Rain has been very poor and my main crop looks risky. Are there low cost, low water crops I can grow to keep some income and protect the soil in a drought year?
In a drought year shift to hardy, low water, short duration crops that need few inputs and tolerate dry spells, and use practices that conserve moisture. Options vary by region but commonly include drought tolerant millets like bajra, jowar and small millets, short duration pulses like moong, urad and horsegram, and oilseeds like sesame, many of which survive on limited rain and improve soil. Intercropping a cereal with a pulse spreads risk if one fails. Keep input cost low since the season is risky, conserve soil moisture with mulching and timely tillage, and sow only on adequate moisture to avoid germination failure. Your state agriculture department and KVK publish district contingency crop plans for drought years; follow those recommendations and keep alternate seed ready.
In a bad rain year I switched part of my land to horsegram and short duration moong instead of my usual crop; low cost, low water, and they still gave some income while keeping the soil covered. Intercropping a cereal with a pulse spread my risk further. Follow your district contingency plan.
There is a market angle too: millets like jowar, bajra and small millets are getting better demand now, so a drought crop need not mean a poor price. I tied up a local buyer for my small millet and it earned more than I expected for a low input crop. Pick a hardy crop that also has a buyer near you, and check the going rate at your mandi first.
In a bad rain year I planted horsegram and short duration moong instead of my usual crop. Low cost, low water, and they still gave some income and kept the soil covered. Follow the contingency plan for your district.
Keep input cost low in a risky drought season and sow only on adequate moisture, because I lost a crop once sowing on the first weak showers. Drought tolerant millets like bajra and jowar pulled through for me on limited rain. Keep alternate seed ready before the season.
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