Rainfed farming in India covers about 70% of the gross cropped area and accounts for 40% of total foodgrain production, 75% of oilseeds, 90% of pulses and 70% of cotton. Foodgrain production has increased in irrigated, high potential areas (eg the 'green revolution' areas of Punjab and Haryana), research focussed on crops grown in rainfed areas has not been applied and extension approaches have not been appropriate to poor communities in rainfed areas. As a result, yields and output in rainfed areas are virtually static.

Over the next couple of decades, agricultural growth in irrigated areas is expected to level off as the physical limits to irrigation are reached and ceiling yields on some crops are achieved. Because of this, increased and more stable production from rainfed areas will be needed, both to tackle the relative backwardness and poverty of rainfed areas, and to maintain agricultural growth nationally at a rate sufficient to match India's growing population.

The project will benefit from lessons learned in the HFC Rainfed Farming Project in eastern India and work closely with communities over a number of years in order to understand farming system constraints and potential; to offer farmers a 'basket' of different technologies to choose from; and to build on farmers' indigenous knowledge of their local environments. It will also take account of experience gained in successful NGO programmes in the region, such as the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme and the Sadguru Water and Development Trust.

To improve the long-term livelihoods of poor farmers in a drought-prone region of western India, through a participatory approach to farming systems development (FSD). (1/6th forestry component)

• 92/93-93/94 · SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATION: Participatory Rural Appraisals completed and written up in 6 clusters; production of farming systems and social profiles; annual village workplans developed; M&E system designed; representative village-level institutions established in project clusters and volunteer Village Workers trained.
• NATURAL RESOURCES: Menu of recommendations appropriate to project area; special research topics identified and institutions for research identified; resource inventory of project area compiled; research units at State Agricultural Universities research centres established and operational.
• HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT: Community organisers, institutional and technical specialists appointed trained and in post; farmers trained and applying knowledge; staff trained in short courses and in UK in post and applying knowledge; national workshops on project approach held throughout project and reports of national workshops produced.
• PROJECT MANGEMENT AND M&E: Project management office at Dahod established equipped and functioning effectively; M&E cell established.