Dryland farming
Dryland farming produces crops where rainfall is limited, relying on soil-water conservation and drought-adapted crops rather than irrigation.
Fallow: A period when farmland is left unplanted to restore soil moisture or fertility. Leaving fields unplanted can store rainfall for a later crop, though it also risks erosion and evaporation.
Aridity: A climate condition in which precipitation is persistently low relative to potential water loss. Aridity describes the climatic water shortage that makes dryland production necessary.
Wheat–fallow system: A cropping system that alternates wheat cultivation with fallow periods to conserve soil moisture. This semi-arid system illustrates the trade-off between stored water and land left uncropped.
Irrigation: The deliberate application of water to crops through canals, pipes, sprinklers, or other systems. Dryland farming relies on rainfall and stored soil moisture rather than routinely supplying water to fields.
Contour plowing: Plowing along a slope's contour lines to slow runoff and limit soil erosion. Following the land's contours helps keep scarce rainwater in fields instead of letting it run downhill.
Soil texture: The relative proportions of sand, silt, and clay in soil. Texture influences how quickly rainfall infiltrates, drains, and remains available to roots.
Dry farming: A farming approach developed for low-rainfall regions that emphasizes moisture conservation and drought-adapted crops. The term is often used for intensive soil-moisture practices within dryland agriculture.
Rain-fed agriculture: Crop and livestock production that depends chiefly on precipitation rather than irrigation. Dryland farming is a water-limited subset of the broader rain-fed agricultural system.
Conservation tillage: Tillage practices that leave crop residues on the soil surface to reduce erosion and water loss. Residue cover shields dryland soils from wind, intense sun, and raindrop impact.
Plant available water: The portion of soil water that plants can extract between field capacity and wilting point. This measure links soil storage to the water crops can actually use.