having similar agro – climation characteristics, occurring in different states.
Since the agro – climatic regional planning a approach was intended take an integrated view of agricultural economy in relation to resource bas and linkage with other sectors, further development should be specific agro – ecoregions and considered to generate an agro ecological region my of the country giving due recognition to climatic conditions, length growing period, land form & soils.