Drought Management Strategies – 2009

1. Drought Management Strategies – 2009 Dr.J.S. Samra, CEO National Rainfed Area Authority Ministry of Agriculture Government of India New Delhi

2. Short Term Strategy of Contingency Planning

3. 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.

4. Irrigation: • Rescheduling of the irrigation rosters.

5. Ground-water utilization: • Uninterrupted supply of electricity. • Subsidized diesel supply.

6. Continue Continuous Strench • Rain water conservation • In-situ rain water conservation. After plantation Earthen Bund After Plantation Earthen Bund Before

7. Weed mulching in maize conserve moisture and mitigate the drought

8. Open Well • Rain-water Harvesting • Tanks and farm ponds.

9. 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.

10. Arrangements of Quality Fodder. • Livestock Strategy.

12. Arrangements of Quality Fodder. • Livestock Strategy.

13. Promotion of Subsidiary Income and Employment Generating Activities: • Extraction of gum from arid land trees and bushes such as Acacia Senegal. • Collection of Prosopisjuliflora 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.

14. Compensatory Production for Kharif Deficit • Boro Rice • Winter Maize • Wheat and other Rabi Crops • Intensification of Rabi pulses and oil seeds

15. CROP DIVERSIFICATION WATER AVAILABILITY BASED CROPPING PATTERN

16. Medium and Long Term Strategy

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. Convergence of Resources and Harnessing Synergies • RKVY • NREGA • Micro Irrigation Scheme • BRGF • IWMP • NFSM • Artificial groundwater recharging • AIBP

20. 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

21. THANK YOU