It is supported by suitable examples and diagrams. The broad chapters included in the book are: Rainfed agriculture: Introduction, types, characteristics, distribution and importance; History of rainfed agriculture & watershed in India; Problems and prospects of rainfed agriculture in India; Soil and climatic conditions prevalent in rainfed areas; Drought: types, effect of water deficit on physio- morphological characteristics of the plants, Mechanism of crop adaptation under moisture deficit condition; Water harvesting: importance, its techniques, Efficient utilization of water through soil and crop management practices, Study of mulches and antitranspirants; Management of crops in rainfed areas; Contingent crop planning for aberrant weather conditions; Concept, objective, principles and components of watershed management, factors affecting watershed management; Integrated watershed development. The need for comprehensive information on rainfed farming relevant to undergraduate and postgraduate students of agriculture has been felt for quite some time. The advanced, diverse and need-based topics have been together for a systematic and comprehensive reading by the students and faculty in agriculture. The materials on subject matter is set forth in such a manner and order as to enable them to better understand and follow to a reasonable degree of uniformity and their approach to the problems of rainfed agriculture.

This book provides a comprehensive presentation of the realization of improved rainfed agriculture yield in semi-arid and dry land areas. The incentive of watershed programs is to increase the return on investment with over 20% for 65% of the projects that are currently underperforming. Besides techniques to improve the livelihood of the many small

This book, which contains 14 chapters, covers all aspects of rainfed agriculture, starting with its potential, current status, rainwater harvesting and supplementary irrigation, to policies, approaches, institutions for upscaling, and impacts of integrated water management programmes in rainfed areas.

The book “Textbook of Rainfed Agriculture and Watershed Management” has been written to fulfill the requirement of undergraduate students of agriculture faculty considering the syllabus of V Dean’s committee of ICAR. This book attempt to present the available information on dryland/rainfed agriculture and watershed management in a very simple, and lucid language in easily understandable manner. The book contains chapters on an introduction to rainfed agriculture, soil and climate, drought, soil and water conservation techniques, water harvesting, crop management, contingent crop planning for aberrant weather conditions and watershed management. The student community may harness the benefit from this book by understanding the fundamentals of dryland/ rainfed agriculture and watershed management. I hope this book will be very useful for the students, teachers, extension specialists and others interested in rainfed agriculture.

While a good grasp of the many separate aspects of agriculture is important, it is equally essential for all those involved in agriculture to understand the functioning of the farming system as a whole and how it can be best managed. It is necessary to re-assess and understand rain-fed farming systems around the world and to find ways to improve the selection, design and operation of such systems for long term productivity, profitability and sustainability. The components of the system must operate together efficiently; yet many of the relationships and interactions are not clearly understood. Appreciation of these matters and how they are affected by external influences or inputs are important for decision making and for achieving desirable outcomes for the farm as a whole. This book analyses common rain-fed farming systems and defines the principles and practices important to their effective functioning and management.

First title in a major new seriesAddresses improving water productivity to relieve problems of scarcity and competition to provide for food and environmental securityDraws from scientists having a multitude of disciplines to approach this important problemIn a large number of developing countries, policy makers and researchers are increasingly aware of the conflicting demands on water, and look at agriculture to be more effective in its use of water. Focusing on both irrigated and rain-fed agriculture, this book gives a state of the art review of the limits and opportunities for improving water productivity in crop production. It demonstrates how efficiency of water use can be enhanced to maximize yields. The book represents the first in a new series of volumes resulting from the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, a research program conducted by the CGIAR's Future Harvest Centres, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and partners worldwide. It will be of significant interest to those working in areas of soil and crop science, water management, irrigation, and development studies.

The book makes an earnest attempt to include various issues related to Rainfed Agriculture viz. soil and water conservation, drought management strategies, rain water harvesting, crops and cropping system for dryland agriculture, conservation agriculture, climate- smart agriculture and watershed management as per the recommendation of fifth Dean's Committee of Indian Council of Agricultural Research has been presented. The subject matter is both narrative and critical. Illustrations have been added to make the subject matter more clear.