The arid region in India is spread over 3,17,090 sq km, of which 70,300 sq km is classified as cold arid and the remaining is hot arid region. Western Rajasthan alone carries the onus of nearly 61% of hot arid lands in India. In this region, biotic pressure is high and resource base both in terms of soil and rainfall is poor. The mean annual rainfall varies from <150 to 400 mm and longest crop growth period available is <6 to 12 weeks only. Under such circumstances, realizing sustainable crop production is a daunting task. Efforts have been made in this paper to discuss the management of resources in the arid zone and technologies developed for obtaining sustainable crop production. On-farm rainwater management has been advocated through inter-plot and intra-plot water harvesting system.
Alternate land use systems, Cropping systems, Nutrient management, Resource management, Water management
