Transforming Drylands: Systems Based Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Western Rajasthan

Arid and semiarid regions face critical challenges in transitioning toward sustainable agri-food systems that meet food and livelihood requirements while preserving environmental integrity. Western Rajasthan, characterized by meager and unpredictable precipitation, extreme temperatures, poor soil fe...

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Main Authors: Kumar, Shalander, Das, Abhishek, Whitbread, Anthony M., Jat, Mangi L.
Format: Book Chapter
Language:Inglés
Published: Capital Publishing Company 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177636
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author Kumar, Shalander
Das, Abhishek
Whitbread, Anthony M.
Jat, Mangi L.
author_browse Das, Abhishek
Jat, Mangi L.
Kumar, Shalander
Whitbread, Anthony M.
author_facet Kumar, Shalander
Das, Abhishek
Whitbread, Anthony M.
Jat, Mangi L.
author_sort Kumar, Shalander
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Arid and semiarid regions face critical challenges in transitioning toward sustainable agri-food systems that meet food and livelihood requirements while preserving environmental integrity. Western Rajasthan, characterized by meager and unpredictable precipitation, extreme temperatures, poor soil fertility, and heightened water scarcity, exemplifies these challenges. The region experiences recurrent droughts, land degradation, declining productivity, malnutrition, and institutional weaknesses. Despite past community resilience through various coping strategies, current climate change trends indicate increasing vulnerability. An integrated farming systems approach offers promising pathways for sustainable intensification by optimizing cropping patterns, enhancing water use efficiency through traditional systems like khadins and micro-irrigation, developing common pasture resources, and strengthening livestock value chains. Critical interventions include promoting regenerative agriculture principles, harnessing agri-voltaic farming systems, establishing payment mechanisms for ecosystem services, improving mechanization and digital innovations, and strengthening market linkages. Success requires context-specific strategies, participatory community approaches, institutional strengthening, policy coherence, and recognition of the region's unique biodiversity and traditional knowledge systems for building resilience under changing climatic conditions.
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spelling CGSpace1776362025-11-07T02:09:06Z Transforming Drylands: Systems Based Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Western Rajasthan Kumar, Shalander Das, Abhishek Whitbread, Anthony M. Jat, Mangi L. drylands farming systems water management sustainable intensification Arid and semiarid regions face critical challenges in transitioning toward sustainable agri-food systems that meet food and livelihood requirements while preserving environmental integrity. Western Rajasthan, characterized by meager and unpredictable precipitation, extreme temperatures, poor soil fertility, and heightened water scarcity, exemplifies these challenges. The region experiences recurrent droughts, land degradation, declining productivity, malnutrition, and institutional weaknesses. Despite past community resilience through various coping strategies, current climate change trends indicate increasing vulnerability. An integrated farming systems approach offers promising pathways for sustainable intensification by optimizing cropping patterns, enhancing water use efficiency through traditional systems like khadins and micro-irrigation, developing common pasture resources, and strengthening livestock value chains. Critical interventions include promoting regenerative agriculture principles, harnessing agri-voltaic farming systems, establishing payment mechanisms for ecosystem services, improving mechanization and digital innovations, and strengthening market linkages. Success requires context-specific strategies, participatory community approaches, institutional strengthening, policy coherence, and recognition of the region's unique biodiversity and traditional knowledge systems for building resilience under changing climatic conditions. 2025-09-25 2025-11-06T07:50:34Z 2025-11-06T07:50:34Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177636 en Open Access application/pdf Capital Publishing Company Kumar, S., Das, A., Whitbread, A. and Jat, M.L. 2025. Transforming Drylands: Systems-Based Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Western Rajasthan. IN: Rathore, M.S., Partap, T., and Rathore, L.S. (eds.), Desert Ecosystems: Rescripting Development Paradigms. pp. 33–56. Jaipur, India: Capital Publishing Company.
spellingShingle drylands
farming systems
water management
sustainable intensification
Kumar, Shalander
Das, Abhishek
Whitbread, Anthony M.
Jat, Mangi L.
Transforming Drylands: Systems Based Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Western Rajasthan
title Transforming Drylands: Systems Based Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Western Rajasthan
title_full Transforming Drylands: Systems Based Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Western Rajasthan
title_fullStr Transforming Drylands: Systems Based Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Western Rajasthan
title_full_unstemmed Transforming Drylands: Systems Based Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Western Rajasthan
title_short Transforming Drylands: Systems Based Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Western Rajasthan
title_sort transforming drylands systems based sustainable agriculture in arid western rajasthan
topic drylands
farming systems
water management
sustainable intensification
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177636
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