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THE FORESAKEN DRYLAND FARMERS - - K. Ramasubba Reddy

Rainfed Farming-Profile, Problems and Pathways for Progress-(Draft)

Profile of Rainfed Farming :

Rainfed agriculture accounts for 60% of total cropped area, 48% of the area under food crops and 68% under non-food crops. In terms of production, drylands account for nearly 80% of the output of coarse cereals, 50% of maize, 65% of chickpea and pigeonpea, 80% of groundnut and 88% of soyabean. Half the output of cotton in the country is from the dry districts. Nearly 50 per cent of the total rural workforce and 60 per cent of the livestock in the country are concentrated in the dry districts. It accounts for over six percent of GDP, just a little under a third of the contribution of Agriculture sector and nearly half of rural work force is dependent on rainfed farming.

13 states account for about 92 per cent of the total rainfed area. These include the main states of Maharashtra (14.49 million ha), Madhya Pradesh (9.31 million ha), Rajasthan (12.15 million ha), Karnataka (7.46 million ha), Uttar Pradesh (4.42 million ha), Andhra Pradesh (6.48 million ha), Gujarat (6.58 million ha) and West Bengal (2.54 million ha). Annual rainfall in the drylands varies from less than 150 mm to 1600 mm. Soils vary from shallow skeletal soils of the deserts to medium to deep black soils.

Rainfed agriculture in about 85 million hectares of arable land is the manifest opposite of the prosperous irrigated cereal-based green revolution tracts. The green revolution has bypassed millions living in the drylands.

Most of the developmental effort in agriculture has remained concentrated in irrigated areas. The average crop productivity in the rainfed areas has, consequently, remained woefully low at about 1 tonne a hectare, less than half of that in the irrigated areas. There are large inequalities in incomes of households in irrigated and rainfed zones. States with large rainfed areas have reported less agricultural growth in the last decade (See Note Nos 3& 4)

Growth of agricultural GDP decelerated from over 3.5% per year during 1981–82 and 1996–97 to less than 2.5% during 1997 and 2007.

Variation in fall of Agri GDP growth rates in irrigated and rainfed areas

Period	In areas with more than 40% area under assured irrigation	In areas with more than 60% rainfed area
1986-96	2.96%	4.00%
1996-2005	2.07%	0.14%

Where as in irrigated areas there was only a marginal decline in agri GDP from 2.965 to 2.07%, in rainfed areas which have shown good agri growth during 1986-96, there was steep fall in Agri GDP from 4% to 0.14% during the period 1996-2005. Analysts attribute this steep decline in rainfed agriculture to neglect of this sub-sector by the policy makers. The sub committee on agriculture also acknowledges soil erosion & inefficiency in use of rain water at 30 to 45% due to poor investment and infra structure and inappropriate policy support as the causes for poor growth. Consequently, a major portion of seasonal rainfall flowed away as surface run-off, taking with it precious top soil and thus depleting the soil of vital plant nutrients

The dryland farmers are forsaken because they lack an effective voice, because the balance of power in their relationships with the outside world is heavily tilted against them.

When the government refuses to extend price and procurement support for their crops and to their regions, they do not have a clue as to why. When taxes are cut for the rich and subsidies for the drylands reduced in one stroke under international pressure, they remain unaware and silent. There is hardly anyone campaigning for greater public investment in the drylands even though a strong case can be made for this in the interest of national food security, for generating employment and boosting macro-economic growth.

Conclusion :

Facing the challenge of the drylands is no longer a matter of choice. It is a must if we are to meet the goal of national food security in the coming years. Even in the most optimistic scenario of further irrigation development in India, nearly 40% of national demand for food by 2020 will have to be met through increasing the productivity of rainfed dryland agriculture. And this demands that productivity of drylands be raised.

Problems and Issues :

Uncertainty of weather conditions imposing multiple risks during the crop growing season.

Low water (surface or ground) potential.

Low levels of fertility of the soil and increasing desertification.

Low levels of private investment in land improvement and cultivation.

Labour employment in an uneven manner alternating between peak demand and least demand.

Poorest of our people live in the drylands of India, especially the tribal and hilly areas.

	Over emphasis on irrigation resulted in over exploitation in two-thirds of India’s landmass which is underlain by hard rock formations, totally unsuited to extraction of water by tubewells. This has led to a terrible self-engendered crisis of water in large parts of the country, with water tables plummeting everywhere.
	Hybrid seeds reduced stalk size, diversity and quality of crop-residue, resulting in a fodder crisis in rural India.
	The overall growth rate of crop production during 1990s was nearly half of what it was during the 1980s. The output of coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds (covering about 45% of total cropped area and grown mostly in the drylands) fell during the 1990s and the rate of growth of their yields decelerated considerably.
	Another crucial area of neglect is livestock. Small and marginal farmers and landless labourers constitute almost two-thirds of these livestock-keeping households in India. And about 18 million households derive their livelihood from livestock with over 70% of the labor force being women.
	Drylands are poor in terms of their banking networks and credit dispensation.

