A dimension within Dryland Crop Management
Explores organic and traditional farming, seed saving, and irrigation for dryland crop cultivation.
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AI-synthesised pieces woven from many community voices on this theme. They may contain errors or interpretation — they're a reflection of the stories, not a record of fact.

After the main harvest, we harness the land's natural moisture to cultivate a vital second crop, ensuring food and oil for our families.

By relying on traditional farming methods and saving our own seeds, we ensure food security and healthy crops without external inputs.

Even without irrigation, our traditional seeds and old farming methods ensure our crops ripen, providing food for our homes.

Facing the prospect of future water scarcity, our community relies on cultivating traditional zero-irrigation crops to secure food and conserve precious resources.
Immediately after the Kharif cultivation, we cultivate pulse crops like moong (green gram) in the Rabi season. This is done with zero irrigation, using seeds that we have saved beforehand.
— Santosh Barik · Narala, Kalahandi, Odisha
We store moong pulse seeds using traditional methods and sow the seeds as a Rabi crop with zero irrigation after the Kharif season crop harvest.
— Ahalya Sahu · Kalahandi, Odisha
Traditionally, we store our own moong seeds and sow them in the Rabi season, immediately after the Kharif season, even with zero irrigation.
— Lily Barik · Kalahandi, Odisha
We do farming without irrigation, such as barley and pulse varieties like 'baturi' and 'kerav'. Barley does not need water, and 'baturi' and 'kerav' are sown after the rice harvest and grow well. We also preserve their seeds, which are useful for sowing next year.
— Ram Kumari
After the Kharif paddy harvest, we cultivate moong without irrigation as a Rabi crop.
— MUKTA THAKUR · Kokasara, Kalahandi, Odisha
In our region, even without rain, we cultivate crops like moong, urad, and horse gram. We also preserve their seeds by mixing them with neem leaves.
— Kunakanta Behera · Dashapalla, Nayagarh, Odisha
We cultivate our crops without irrigation, relying on natural moisture like dew water. For example, we grow mung bean, black gram, and mustard. These three particular crops, we cultivate without irrigation.
— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha
After harvesting the paddy, we cultivate crops like moong, urad, chana, and masoor in that field without irrigation. We save these for our home. We then prepare the soil there for further cultivation.
— swornalata nayak · Patnāgarh, Balangir, Odisha
We cultivate a second crop without water or irrigation, using green gram, black gram, and horse gram. We don't use pesticides or chemical fertilizers. We grow them very well from seeds, resulting in good produce for eating.
— Parikshit Majhi
We preserve our own seeds and cultivate mustard, growing this rabi crop without water and without chemical fertilizers.
— Laxmi Bagh · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha
For our zero-irrigation Rabi crops such as black gram, mung bean, sunflower, and chickpea, we follow seed practices.
— Abhimaneu Sabar
In our area, crops that require zero irrigation, such as pulses and oilseeds, are cultivated.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
After paddy cultivation, we cultivate green gram with zero irrigation, using traditional methods and without adding any chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
— Sastensh khura · Khatiguda, Nabarangapur, Odisha
In our region, zero irrigation crops are sown, mainly pulses and oilseeds, and we practice traditional farming and conserve pulse seeds.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
We can grow crops without irrigation like Ragi, Masoor, and Horse Gram. Millet.
— arun raja · Kon, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Yes, we used to cultivate and are still cultivating moong, urad, chana, masoor, and other seeds with zero irrigation. And more profit.
— Naukeshi Sahu
Yes, we used to cultivate and are still cultivating moong, urad, chana, masoor seeds etc. with zero irrigation and are getting more profit.
— Naukeshi Sahu · Kalahandi, Odisha
We cultivate zero-input crops like chickpeas, flaxseed, and pigeon pea. Even with less water, the crops ripen, and their seeds are also collected. Narayan Lal Baranda.
— narayanlalbaranda5@gmail.com · Jhapa, Dungarpur, Rajasthan
We have traditional seeds here like Saadia, paddy, pigeon pea, semi-native gourds, Karaiguta, Chipra, etc. We preserve these every year and cultivate them using old traditional methods without irrigation.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
We are cultivating mustard as a Rabi crop. We are doing it manually, without fertilizer and without irrigation. Keep your own seeds.
— Laxmi Bagh · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha
After the Kharif paddy cultivation is over, we cultivate green gram (moong) as a waterless Rabi crop.
— Premsila Naik
We cultivate green gram without water. The government had provided green gram seeds for one year, and we will keep those seeds to cultivate green gram every year.
— Kusha Mahakud
Yes, we practice zero-irrigation farming and also conserve seeds. For example, horse gram, Kodo millet, little millet, finger millet, and black gram are zero-irrigation crops.
— Sukhdas Mandavi · Mohla, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh
Our ancestors used to cultivate pulse crops as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. I also store black gram and horse gram seeds and cultivate every year using this method.
— Kumudini Chhanchan
We sow and cultivate it in suitable soil, harvesting it season after season. It's a monsoon crop that we harvest without irrigation.
— Santosh Barik · Kalahandi, Odisha
We cultivate horse gram, green gram, black gram, and chickpea, for which we do not arrange irrigation.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
After the Kharif paddy cultivation is over, we cultivate moong without water as a Rabi crop.
— MUKTA THAKUR · Kalahandi, Odisha
Yes, we cultivate without water, such as hardy crops. These include Moong, Urad, and Mustard.
— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha
Our ancestors used to cultivate pulses as a second crop using organic methods without irrigation. I also cultivate every year using this method by storing black gram and horse gram seeds.
— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha
We cultivate seeds such as chickpea, lentil, mustard, and horse gram using traditional, possibly rain-fed, farming methods. We preserve these seeds and cultivate them using this traditional agricultural practice.
— Laxmi Sahu
Yes, we preserve traditional seeds and sow them. This helps during the harvest season for the Rabi crop. It is also beneficial even without irrigation.
— Santosh Barik · Narala, Kalahandi, Odisha
Our ancestors used to cultivate pulses as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. And I also cultivate every year using this method, by saving black gram and horse gram seeds.
— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha
We do traditional farming. We save rain-fed seeds and cultivate crops like sorghum and chickpea.
— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh
Our ancestors used to cultivate pulse crops as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. I also follow this method every year by storing black gram and horse gram seeds.
— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha
Our ancestors used to cultivate pulses as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. I also cultivate every year using this method by saving black gram and horse gram seeds.
— DASHARATH SINGH · Jamunkira, Sambalpur, Odisha
For zero irrigation, we cultivate gram and mustard. It doesn't require fertilizer or seeds, and the crop is not harmful; it is beneficial. In this, we protect them. Okay.
— संगीता मीणा · Dachki Jaswantpura, Dungarpur, Rajasthan
We cultivate pulses and oilseeds without irrigation. In years with good rainfall, these crops thrive.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
Our ancestors used to cultivate pulses as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. And I also cultivate every year using this method, by preserving Urad and Kulthi seeds.
— Kumudini Chhanchan
I cultivate pulse crops without irrigation. We save pulse seeds, among which horse gram, black gram, and pigeon pea are the oldest varieties. We save these seeds for cultivation every year. Our ancestors used to cultivate using manure and traditional ploughs.
— DASHARATH SINGH
Yes, we practice zero-irrigation farming and also conserve seeds every year such as Kodo, Kutki, Madia, Ragi, Kulthi, Urad, Hirwa.
— Birohin · Mohla, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh