Rainfed Area Development

Rainfed Area Development (RAD) scheme was launched in 2014-15 to mainstream development of rainfed areas in a sustainable manner. It adopts an area-based approach, focuses on Integrated Farming System (IFS) for enhancing productivity and minimizing risks associated with climatic variability. Under this system, crops/ cropping system is integrated with activities like horticulture, livestock, fishery, agro-forestry, apiculture etc. to enable farmers not only in maximizing farm returns for sustaining livelihood, but also to mitigate the impacts of drought, flood or other extreme weather events with the income opportunity from allied activities during crop damage.

Programmatic interventions as per land capability and conducive to climatic parameters for ensuring integrated development through dissemination and adoption of rainfed technologies with greater reach in disadvantaged areas & location specific planning by way of coordination, convergence and leveraging investments from other Schemes/Missions like MGNREGA, PMKSY-WDC, RKVY, National Food Security Mission(NFSM), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Sub Mission on Agricultural Extension (SMAE), etc.

It lays emphasis on integrating various components of agriculture such as agriculture, horticulture, fishery, animal husbandry, apiculture, agro forestry, mushrooms, vermi composting, etc. to increase farm production by promoting synergies and reduce impact of adverse climatic conditions. Sustainable agricultural practices such as soil testing based nutrient management, resource conservation, use of indigenous seeds and crop selection based on agro climatic conditions are promoted.

A financial assistance of up to Rs. 30,000/- per family can be given for adoption of integrated farming systems.

A cluster of 100 hectare or more (contiguous or non-contiguous in difficult terrain with close proximity in a village/adjoining villages) may be adopted to derive noticeable impact of convergence and encourage local participation and for future replication of the model in larger areas.

Supplementary support from this component will be admissible for gap-filling resource conservation activities under converging programmes. RAD clusters should have soil analysis/soil health card/soil survey maps to justify the interventions proposed and at least 25% of the farming system area will have to be covered under On Farm Water Management. Farming Systems recommended by ICAR’s Contingency Plans and successful findings of NICRA projects shall also be considered in development of integrated project plan. Besides, creation and development of common property resources/assets/utilities like extensive livestock systems, protective irrigation infrastructure, grain bank, biomass shredders, fodder bank, group marketing etc. will be encouraged under this component.

The key objectives of the Mission are as follows:

• To undertake location specific and landscape-based approach to dry-land areas to ensure natural resources conservation and sustainable use, strengthening of agriculture production systems and livelihood development through integration/convergence of schemes in an area-based approach.
• To make agriculture more productive, sustainable, remunerative and climate resilient by promoting location specific Integrated/Composite Farming Systems.
• To conserve natural resources through appropriate soil and moisture conservation measures.
• To develop capacity of farmers and stakeholders in conjunction with other ongoing Missions such as National Food and Nutrition Security Mission, National Initiative for Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) etc., in the domain of climate change adaptation measures.
• To improve the productivity of rainfed farming by mainstreaming rainfed technologies refined under All India Coordinated Research Project on Dry land Agriculture (AICRPDA-NICRA) and by leveraging resources/provisions made under other Schemes/Missions like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), PMKSY-WDC, NFNSM, RKVY, Krishonnati Yojana, SMAE, National Mission on Natural Farming etc.