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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND COOPERATION
Standing Arrangements for
DROUGHT EARLY WARNING SURVEILLANCE
and
EMERGENCY RESPONSE MECHANISM for
ACUTE DROUGHTS.
CONTENTS
1. Prologue
2. Introduction
3. What is Drought
4. Early Warning Indicators of Droughts
5. Elements of Management of Acute Drought
6. Response Mechanism
7. Withdrawal of Drought
8. Drought Proofing / Long Term Measures
9. Conclusions
10. Annexures
I - Composition of Weather Watch Group
II - Proforma for weekly report on Relief works and Employment Generation Programmes.
III - Agency-wise Standard List of items for Drought Preparedness by Central Government Ministry / Deptt.
IV - Drought Proofing / Long Term Measures.
V - Drought Emergency Response Mechanism Institutional arrangements and Mechanisms
Abbreviations:
CRF : Calamity Relief Fund
CWC : Central Water Commission
FAO : Food and Agriculture Organisation
FCI : Food Corporation of India
HSD : High Speed Diesel
ICAR : Indian Council of Agricultural Research
ICDS : Integrated Child Development Scheme
ICRISAT : International Crop Research Institute for Semi-
Arid Tropics
IMD : India Meteorological Department
IMG : Inter-Ministerial Group
NCCF : National Calamity Contingency Fund
NCMRWF : National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast
ONGC : Oil and Natural Gas Commission
SGRY : Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana
TPDS : Targetted Public Distribution System
1. Prologue:
In the last 26 years there has been no year without some State or the other suffering moderate to severe drought. The years 1979, 1987 and 2002 saw large parts of the country under spell of severe droughts. These major crises were handled successfully with the Central Government playing a pro-active role in their management. Management of the crisis precipitated by severe droughts has, therefore, become well defined with standard operating procedures and mechanisms having been adopted by the States and Centre. This set of operating procedures and strategies has enabled the country to repeatedly over-come the challenge of drought in a manner that has been recognized internationally and show-cased by the FAO. An attempt has been made here to document the time-tested and suitably adapted management practices of the Government of India.
It will be appropriate to mention at the outset that the primary responsibility of dealing with disasters, including droughts, rests with the States. Central Government supplements these efforts through financial and operational support. In case of droughts this responsibility has a greater salience as the long gestation period and the prolonged course of the calamity imposes a special obligation on the Centre with its more extensive resources and its control over various scientific and technical organizations (IMD, NCMRWF, ICAR and CWC etc.) which have a major role in anticipating, monitoring and managing the problem.
2. Introduction:
The mechanism for anticipating and managing droughts necessarily differs from similar arrangements concerning other disasters, natural or man-made, for the following reasons: -
i) Slow onset and prolonged course of droughts as opposed to other disasters, which have rapid onset, and a limited duration (from a few seconds in Earthquakes, few minutes in Tsunami to a few hours in Cyclones and to several days in floods)
ii) Early warning indicators in case of droughts are necessarily ambiguous i.e. they may or may not culminate in a full-blown drought. In other natural disasters (other than Earthquakes), such indicators, once they become visible, ordinarily culminate in the ‘event’. A possible exception being tropical cyclones where low pressure areas, often dissipate ruling out occurrence of an ‘event’ that earlier appeared imminent.
iii) The responsibility of dealing with droughts rests with the Ministry of Agriculture whereas Ministry of Home Affairs deals with all other natural disasters.
3. What is Drought?
Droughts connote shortage of water for human, cattle and agricultural consumption.
Droughts could be Meteorological (Rainfall deficits exceeding –20% with reference to normal figures in a District), Hydrological (serious depletion of Groundwater resulting in scarcity of water for human and cattle consumption) and Agricultural (Crop damage due to dry spells and uneven precipitation despite over-all normal rains).
While any of the above types may result in an acute drought, the hydrological and agricultural varieties are frequently endemic in certain areas in a chronic form needing long-term measures rather than crisis management or emergency response required for an acute drought. In other words, ’Crisis Management’ is most frequently required in case of a Meteorological Drought although the crisis precipitated by an acute drought acquires extra-ordinary severity where Hydrological Drought is already in evidence.
An acute drought is an event where, due to scarcity of water, for any reason - though mostly on account of scanty (-60% of normal or less) or deficient rains (-20% to –59% of the normal) results in substantial failure of agricultural operations causing loss of rural livelihood and reduction in over-all availability of water.
