What are the key strategies used in dryland farming to overcome water scarcity and maximize agricultural productivity in arid and semi-arid regions? Also, discuss the need to promote dryland farming in India.

Strategies used:

a) Use of hardy and drought resilient crops like millets

b) Crop rotation to restore balance of nutrients and groundwater table

c) Avoid water guzzling crops like paddy, sugarcane

a) Use of canal irrigation

b) Shift towards micro-irrigation techniques like sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation

c) Use of perflation for increased efficiency

d) Inward area development & participatory water management

a) mobilization to cooperatives for achieving economies of scale

b) Land pooling

c) Watershed area approach for water conservation

Need for dryland farming:

a) 60% of groundwater usage in irrigation

b) It will help to address water stress in regions like Vidarbha (which also has high farmer suicides)

c) It will increase irrigation use efficiency (and simultaneously improve fartilad use efficiency)

d) address challenges of monsoon non predictability (so: 59% deficit in August)

e) protect against El-NINO

f) address climate change concerns

g) provide nutri-cereals (which also has health advantages)

Thus, Government should adopt Deccan Principles (Agriculture 2.0) which also recognize importance of climate smart agriculture.