(a) Elaborate on the various problems encountered in agricultural production at dryland areas of Bundelkhand region of Uttar…

(a) Dryland problems and solutions in Bundelkhand and the Deccan Plateau of Andhra Pradesh

Bundelkhand (Uttar Pradesh). Rainfall is about 800–900 mm but erratic, with repeated droughts; soils are shallow red (Parwa and Rakar) and black (Mar and Kabar) with low water-holding capacity; undulating land suffers gully and sheet erosion; irrigation is scarce and groundwater limited; holdings are small; stray cattle (anna pratha) damage crops; and low input use, debt and distress migration follow.

Deccan Plateau, Rayalaseema (Andhra Pradesh). Rainfall of only 500–600 mm in Anantapur and neighbours is erratic; red Alfisols crust and hold little moisture and organic carbon; groundnut monoculture fails in dry spells; borewell irrigation drains the aquifer; and farmers face high costs and indebtedness.

Solutions: in-situ moisture conservation through contour bunds, conservation furrows and, on black soils, broad-bed-and-furrow; watershed development with farm ponds, check dams and gully plugging (now under PMKSY watershed component), for protective irrigation; contingency crop plans and short-duration, drought-tolerant crops such as pigeonpea, sorghum, pearl millet, greengram and castor; intercropping (groundnut + pigeonpea 7:1) and dryland horticulture and agroforestry; organic matter and residue mulch; drip or sprinkler for life-saving irrigation; crop insurance and custom-hiring centres; and stray-cattle control in Bundelkhand, with community management of watersheds.

(b) Management of crops under poor-quality irrigation water

Poor water may be saline (electrical conductivity above about 2 dS/m), sodic (high SAR or residual sodium carbonate, RSC above 2.5 meq/L) or saline-sodic.

Soil and water amendments. For sodic or high-RSC water, apply gypsum at the rate calculated from RSC or soil ESP to replace sodium on the exchange complex with calcium; use pyrites or acidifying materials as alternatives; and add farmyard manure, green manure (dhaincha) and crop residue for structure and permeability.

Irrigation management. Give extra water, a leaching fraction, in light, frequent doses with good drainage; blend or use saline water cyclically with good water; use it at tolerant growth stages and keep good water for germination and seedling stages; and apply in drip mode, where salts collect at the wetting-front edge, with periodic leaching.

Agronomic choices. Grow tolerant crops and varieties (barley, mustard, cotton, sugar beet; CSR-30 rice, KRL 210 wheat), use higher seed rates, sow on ridge sides or raised beds so seed avoids salt, mulch to cut evaporation, apply extra nitrogen and potassium, and plant trees such as Prosopis and Acacia nilotica on severely affected land.

(c) Role of NGOs in extension and upliftment of landless labourers

NGOs reach farmers that government systems miss.

In extension: PRADAN promoted the System of Rice Intensification; BAIF works on livestock breeding, agroforestry and watersheds; the Deccan Development Society runs community-managed millet-based farming; Digital Green uses local-language videos; and NGOs help form farmer-producer organisations and demonstrations.

For landless labourers: MYRADA and others pioneered self-help groups with savings and credit; SEWA organises women workers; Ekta Parishad and Bhoodan-type movements press for land rights; Bandhua Mukti Morcha works for release and rehabilitation of bonded labour; and some NGOs facilitate leasing of land, for example Dalit women's group farming in Telangana. They also offer skill training, awareness of minimum wages and MGNREGA entitlements, and link workers with schemes, working with ATMA and Krishi Vigyan Kendras.