OAR@ICRISATImproved rainfed farming for semiarid tropics-implications for soil and water conservationPPathakauthorS MMirandaauthorS AEl-SwaifyauthorAlfisols and Vertisols are major soil orders found in the semiarid tropics. In most semiarid regions, the average annual rainfall would seem to be enough to produce one or two crops per year; however, rainfall patterns are erratic with frequent dry periods within the rainy season. The uncertainties have kept farmers from investing substantially in the development of the land resource base and in the use of high yielding varieties, fertilizers, and other inputs (4). Increased population has resulted in a need for fundamental changes in production systems. Shifting cultivation is being replaced by permanent agriculture, and farmers' attempts to further increase production have caused an extension of agriculture to marginal lands subject to frequent crop failure, primarily because of inadequate moisture. Intensified land use under existing systems may become self-defeating because it results in increased runoff and soil erosion, reduced groundwater recharge and downstream flooding of agricultural lands. As a result, the land resource base is shrinking and its productive capacity is diminishing. Thus, a scheme of resource management combining effective conservation and utilization of soil and water with crop production systems that maintain productivity and assure dependable harvest is urgently required (5).Soil Science1985Soil Conservation Society of AmericaBook Section

For work being deposited by its own author: In self-archiving this collection of files and associated bibliographic metadata, I grant OAR@ICRISAT the right to store them and to make them permanently available publicly for free on-line. I declare that this material is my own intellectual property and I understand that OAR@ICRISAT does not assume any responsibility if there is any breach of copyright in distributing these files or metadata. (All authors are urged to prominently assert their copyright on the title page of their work.)

For work being deposited by someone other than its author: I hereby declare that the collection of files and associated bibliographic metadata that I am archiving at OAR@ICRISAT) is in the public domain. If this is not the case, I accept full responsibility for any breach of copyright that distributing these files or metadata may entail.

Clicking on the deposit button indicates your agreement to these terms.