Get reliable rangeland science

Rainfed areas are the home of millions of resource poor farmers whose livelihood is under continuous threat due to frequent droughts. Assured cropping and imparting livelihood resilience to livestock keepers is a challenge. A study was planned during 2013 – 2019 for livelihood resilience of rainfed farmers through rain water harvesting and silvipasture based interventions. The one hectare rainfed farming system model comprising of rain water harvesting farm pond (25 m x 20 m x 2.5 m), less water requiring food crops (groundnut –barley and sorghum – chickpea), agrihorticulture [ Ziziphus mauritiana +(Sesamum indicum –Cicer arietinum)], silvipasture (Leucaena leucocephala +Tri-species hybrid grass+ Stylosanthes hamata) and boundary plantation (Leucaena leucocephala and Opuntia ficus-indica) was evaluated at research farm. The goat rearing potential of the above model was also estimated under intensive and semi-intensive systems. The rainfed farming system module produced 4979 kg ha-1 barley equivalent yield consisting of multiple products like barley, chickpea, groundnut, Indian jujube fruits, sesame, fodder (sorghum, TSH, Stylosanthes, Leucaena dried leaf meal and spine-less fodder cactus cladodes) and Grewia fruits and resulted in 655 US$ year-1 net returns with a benefit cost ratio of 2.1. The carrying capacity of the model was 9 and 35 goat year-1 under intensive and semi-intensive rearing systems, respectively. The net returns increased by 36 and 226% with the inclusion of goat un der intensive (US$ 892) and semi-intensive rearing system (US$ 2136), respectively in the model. It was evident from the study that inclusion of goat, silvipasture and farm pond for rain water harvesting in the rainfed farming have resulted in higher profitability and resilience to less rainfall and its aberrations. It can be concluded from the study that water harvesting, silvipasture and goat