ABSTRACT
In 1980 nearly 75% of the cultivated land in India was rainfed; about 42% of the nation's food was produced on drylands. The goal of a coordinated project in India was to establish a common platform for comparing innovations both in plant varieties and agronomic practices and, through multilocation testing, to identify those that would be widely applicable to support rapid increases in production. The remarkable feature of Indian soils is their robustness and virility even after eons of cultivation. Seeds are sown, and manures and fertilizers are applied only in the furrows. The interrow spaces are harrowed to control weeds and keep the soil open. The majority of dryland farmers in India are subsistence farmers; their first priority is to produce food for their family and feed for their cattle. One of the lessons that the All-India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture has taught the nedd to test, adapt, and apply research information to serve the farmers.
