Alternate Land Use Like Agro Forestry Horticulture -Rainfed Agriculture

Alternate Land Use Like Agro Forestry Horticulture

Pasture, Diversified Farming Systems In Rainfed Agriculture

Introduction : Crop production on dry lands in general and marginal rained lands in particular results in low and unstable and often times in low and unstable, and often times, uneconomic yields, Marginal lands because of poor management are often subjected to the processes of degradation. It is estimated that nearly 70 m hectare out of a total 100 m ha under Rainfed cultivation are facing some kind of land degradation or the other. These marginal lands are not able to sustain arable crops particularly during the drought years. The Govt. of India is deeply concerned about the improvement of degraded / marginal lands. We have, therefore to think of developing some alternate land use systems for these lands.

The alternate land use systems are surer means of stabilizing both productivity of dryland and incomes of dryland farmers, besides generating more complement potential.

Day by day demand for food fodder and fuel is growing, which could be solved by selecting suitable land use system. One of the areas of research for Rainfed agriculture is improvement of degraded, marginal and sub – marginal lands by introduction of suitable. Alternate Land Use systems like alley cropping lay farming tree farming, dryland horticulture etc. Alternate land use systems not only help in generating much needed off season employment in monocropped dryland but also minimize risk tallies off – season rains which may otherwise go waste as runoff prevent degradation of soils and restore balance in the ecosystem.