Book of Extended summaries ISDA

International Conference on Reimagining Rainfed Agro-ecosystems: Challenges &
Opportunities during 22-24, December 2022 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad
Methodology
Tumakuru is a district with a high occurrence of drought with a poor coping mechanism. As
part of NICRA, several technologies were introduced at Durgada Nagenahalli village of
Yelerampura gram panchayat in Tumakuru district, for minimizing the impact of dry spells
and drought by leveraging the scientific techniques and application of science for enhancing
the productivity of dryland farming systems and sustaining livelihoods. Later, Tanganahalli
and Chikkadoddawadi villages of same gram panchayat were added.
The average annual rainfall of the district is about 697 mm. About 70% of the cultivation is
under dry lands, as the irrigated area is only 30%. The resilient technologies were prioritized
in consultation with the farmers. Similarly, the appropriate locations for water harvesting
systems such as check dam, farm ponds, percolation tanks, etc. were identified and
demonstrated. Identification of appropriate coping practices and technologies relevant to
address specific climatic vulnerabilities was accomplished through interactions with farmers in
selected villages by KVKs based on participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and focused group
discussions (FGDs). The National Agricultural Research System (NARS) comprising of ICAR
and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) served as the source of proven technologies along
with the indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) of participating farmers.
Results
The natural resource management (NRM) component of the project focused on soil and water
management practise. The soil conservation part of the NRM component is very important,
considering the soil erosion status of the villages, before initiation of the project. The
technologies of soil management short listed for adoption are Trench cum bunding, Ploughing
across the slope and formation of ridges and furrows. Important resilient practices
demonstrated in the villages D.Nagenahalli and Tanganahalli for soil management are as given
below:
Trench cum bunding: The trench cum bunding technology was adopted in low to medium
slope regions where arable cropping is practiced in the NICRA project. This method served
dual purpose: firstly the bunds built across the slope with appropriate sections arrested soil
erosion and secondly the trenches served as water reservation pits that keep soil moisture intact
for longer duration. About 130 ha area was brought under trench cum bunding involving about
180 farmers. As per the research estimates, in one hectare of land around 50,000 litres of water
could be harvested in one filling by the trenches dugout. So, this accounts to be about 6.5
million litres of water, getting stored in situ in the farmers’ fields during rainfall events.
Resilience through land and water management interventions, water management and governance
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