(A chronic drought can not be precisely defined. It is characterized by low productivity/ soil fertility, seasonal migration and progressive decline in the vibrancy of local habitats.)
4. Early Warning
Indicators of
Droughts:
The following constitute ‘early warning indicators’:
For Kharif (Sowing June to August)
i) Delay in onset of South-West Monsoon.
ii) Long ‘break’ in activity of South-West Monsoon.
iii) Insufficient rains during the month of July.
iv) Rise in Price of fodder.
v) Absence of rising trend in Reservoir Levels.
vi) Drying up sources of Rural Drinking Water Supply.
vii) Declining trend in progress of sowing over successive weeks compared to corresponding figures for “normal years”.
For Rabi (Sowing November to January)
i) Deficiency in closing figures for South – West Monsoon (30th September).
ii) Serious depletion in level of Ground Water compared to figures for “normal years”.
iii) Fall in the level of Reservoirs compared to figures for the corresponding period in the “normal years” – indication of poor recharge following SW Monsoon.
iv) Indication of marked soil moisture stress.
v) Rise in price of fodder.
vi) Increased deployment of water through tankers
(For Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry the crucial period is North East Monsoon – October to December).
Other Seasons
For areas like Gujarat, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and North Interior Karnataka the crucial period is March / April when due to chronic hydrological drought, many areas develop acute scarcity of Drinking Water.
For specific states and particular crops there are particular times of years when progress of rains is of special significance e.g. February rains in Kerala for plantation crops.
5. Elements of
Management of
an Acute
Drought:
The present mechanism of managing an acute drought in the Ministry of Agriculture seeks to address its essential elements through;
i) Constant monitoring of rainfall and hydrological status;
ii) Detection of Early Warning Signs other than rainfall statistics to identify a potential drought;
iii) Liaison with States where early warning signs are detected;
iv) Appearance of Drought like Conditions;
v) Assessment of Damage and Requirement of Assistance for distress mitigation in the event of actual outbreak of a drought.
vi) Sanction of Assistance;
vii) Monitoring of progress of Drought and Administration of Relief.
The responsibility for putting in place preventive/remedial measures rests for (i) and (ii) with the Crop Weather Watch Group. Item (iii) is dealt with primarily through the Area Officers of States concerned (Area Officers are Joint Secretaries or officials of equal rank in agencies under the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation). Items (iv) to (vii) are handled primarily by the Drought Management Division in Department of Agriculture and Cooperation in coordination with relevant Ministries/ Departments of the Central Government and the State Governments concerned.
(ICAR circulates State-specific Crop Contingency Plans conveying suggested varieties which could be grown in the event of an approaching drought in lieu of ‘normal staples. The implementation of this Advisory is entirely with the States. No further monitoring on pat of ICAR is feasible).
6. Response
Mechanisms
Appropriately, the response mechanisms can be described with reference to each element enumerated above.
(i) Monitoring of rainfall and Hydrological situation
(ii) Detection of Early Warning Signs
The responsibility of measuring rainfall rests with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) while assessment of hydrological conditions is to be made by the Ministry of Water Resources.
Apart from weekly flow of information relating to rainfall, reservoir levels, and Ground-Water data from the relevant agencies, there is also a weekly review of these parameters along with other details like crop conditions, pest status, availability of inputs and prices in a forum the CROP WEATHER WATCH GROUP. The composition of this Group is at Annexure-I. This forum, in view fo the variety of expertise available to it, is the lynch-pin for observing emerging early warning signs. As it is a body charged with the responsibility of keeping a watch over the Indian Agriculture in periods of affluence and adversity, it has over the years, accumulated considerable institutional acumen in watching emerging problems.
The Group meets every Monday at 12.00 Noon and acts on the information furnished by the participating agencies on the basis of inputs received till the previous Friday from their field formations and the State Governments. The activity of this Group is all round the Year, drought or no drought. The findings of the Group are shared the same day in the Meeting of Senior Officers held ordinarily at 2.30 PM. In the context of early warning of droughts, the following parameters are taken into consideration by the Group:
b) Progress of monsoon – identification of delays, if any
c) Breaks in Rainfall
d) Progress of sowing vis-à-vis corresponding figures for the same period
e) Reservoir Levels
It is worth noting that it is the only forum where Meteorologists, Hydrologists, Engineers, Agronomists and Administrators from various organizations sit at the same table, endowing the exercise with a multi-disciplinary perspective.
