SOIL AND WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE DRY LANDS OF INDIA

The flow of adequate food supplies to meet rising demand is increasingly threatened by land degradation due to soil erosion. Food supplies need to be increased to nearly three times the present level to keep pace with population growth, whereas the cultivable area that could be additionally brought under production is only about twice the present area. Such lands are marginal, spread over poorly productive environments and with meagre production capabilities, thus limiting the scope for increasing production. This article broadly identifies the present problems and prospects for building soil fertility in the dry regions. The necessary soil and water conservation techniques involving both agronomic and engineering measures and in situ moisture conservation techniques are discussed. The impacts of soil erosion and water conservation are outlined, together with details of the increased production achieved in the semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Punjab. The constraints upon implementing the various accepted techniques and the possibilities in implementing proven site-specific methods are also presented in detail. Finally the paper outlines future strategies, action programmes and research needs.