A dimension within Dryland Crop Wisdom
Discussions revolve around cultivating rainfed crops, particularly pulses like chickpeas.
150 voices speak to this
Positive
Overall Community Sentiment
We will do rain-fed farming of sorghum and chickpeas.
— Kachala Choudhary
We do traditional farming. We save rain-fed seeds and cultivate crops like sorghum and chickpea.
— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh
Yes, we do farming without water, chickpeas, Siawi jowar
— Kachala Choudhary
Yes, we can do dryland farming for crops like chickpeas, mustard, etc.
— Laxmanlal
We are tribal people. We do our own farming. We have been farming without water. We grow chickpeas, moong, kulthi, and black gram.
— Parikshit Majhi
Yes, we cultivate crops without water, in which we grow chickpeas.
— Kachala Choudhary
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
We plan to plant rainfed crops.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
They practice rainfed farming, growing chickpea and kharif sorghum.
— Kachala Choudhary
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
In rain-fed crops, we continuously sow black gram, green gram, and pigeon pea.
— MANNOO LAL BHOI
We can grow other crops like chickpeas, lentils, khesari, peas, and linseed without water or irrigation.
— arun raja · Ormaura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
We can grow crops without irrigation like Ragi, Masoor, and Horse Gram. Millet.
— arun raja · Kon, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
In our region, zero-irrigation crops of pulses and oilseeds are cultivated, which include pigeon pea, lentil, etc.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
We cultivated rainfed crops like pigeon pea, mung bean, and black gram, and will continue to cultivate and preserve them for the future.
— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Chickpea and dryland sorghum are cultivated as rain-fed crops.
— Surajsingh Parmar · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh
We do farming. We save some seeds beforehand and then cultivate. This way, we get many crops, including green gram, black gram, and pigeon pea.
— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha
Yes, we cultivate without water, such as hardy crops. These include Moong, Urad, and Mustard.
— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha
We farm with less irrigation. Batari peas, horse gram, and pigeon pea are also grown.
— Kamleah Kumar · Kota, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
In our area, crops that require zero irrigation, such as pulses and oilseeds, are cultivated.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
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
In our region, we all cultivate rain-fed crops like pigeon pea and maize, and this is our heritage.
— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
We cultivate horse gram, green gram, black gram, and chickpea, for which we do not arrange irrigation.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
We cultivate mung bean, urad bean, chickpea, lentil, moong, etc., without water, and we are still doing it.
— Naukeshi Sahu
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 cultivate pulses and oilseeds without irrigation. In years with good rainfall, these crops thrive.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
In our region, especially minimal-input, zero-irrigation crops like pigeon pea, black gram, red lentil, etc., are cultivated.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
And we do traditional farming with dryland irrigation. Yes, we grow Tira Batri and Akri crops.
— Jeevan Kumar
Yes, we grow zero-tillage crops like mustard, gram, barley, and also follow traditional farming methods and seed conservation.
— Laxmanlal
We do farming with ploughs and bullocks, cultivating crops like saawa, medo mijhri, and pulses such as arhar (pigeon pea), urad (black gram), and baturi. Nowadays, government seeds for pulses are also available. We also cultivate crops like chana (chickpea), matar (pea), and masoor (lentil).
— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
We farm at our home and manage our household with it. We cultivate pigeon pea and other pulses with low water, and also sow barley. These require less water, and we also save them for the next year. This way, we preserve the seeds.
— Ram Kumari · 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
For our zero-irrigation Rabi crops such as black gram, mung bean, sunflower, and chickpea, we follow seed practices.
— Abhimaneu Sabar
With low irrigation, we cultivate pearl millet, maize, kodo millet, Mejhri, barnyard millet, horse gram, and field peas.
— Kamleah Kumar · Ormaura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
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
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 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
We cultivate zero-irrigation pulses.
— Sunil oraon · Bero, Ranchi, Jharkhand
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
We save and sow our traditional seeds. Such as chickpea, sorghum, Bhadi, pearl millet, etc.
— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh
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.

Our tribal community shares how to cultivate vital crops like chickpeas, corn, and lentils, even in dry conditions without relying on irrigation.

Facing the prospect of future water scarcity, our community relies on cultivating traditional zero-irrigation crops to secure food and conserve precious resources.

By preserving our traditional, rain-fed seeds and planting them with care, we ensure food for our families and fodder for our animals.

By cultivating a variety of crops, preserving ancestral seeds, and exploring animal husbandry, we build a resilient livelihood for our community.