(iii) Liaison with States where Early Warning Signs appear:
Area Officers have the responsibility of being in daily touch with such States to ascertain the emerging situation. Area Officers send the feedback to the Drought Management Division of the Department. In the early stages of an incipient problem, this feed back is of crucial significance to alert Central agencies to the disturbing possibilities and to enable all concerned to be in state of high preparedness.
(iv) Appearance of ‘Drought-Like’ conditions:
“Drought like conditions” appears when ‘Early Warning signs’ persist. These are characterized by a slackening of sowing/growth of sown crops and depletion of sources of water supply. On appearance of these conditions the Drought Management Division initiates the following action:
(a) Deputing the Area Officers for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation
(b) If the Area Officers’ reports confirm presence of “Drought-like conditions”, steps are taken to advance release of the Central Share of the CRF of the State to enable early initiation of necessary relief measures
(c) If the State Government concerned so requires, release of food-grains for initiation of relief employment works is authorized without detailed assessment of losses and sanction of assistance.
The duration of the phenomenon referred as “drought like condition” before it can be regarded as having graduated to a full blown drought varies not only from region to region but within the same region from year to year depending on the severity of symptoms.
(v) Assessment of Damage and Requirement of Assistance:
“Drought like conditions” could be transient as happened in 2004. Subsequent rains often remedy the situation; the net result in such cases is a marginal fall in production and temporary scarcity of drinking water and fodder. No further relief operations are needed and provisions in the CRF of the State suffice for limited relief measures undertaken during the period of transient stress.
Where Drought Like Conditions persist – crucial dates being middle of September for Kharif and middle of January for Rabi – a “full blown” drought can be said to have occurred. It requires formal declaration by the State Governments concerned followed by a Memorandum from the State seeking assistance from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF).
Drought Management Division constitutes Inter-Departmental Central Teams to visit the States, processes the recommendations for consideration of the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) chaired by the Agriculture Secretary and sends proposal for approval of the High Level Committee (consisting of the Agriculture Minister as Chairman and Ministers of Home and Finance, and the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission as members).
(vi) Sanction of Assistance:
This is carried out by the Ministry of Finance
(vii) Monitoring of Progress of Drought and Administration of Relief:
There is a Weekly system of monitoring (Proforma at Annexure-II). Analysis of this proforma forms the basis of Weekly Reports to be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Secretariat. The proforma enables a review of both the drought situation and its mitigation.
During wide-spread and acute droughts there is a Crisis Management Group with Additional Secretary as Chairperson and representatives of Ministries / Departments of Water Resources, Power, Rural Development, Women & Child Development, Drinking Water Supply, Health and Railway Board as members to solve specific problems in provision of relief being faced by a particular State.
In order that State Relief Departments are not disturbed for attending review meetings in Delhi, Video-Conferences are held from time to time.
A severe drought requires considerable supplementary assistance and logistic support of the various Departments/ Ministries of the Central Government. A Standard List of items requiring attention, agency-wise, is at Annexure-III.
During periods of extra-ordinary concern about emergence of a severe drought and to take stock of an on-going crisis, Cabinet Secretary and the PMO takes stock of the situation as and when it warrants. Recently, a Cabinet Committee on Disaster Management has been constituted which will act as the forum for taking urgent policy decisions concerning mitigation and relief.
7. Withdrawal of
Drought
While withdrawal or abatement of a severe drought is a gradual phenomenon, inputs received from Remote Sensing/ Satellite Imagery play a very useful role in indicating improving or deterioration of the situation – these constitute a very useful prognostic tool. The role of this intervention in detecting early warning systems is, however, still in a rudimentary stage.
8. Drought Proofing /
Long Term Measures
Long term interventions are beyond the scope of this document, which seeks to elucidate the existing mechanisms and processes to deal with early signs and management of an acute drought within the Central Government. In order, however, to bring in a degree of compendiousness to this document a brief out-line of long term strategies based on module prepared by the International Crop Research Institute for Semi – Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is at Annexure-IV.
9. Conclusion
Management of no two severe droughts is identical. The present document, however, lists various interventions and operating procedures which a typical, sever drought normally entails. The broad dynamics of these arrangements and institutional set up remain in position for dealing with crisis precipitated by a severe drought.
A synoptic view of these arrangements is also given at Annexure-V, which need continuous review and updating but constitute the standard crisis management methodologies in force at the present point of time.
Annexure-I
( Para 6 (ii) )
Constituents and Role of Crop Weather Watch Group
|
Additional Secretary |
Chairman of the group; promote overall coordination |
|
Economic & Statistical Adviser |
Reporting on behaviour of agro-climatic and market indicators |
|
India Meteorological Department |
Monsoon forecast and progress of monsoon conditions |
|
Central Water Commission |
Water level situation in major reservoirs |
|
Plant protection Division |
Warning about pests and diseases |
|
Crop Specialists |
Crop conditions and prospects |
|
Agricultural input supply divisions |
Supply and demand of all agricultural inputs |
|
Agricultural extension specialists |
Reporting on field level farm operations |
|
Ministry of Power |
Managing electrical power for ground water exploitation |
|
Indian Council of Agricultural Research |
Information on technology transfer |
|
National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast |
Furnishing of Medium Term Forecasts |
…
Annexure-II
Para 6(vii)
Weekly Proforma for Report on Drought
Relief Works and Employment Generation Programmes
Note: 1) Week ending figures as on Friday and to reach by next Wednesday.
2) Cumulative figures since the date of declaration of drought or initiation of the relief
works by the State. (Indicate the date)
3) Please send the information through e-mail: drought@krishi.nic.in
Report for the Week Ending ____________
1) Name of the State : _______________________
No. of Districts in the State : _______________________
No. of Districts declared
drought affected : _____________________
During the week Cumulative
2) Weather & Agriculture Scenario
a) Normal Rainfall (in mm) : ________ ________
b) Actual Rainfall (in mm) : ________ ________
b) No. of Districts with deficient
/Scanty Rainfall : ________ ________
c) Normal Kharif crop Area (in lac ha) : ________ ________
d) Sown Area (in lac ha.) : ________ ________
e) Loss of Crop Area (in lac ha.) : ________ ________
3) Drinking Water
(i) Rural
a) Total No. of Habitations : ________ : _________
b) No. of Tankers supplied : ________ : _________
c) No. of Habitations covered : ________ : _________
(ii) Urban
(a) No. of Towns/Cities covered : ________ : _________
(b) No. of Tankers Deployed : ________ : _________
(iii) Movement by Rail
(a) No. of Wagons : ________ : _________
(b) Quantity in Kilo Litres : ________ : _________
4) Public distribution system &
Employment generation relief works
Plan Programmes
a. No. of Relief Works : ________ : _________
b. Labour Employed (in lakhs) : ________ : _________
Drought Related Programmes
a. No. of Relief Works : ________ : _________
b. Labour Employed (in lakhs) : ________ : _________
Mandays Generated
a. Under SGRY (Spl.Component) : ________ : _________
b. Other Schemes : ________ : _________
c. Cash Component (Rs. In lakhs) : ________ : _________
Allotment & Lifting of Foodgrains under TPDS
a. Released (in lakh MTs) : _______ : _________
b) Utilised (in lakh MTs) : _______ : _________
Allotment & Lifting of Foodgrains under SGRY (SC)
a. Released (in lakh MTs) : _______ : _________
b) Utilised (in lakh MTs) : _______ : _________
Allotment & Lifting of Foodgrains under SGRY (Normal)
a. Released (in lakh MTs) : _______ : _________
b) Utilised (in lakh MTs) : _______ : _________
5) Fodder (Qty. in MTs.)
a. Movement by Road : _______ : _________
b. Movement By Rail : _______ : _________
c. Sale through Depots : _______ : _________
Cattle
a. No. of Cattle camps : _______ : _________
No. of Cattle in camps : _______ : _________
6) Allocation / Expenditure from CRF(Rs. In Lakhs)
(including Central & State Share)
a) Balance as on 1st April ________
b) Sanctions during the current FY : _______ ________
c) Expenditure during the current FY : _______ ________
Signature of the
authorised State Government official
Date: ______________
E-mail / Tel & Fax
To
Drought Monitoring Cell, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Government of India, Room No.22, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi. Fax No. 011-23384555 / 23383309.
Note :A copy of Drought Declaration and all other important Orders / Notifications issued by the State Government on Drought related matters should be endorsed and sent to Central Drought Relief Commissioner on the above address.
Annexure-III
(Para 6 (vii) )
Agency-wise Standard List of items for Drought Preparedness
(In alphabetical order)
Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying
(i) Identification of locations/sources of major fodder supply and sharing these with States
(ii) Issue of guidelines/instructions for proper community cattle health coverage and for running of Cattle Camps
(iii) Sharing of information about innovative methods of utilization of cattle grade feed
(iv) Sharing of information of the latest trends in supplementary animal nutrition
(v) Keeping a watch on the need to permit inter-State movement of fodder
Department of Drinking Water Supply
(i) Identification/census of schemes becoming infructuous due to drying up of source
(ii) Special attention to blocks displaying serious problems in previous severe droughts.
