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Drought Management Strategies Drought Management Strategies –– 2009 2009

Dr.J.S. Samra, CEONational Rainfed Area Authority

Ministry of AgricultureGovernment of India

New Delhi

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Short Term Strategy of Contingency Planning

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Immediate Planning: •Judicious use of surface and groundwater for drinking and irrigation and districts.•Ensuring availability of quality fodder to animals. •Livestock management including establishment of fodder/feed depots and cattle camps.•Selection of crops, cropping sequences and agronomic practices for drought affected areas.•Promotion of subsidiary income and employment generating activities.•Gainful implementation of NREGA, RKVY, NFSM, NHM, RGGVY, BRGF and other schemes.•Deployment of Information Technologies.

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Irrigation:

• Rescheduling of the irrigation rosters.

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• Ground-water utilization:

• Uninterrupted supply of electricity.• Subsidized diesel supply.

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Rain water conservation

• In-situ rain water conservation.

Continue Continuous Strench After plantation

Earthen Bund Before Earthen Bund After Plantation

77Weed mulching in maize conserve moisture and mitigate the drought

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Rain-water Harvesting

• Tanks and farm ponds.

Open Well

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Contingent cropping:

• Date bound contingency crop plan for different meteorological sub-divisions and agro-ecological regions.

• Early maturing varieties of different Kharif crops.

• Crops and cropping system-wise agronomic practices.

• Technology for Rabi/summer Rice in Boro cultivation area.

• Potential districts for Rabi Maize.• Soil & Water Conservation Measures for

different rainfall regions.

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• Arrangements of Quality Fodder.• Livestock Strategy.

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• Arrangements of Quality Fodder.• Livestock Strategy.

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Promotion of Subsidiary Income and Employment Generating Activities:

•Extraction of gum from arid land trees and bushes such as Acacia Senegal.•Collection of Prosopis juliflora pods and its post harvest processing as animal feed and human food.•Mushroom cultivation, bee keeping, sericulture, tasar cultivation etc.•Salt making from saline ground water.•Commercial raising of the nursery for trees, vegetables and annual flowers.•Multiplication of root stocks as well as nursery of fruits and flowers.

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Compensatory Production for Kharif Deficit

•Boro Rice

•Winter Maize

•Wheat and other Rabi Crops

•Intensification of Rabi pulses and oil seeds

CROP DIVERSIFICATIONWATER AVAILABILITY BASED CROPPING PATTERN

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Medium and Long Term Strategy

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Medium and Long Term Strategy

•Securing Good Quality Water in Drought Prone Areas.•Perennial and Non-conventional Fodder.•Improved Live-stocking, Breeding and Management.•Upgradation and Fine Tuning of Crops, Cropping and Farming Systems.•Exploiting under-exploited and under-utilized plant resources.•Creation of Alternate Income and Employment Generating opportunities.

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Major Policy Issues

•Land related policies.•Water related policies.•Other policies:•Feed, fodder and seed banks•State Level Policy for Livestock. •Inclusion of coarse cereals in PDS and procurement programme.•A unique 4-5 years rolling system of credit and repayment.•Value addition and marketing. •Strengthening of power distribution grids for hiked demand.•Augmented supplies of diesels.

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Convergence of Resources and Harnessing Synergies

•RKVY•NREGA•Micro Irrigation Scheme•BRGF•IWMP•NFSM•Artificial groundwater recharging•AIBP

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Contingent Plan for Rabi 2009

•Time bound Rabi Plan based on receipt of rainfall in August and September.•Resource conservation technologies including zero tilled specially in Indo-gangetic plains.•Need based location specific agronomic manipulations.•Resorting to cultivation of less water demanding crops and cropping systems in limited irrigation water supply areas.

Zero Till Drill in wheat

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