Resource Management in Rainfed Drylands

Dryland agriculture has a distinct place in Indian agriculture, occupying 67 percent of the cultivated area, contributing to 44 percent of food grains and supporting 40 percent of human and 60 percent of livestock populations. Most of the pulses, oilseeds, and millets are confined to dryland ecosystems. Although India is blessed with an average annual rainfall of about 1200 mm, the fate of dryland crops oscillates with the quantity, onset, progress, spatial and temporal distribution of monsoon rains. In order to achieve evergreen revolution, we shall have to make grey areas (drylands) as green through the latest technological innovations. Therefore, the course - Resource Management in Rainfed Drylands is designed to give a clear picture of agricultural technologies and practices developed by scientists in improving dryland productivity and to showcase the extraordinary amount of research and successful field action undertaken in dryland agriculture by India leading to enhancement of productivity in dryland agriculture.