(iii) Quick assessment of requirement of repairs/renovation
Department of Food & Public Distribution
(i) Close monitoring of achievement of planned targets for movement of food-grains by Road and Rail.
(ii) Building up adequate additional stocks in vulnerable areas
(iii) Assessment of availability of afflatoxin-free cattle grade feed within the FCI System.
(iv) Reconciliation of figures of lifting of food-grains with Ministry of Rural Development
….Contd..
Annexure-III continued
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
(i) Keeping a watch on the nutritional status of the people of drought affected States.
(ii) To take effective steps to stop spread of epidemic in the drought affected States.
(iii) Assessment of additional requirements of vaccines and medicines in the drought affected States.
Ministry of Petroleum
(i) Issue of instructions to Oil Companies to cater to likely additional demand for diesel for pumping sets etc. in the event of inadequate availability of power.
(ii) Effective measures to curb adulteration/black-marketeering of HSD etc.
(iii) Sounding the ONGC about making available drilling rigs for deep wells, if the occasion arises.
(iv) Augmentation of allocation of Natural Gas for power generation.
Ministry of Power
(i) Monitoring of production of hydro-electricity in the context of Reservoir levels and suitable adjustments to make for generation of shortfalls, if any, in this sector through hydel gas etc.
(ii) Monitoring of supply to rural areas to facilitate irrigation and other agricultural operations
Ministry of Rural Development
(i) Issue of guidelines for giving primacy to water conservation in relief employment
(ii) Strengthening of guidelines for monitoring and vigilance in relief works
(iii) Closer monitoring of lifting of allocated SGRY food-grains
…..Contd…
Annexure-III continued
Ministry of Railways
(i) Indicating the rolling stock which can be set apart for movement of water and fodder where required
(ii) Special efforts to ensure meeting of planned targets of movement of food-grains for FCI
(iii) Liaison with relevant State Government authorities for activating/reactivating sources of loading of water at least at locations which were utilized for the purpose in 2002.
Department of Urban Development
(i) Identification/census of schemes becoming infructuous due to drying up of source.
(ii) Special attention to blocks displaying serious problems in previous droughts.
(iii) Quick assessment of requirement of repairs/renovation.
(iv) Review of water supply position in Metropolitan areas and its impact on surrounding areas.
Ministry of Water Resources
(i) Issue of instructions for preparing water budget for major reservoirs.
(ii) Review of existing arrangements for chemical treatment of reservoirs for minimizing evaporation
(iii) Coordination with States for close monitoring of water released for irrigation and impact of drought on irrigation generally – suitable monitoring proforma to be generated
(iv) Advisories to State Governments on ‘first charge’ of Drinking Water Sector on Reservoir and for judicious exploitation of ground-water.
(v) Central Ground Water Board to be instructed to carry out monthly estimates of water table in areas where there was steep fall in earlier droughts.
Contd.
Annexure-III continued
Department of Women and Child Development:
(i) Instructions to States to allow additional registrations in ICDS Centres in vulnerable areas.
(ii) Close monitoring of additional registrations in such areas
(iii) Continuous assessment of requirements of the State to provide special nutrition for additional registrations
(iv) Assessment of nutritional status at selected Anganwadis.
ANNEXURE-IV
Para- 8
PREPAREDNESS FOR DROUGHT
Few areas suffer droughts rarely – this happens only in droughts of extraordinary severity, which occur rarely. Most areas are affected frequently. For such areas drought preparedness involves following elements:
Contingency Planning
Soil and Crop Management Techniques
Integrated Watershed Management
Other Water Conservation Techniques
Contingency planning
This consists of;
A. Public Awareness
This is one of the most important strategies to combat the impact of drought on community. This can take the form:
Public meetings for drought information.
Starting awareness programmes on the importance of water conservation.
Establishment of Drought Information Centre where information such as weekly forecasts, seeds availability, market information and crop planning strategies can be obtained.
B. Crop Planning
Since crops are most affected by how much rain falls and where it falls, crop planning should be based on this. The State Governments will need to develop alternative ‘packages’ in different rain scenarios such as:
Late
onset
July failure For Kharif
August ‘breaks’
Early withdrawal For Rabi
Low soil moisture due to
Inadequate SW Monsoon
(These are broad indicators. States will have to work out details having regard to the local agro-climatic factors. Areas with preponderance of North-East Monsoon would also need separate dispensation.)
