Rainfed Agriculture: Water Harvesting and Soil Water Conservation

Abstract

Cultivated rainfed agricultural lands contribute substantially to food production in the semi-arid tropics, but crop yields depend on the vagaries of the weather, particularly the variable onset and cessation of rainfall. Increased crop yields can be stabilized and the soil resource base conserved if runoff water from periodic intensive rainfall can be harvested, stored and used to supplement crop water requirements during periods of drought.