Helping dryland farmers deal with food and financial crisis

Helping dryland farmers deal with food and financial crisis

The global food crisis followed by the current financial crisis has inflicted further hardships to farmers of the semi-arid tropics of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
However, scientific innovations developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are empowering these farmers to cope with the crisis.
Food crises

According to the Director General of ICRISAT, Dr William Dar, the global financial crisis coming closely on the heels of the global food crisis has hit dryland farmers hard.
“These poor dryland farmers have very little margin for risks, and when two shocks come one after the other, their ability to recover is quite diminished,” says Dr Dar.
In India, for instance, two-thirds of cultivated lands are semi-arid. Hence, an adverse impact on dryland farming can result in decreased livelihood options for a substantial percentage of the population.
Drought tolerant

The crops that ICRISAT works on, namely pearl millet, sorghum, chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut have greater tolerance to drought and can grow in semi-arid conditions.
ICRISAT’s research focuses on improving the productivity of these crops, developing early maturing varieties and hybrids, and developing drought and disease tolerance.
Bread basket

For the farmers living in the Sahel at the edge of the Sahara desert, it is important to diversify the bread basket, to increase the income from multiple sources. Through its African Market Garden and Sahelian Eco-Farm, ICRISAT promotes crop diversification through the cultivation of vegetable and fruit trees along with food crops. These are then irrigated with low-pressure drip irrigation systems.
The fertilizer microdosing technique introduced in different parts of sub-Saharan Africa allows poor farmers to apply small, affordable and effective amounts of fertilizer for improved soil health and crop production.
Microdosing

Farmers who use microdosing apply 6 gram doses of fertilizer — about a full bottle cap or a three-finger pinch — in the hole where the plant is placed at the time of planting.
Crops in some parts of Africa are so starved of nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen that addition of even this micro amount often doubles crop yields. For more information log on to www.icrisat.org.