C. Forecasts based Planning
Availability of forecasts is of no avail unless corrective action is initiated. The following broad indicators need be kept in view:
Dry weather:
1) Thinning the excess plant population to be carried out to make sure the remaining plants get enough water.
2) Mulching with any available refuge material in the interspaces to conserve water by stopping runoff and evaporation.
Hot, cloudy, humid:
Alert for possible Pest Attacks –preventive Pesticide Spray.
Hot with high winds:
Mulching to be carried out.
LONG TERM MEASURES
In vulnerable areas the State Government need to ascertain whether the existing crop pattern is best suited to frequent adverse conditions. Appropriate varieties more suited to vulnerable areas need to be identified and information widely disseminated along with soil and Crop Management Techniques through;
Intercropping
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Nutrient Management
Weed Management
Planting Density
Tillage
Surface Mulching
Long Term Measures also include
Integrated Watershed Management
Integrated Watershed Management (IWM) is the most efficient way to continually manage land and water resources in drought-prone areas. The basis of IWM planning is rainwater.
Control of Soil Erosion
Soil erosion happens when water washes off the top layer of soil. It could result from incorrect cultivation methods, deforestation and water-run off etc. This can be controlled by;
Protecting the soil surface, for example with mulch.
Use proper plant spacing
Right crops for the soil type
Control water runoff
Proper tilling and covering harvested area with mulch
Adopting appropriate mechanical and vegetative barriers to stop soil erosion
Water Runoff
This is achieved through;
In-situ water harvesting through techniques like bundings and key-line and contour cultivation,
Diversion of excess water through techniques like
Construction / repair of Masonary Storage tanks/ broken embankments in community ponds.
Construction repair of percolation ponds for rainwater storage
Construction of check dams
Rooftop rain –water harvesting
In-situ water harvesting
This means keeping rainwater within the field. It leads to less water runoff and increases the ability of the soil to hold moisture. To do this, you need to use land configuration practices, such as:
Ø Field bunding
Ø Contour bunding
Ø Ridges and furrows
Ø Broadbed and furrow system
Ø Keyline and contour cultivation
Alternate Land-use Systems
Some lands can only sustain limited cultivation because they are prone to drought. These are best suited for alternate uses rather than normal food grain crops. Alternate land-use systems give stability to dry land production systems and also make good use of the land and rainfall during the off-season.
Some examples of alternate crops you can grow are:
o Perennial grass
o Legumes
o Woody trees
Perennial grass
When the land is already degraded and unable to support arable crops, perennial grasses are the next best option. Perennial grasses such as cenchrus, panicum and pennisetum, have many benefits including provision of permanent vegetative cover, control soil conservation, fodder augmentation etc.
Legumes
Legumes such as stylo and subabul are good to grow as fodder. They should be grown in combination with fruit trees and green fodder to provide for your needs.
Woody Trees
Combining economic perennial trees and shrubs gives stability to dryland farms. There are many other benefits to growing trees as an alternative crop. Apart from providing fodder and fuel, twigs can be used to reduce run-off and evaporation.
Agroforestry
Agroforestry combines agriculture and forestry. It is a method of growing crops and useful trees in a way that avoids competition between them. You can do this by growing trees on the field boundaries and other places that don’t interfere with crops. This ensures year-round income and meet fodder and fuel needs besides adding to the family food basket. This, however, has a long gestation period.
Agrihorticulture
Agrihorticulture combines agriculture and horticulture. Basically, this means growing widely spaced fruit trees with crops in the paces between the trees. This ensures improved income.
Silvipasture
Silvipasture combines grasses, legumes and trees to meet fodder, fuel and timber needs. The idea is to rehabilitate marginal or degraded land.
“Alley cropping”
Alley cropping is also called hedgerow intercropping. Basically, this is when arable food crops are grown in the alleys formed by hedgerows of perennial trees or shrubs. The best plants for this are subabul and gliricidia because they grow well in degraded soils. This ensures provision of fodder and green manure and rehabilitates degraded land through soil and moisture conservation.
“Ley farming”
Ley farming is another approach that rotates a legume or non-legume forage crop with arable food grain crops. Each year you rotate the plots the crops are grown in.
Legumes fix the nitrogen in the soil, so it is good to grow them before other crops. With ley farming, all parts of the land benefit because they all get a rotation with a legume.
Other Practices
There are some other practices that can be adopted to reduce the impact of drought. These are in addition to those previously discussed.
Ø Organization of Seed-Banks for alternative crops.
