Rainfed agriculture

Crop and livestock production that depends on rainfall and stored soil moisture rather than water supplied through irrigation. Its yields are closely tied to the timing, amount, and variability of precipitation.

Soil water balance: The accounting of water entering, leaving, and remaining in soil over a given period. It tracks how rainfall, evaporation, runoff, and drainage shape water available to crops.
Drought-tolerant crops: Crop varieties or species that maintain growth or yield under limited water availability. They can reduce losses when seasonal rains are scarce or delayed.
Irrigated agriculture: Crop production in which water is deliberately supplied to fields beyond direct rainfall. It contrasts with production that depends on rain and soil moisture alone.
Agricultural drought: A shortage of soil moisture that harms crops or livestock during a period of agricultural need. It translates rainfall deficits into direct production stress.
Sahelian agriculture: Farming in the Sahel, where seasonal rainfall is low and highly variable. It illustrates rainfed production under short growing seasons and recurrent dry spells.
Soil water storage: The quantity of water soil can hold and make available to plants. Stored moisture carries crops through gaps between rainfall events.
Intercropping: Growing two or more crop species together in the same field during part or all of a season. Different rooting patterns and growth schedules can spread rainfall risk.
Supplemental irrigation: The application of limited irrigation water to support crops when rainfall is insufficient. It bridges rainfed production and full irrigation by adding water during critical shortages.
Climate variability: Variations in climate conditions over time, including changes in rainfall and temperature. Unpredictable rainfall makes planting decisions and harvest outcomes less certain.
Milpa: A Mesoamerican farming system centered on maize, often grown with beans and squash. Its diversified rainfed plots combine crops with complementary growth habits.

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