Pathways-Measures Needed to Improve Rain fed Farming :

The dryland farming is caught in a vicious circle of low investment and low yields. Substantial Public investments for long periods are required to enable them to break out of this trap. There is a perceptible decline in public investment in agriculture since the mid-1980s.

	location-specific public investments in water infrastructure(check dams, percolation tanks & farm ponds). Studies have shown that the elasticity of output with respect to irrigation in semi-arid regions is as high as 0.70, as against coastal areas of 0.36(Output per a given investment in rainfed lands is double that of output in coastal areas).
	Improve rural livelihoods through participatory watershed development projects. (For details see Note 1)

Transfer of surplus run-off from perennially water-rich basins to water scarce areas- Principal solution :

The hard rock aquifers, which cover two-thirds of India’s geographical area, have very poor storage potential, and that these regions have too little surface water in their basins in bad years for storing in aquifers. In years of good monsoon, these poor aquifers get fully replenished and do not offer any space for extra storage.
But, we do not get any surplus run-off from catchments of these basins for storing in the empty aquifers during the drought years.

Major way to “operationalise” the idea of groundwater banking is to transfer surplus run-off from perennially water-rich basins to water scarce areas with depleted aquifers in years of droughts.

	Supply of drought resistant and improved yield potential seeds at subsidized rates.
	Integrated nutrient management: to provide the labour subsidy/support (in terms of wages for the required person-days) for generation and application of plant nutrients instead of product/input subsidy or support in a situation where the farmer feels it is a ‘burden’ (in terms of own labour or hired labour) and therefore opts for chemicals. Example: Tank silt application in lieu of chemical fertilizers for soil nutrient management. A typical tank (22,500 cum. of tank silt) can generate 6250 person-days of employment. This amounts to providing employment to 50 labourers for 125 days per tank.
	Attention to soil healthcare needs to be given high priority. Soil health cards, giving regularly updated information on major and micronutrients should be issued to all the farmers. This would require strengthening of soil testing labs in all parts of the country. Provision of micronutrients like zinc and boron and sulphur can help to increase yield by over 50% in dry land farming areas. Encouraging use of organic nutrients and enhance soil organic matter.
	providing water conservation subsidy to farmers in rainfed areas under NREGA.
	integrating dryland food grains into the Public Distribution System so that dryland agriculture products get a market
	strengthening livelihood options based on livestock, agro-processing and forests.
	National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) has been rendered a powerless appendage of the agriculture ministry. To achieve the objectives, NRAA should be converted into an autonomous constitutional body (See Note 2).
	better support systems through cyclical credit, Minimum support prices( See Note 5) and marketing arrangements for dry land crops, research and extension.

Research Support Needed :

The ICAR has specific research organizations – the Agriculture (CRIDA), and parts of the Indian Grasslands and Fodder Research Institute Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), the Central Research Institute for Dryland (IGFRI), Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI) mandated to conduct research on specific crops and problems in the drylands. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is located in India,

Agricultural research and extension should :

(a) Concentrate on developing drought resistant and improved yield potential seeds.

(b) Developing nutrition management practices from the locally available organic biomass and other soil enriching material. The shift of emphasis towards innovation requires a change in the attitude of researchers and research organisations towards local knowledge

(c) All the cases of successful innovation and development evident in the drylands (drip irrigation systems, integrated pest management, watershed development, etc.) reveal several agencies working together, improvising their interventions with a deep respect for local knowledge – whether it is from input dealers, industry, extension staff/ departments yields results.

(d) Extension agencies to demonstrate at field level the benefits from improved seeds and nutrition management practices from locally available material.

NOTES: 1. XI Plan Focus on Improving Rainfed Farming :

Growth of agricultural GDP decelerated from over 3.5% per year during 1981–82 and 1996–97 to less than 2.5% during 1997 and 2007. This deceleration, was most marked in rainfed areas, in almost all States.

Profile of Rainfed Areas :

Rainfed areas in the country, which account for 60% of the cultivated area and are home to majority of our rural poor and marginal farmers, have suffered neglect in the past in not having received differentiated technological, institutional, infrastructural, and investment support. These areas are characterized by:

* high incidence of poverty,

* low education and health status,

*low employment opportunities, and vulnerability to a variety of high risks.

*After a high growth in rainfed agriculture during 1985–96, the deceleration in its growth since 1996 was more than that of the irrigated sector partly due to liberated trade policies in vegetable oils and ineffective domestic support prices of rainfed crops.

poor attention by government departments & poor quality of service delivery.

Repeated water scarcities leading to large-scale droughts have severely affected livelihoods of these rural poor.

Possible Solutions :

	Improve rural livelihoods through participatory watershed development projects.
	*Merits of the watershed-based approach:*
	Soil loss and surface runoff reduced by 52% to 58% respectively in completed watersheds.
	Area under irrigation increased from 34% to 100% in different watersheds.
	The area under sowing increased. The cropping intensity increased.
	Productivity/yields of crops increased and the net returns also increased (up to 63%).
	The Benefit Cost Ratio of watershed ranged from 1.10 to 15.72, depending on the above factors.
	The availability of drinking water and groundwater situation improved in all project villages.
	Other benefits such as fodder availability, employment opportunities (and also equal wages in limited number of cases), and income generation opportunities improved significantly in all villages where watershed projects were implemented.
	Human and cattle migration reduced significantly. These findings suggest that there is a strong case for a massive expansion of the rainfed areas programme in the country.
	ii. Water shed development programme should be reinforced by:
	Domestic support price.
	Promotion of pulses crops by providing improved seeds of pulses, availability of specific nutrients of sulphur and phosphorous, and better market linkages.
	Improving productivity of rainfed rice in eastern India. Sweet sorghum for ethanol production could be more competitive in the dry regions of southern and western States.
	Risk moderation through rain water conservation, rejuvenation of traditional water bodies.
	Livestock, agro-forestry, and dryland horticulture and value addition through processing, storage etc.,
	Diversification and expansion of predominantly rainfed crop of soybean by market linkage.
	Credit requirement of rainfed regions, repayment should be planned to cover the risks; for example, total livelihood portfolio with extended repayment period would be more appropriate.
	Convergence with employment guarantee schemes
	Artificial Groundwater Recharge, as well as renovation of existing water bodies.
	Upgradation of skills of the landless, asset less, artisans, and small and marginal farmers should be promoted keeping in view the new marketing demands.

Note2. The National Rain-fed Area Authority (NRAA) was established on 3rd November 2006 to give focused attention to the problems of rainfed area of the country. With as much as 85 million hectares of arable land being almost wholly rain-dependent for crop production, the vulnerability of the Indian agriculture to the vagaries of the monsoon remains significantly high. Nearly half of the total acreage of over 90 million hectares under rice, and the bulk of the area under coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds are unirrigated and hence rain-reliant. The potential of development of rainfed areas in the country is immense as rainfed area account for 60% of the total cultivated area but contribute only 45% of agricultural production. But NRAA has been rendered a powerless appendage of the agriculture ministry. To achieve the objectives, NRAA should be converted into an autonomous constitutional body.

Rainfed Area Development Programme :

Foodgrain production in the country accrues from about 142 million hectares of cultivated land. Of this, 40% is irrigated and contribute 55% of production. The remaining 85 million hectares are rainfed and account for 45% of the total production. During 2007-08, Government proposed to introduce ‘Rainfed Area Development Programme’ (RADP) to address the specific needs of rainfed areas. Rs.100 crore was allocated for the scheme during 2007-08, but, the scheme was not launched for want of ‘in principle’ approval.

By the end of X plan area of 9.40 million ha was developed in 6315 water sheds incurring an expenditure of Rs 3,033 crore. The Planning Commission has set an outlay of Rs.2500 crore for the XI Plan period. It is proposed to develop 2.30 million ha in the XI plan period. In the first two years of the XI plan, an area of 6.14 lakh ha has been developed at a cost of Rs 480 crore. Budget allocation of a megre amount of Rs.138 crore is made for 2009-10.

‘Considering that the total rainfed area under cultivated in India is 85 million hectares the target fixed for RADP seem to be minuscule (only 2.6%) of the magnitude of area needs to be developed and proves that the Government is not seriousness towards rainfed area agriculture. At this rate more than 100 years will be required to cover the whole of 85 million hectares under RADP.

It is because of neglect of rainfed areas of States like Jharkhand & Chattisgarh where only a single crop is grown there in spite of 1400mm of rainfall, and lakhs of people remain without work and means of livelihood.
If implemented effectively. The money being spent on importing pulses, oil, etc., at exorbitant rates can be saved if sufficient funds are allocated for developing rainfed areas for regular agriculture.

The emphasis in production should be on farming system approach that integrates crop, livestock, agro-forestry, and horticulture. Wherever possible, agriculture development programmes in rain-fed areas should converge on watershed.’(Excerpts from the Report of Standing Committee on Agriculture)

Note3 :

Note4 :

Note 5 :

MSP not helping rainfed :

A study by Ramesh Chand of the National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research shows rainfed farmers invariably suffer from price fluctuations and earn less out of agriculture. The government with a view to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers announces the minimum support prices (MSP). Farmers perceive MSP as a guarantee price for their produce from the government.

These prices are announced by the Government at the commencement of the season to enable them to pursue their efforts with the assurance that the prices would not be allowed to fall below the level fixed by the government. However, “MSP is not implemented everywhere and is effective only in those places where the government has set a procurement price”, says Ramesh Chand. The study further notes that the farm harvest price (FHP) has a higher risk of going below the MSP.

FHP is the actual price of the crop during three months after harvest. The study capturing the actual MSP and FHP in 12 states shows that Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra where 66- 90 per cent of geographical area in each state are under rainfed conditions demonstrate fluctuations as high as Rs 300- 445 per quintal. States like Punjab and Haryana that have experienced the Green Revolution are stable with variations of Rs 5- 40 per quintal. The stability of prices in irrigated areas can be attributed to the presence of welldeveloped markets.
KRSR/DP-RFF Draft-14/10/09