A dimension within Dryland Crop Diversity
Exploring techniques for crop cultivation and water conservation in dryland farming.
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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.
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.
Even without irrigation, our traditional seeds and old farming methods ensure our crops ripen, providing food for our homes.
Yes, we cultivate without water, such as hardy crops. These include Moong, Urad, and Mustard.
— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha
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
Yes, we used to cultivate and are still cultivating moong, urad, chana, masoor, and other seeds with zero irrigation. And more profit.
— Naukeshi Sahu
We cultivate mung bean, urad bean, chickpea, lentil, moong, etc., without water, and we are still doing it.
— Naukeshi Sahu
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
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 our area, crops that require zero irrigation, such as pulses and oilseeds, are cultivated.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
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
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
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 can grow crops without irrigation like Ragi, Masoor, and Horse Gram. Millet.
— arun raja · Kon, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
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 can grow other crops like chickpeas, lentils, khesari, peas, and linseed without water or irrigation.
— arun raja · Ormaura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
We cultivate horse gram, green gram, black gram, and chickpea, for which we do not arrange irrigation.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
After the Kharif paddy harvest, we cultivate moong without irrigation as a Rabi crop.
— MUKTA THAKUR · Kokasara, 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
We cultivate moong, horse gram, black gram, and mustard without water. We call it Nipania cultivation in Sambalpuri.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
Yes, we do farming without water, chickpeas, Siawi jowar
— Kachala Choudhary
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 farm with less irrigation. Batari peas, horse gram, and pigeon pea are also grown.
— Kamleah Kumar · Kota, 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 are cultivating moong without water. The government is not giving us any seeds. We are cultivating with our own seeds and making a profit from it.
— Kusha Mahakud
Yes, we cultivate crops without water, in which we grow chickpeas.
— Kachala Choudhary
Yes, we cultivate a second crop without water. And farming is also done without water. We have collected and kept those seeds. And we will again plant that as a second crop.
— Ulapi Sahu
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
We cultivate zero-irrigation pulses.
— Sunil oraon · Bero, Ranchi, Jharkhand
Yes, we can do dryland farming for crops like chickpeas, mustard, etc.
— Laxmanlal
After the Kharif paddy cultivation is over, we cultivate green gram (moong) as a waterless Rabi crop.
— Premsila Naik
After the Kharif paddy cultivation is over, we cultivate moong without water as a Rabi crop.
— MUKTA THAKUR · Kalahandi, Odisha
Muna Netran Bag, Village Mahulapada, Chhadiagoda Panchayat. We are cultivating green gram, black gram, and chickpeas without irrigation.
— RUDRA PRASAD BAG · Mahulpāra, Nuapada, Odisha
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 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 cultivate the second crop without water. And cultivation happens even without water. And we collect and store those seeds. And then again, we use that for the second crop.
— Ulapi Sahu · Patnāgarh, Balangir, Odisha
With low irrigation, we cultivate pearl millet, maize, kodo millet, Mejhri, barnyard millet, horse gram, and field peas.
— Kamleah Kumar · Ormaura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
We keep seeds of mustard, green gram, horse gram, tuber crops, black gram, and taro for cultivation without water.
— Puspanjali Nag
We sow seeds without water and harvest seeds.
— Laba Kumar sabar · Lamingi, Rayagada, Odisha
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
We cultivate pulses and oilseeds without irrigation. In years with good rainfall, these crops thrive.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
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. We used to farm even without water. We cultivate moong, urad, and other dryland crops. This type of farming is done during the winter months, which is unstable due to the cold.
— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha
