Life and agriculture are dependent on water. One of the most frequent questions ECHO receives from the field reflects the need for strategies to produce food in dryland areas or in the dry season. The erratic and unpredictable rainfall in much of the tropics makes food production difficult; months of drought bake and harden the soils, so the torrential rains which follow lead to erosion. People without sufficient water for cooking and personal use are not able to irrigate crops during the dry season. This chapter gives some ideas on soil and water conservation in times of water shortage and seasonal abundance.
Articles
Arid Region Farming Primer
- Introduction
- Principal Problems of Agriculture in Arid Regions
- Agricultural Techniques for Arid Lands
- Crop Plants for Tropical Arid Regions
- Animals for Dry Regions of the Tropics
- Useful Publications and Additional Resources (prepared by ECHO staff)
Dryland Techniques and Water Resources
- A Technical Note on Dry Farming
- Partially Buried Flower Pots or Tin Cans Save in Watering
- Capturing Water from Fog
- Drip Irrigation
- Book Reviews: Ways of Water: Run-off, Irrigation and Drainage and Vanishing Land and Water: Soil and Water Conservation in Dry Lands
- Book Review: Looking After Our Land: Soil and Water Conservation in Dryland Africa
- Book Review: Practical Guide to Dryland Farming Series
- Book Review: Handbook for Agrohydrology
- "Waterlines" from IT Publications
- The Arid Lands Information Network
- Training in Infrastructure for Developing Countries