Rainfed Agriculture
Worldwide, rainfed agriculture is practiced in almost all hydroclimatic zones. In temperate regions with relatively reliable rainfall and productive soils, and in the subhumid and humid zones of tropical regions, rainfed agriculture can have some of the highest yields.
In contrast, in dry subhumid regions, as well as in temperate and tropical arid and semiarid regions, yields are often relatively low. Due to highly variable rainfall, long dry seasons, and recurrent droughts, dry spells and floods, water management is a key determinant for agricultural production in these regions and will become even more important during climate change.
Yields can be significantly enhanced by improved water management, in particular by increasing water availability and the water uptake capacity of crops. Furthermore, investments in improved agricultural water management are in many circumstances catalytic—reducing the barriers to adoption of otherwise costly soil and crop management practices by increasing the returns to such investments. Rainfed agriculture is most significant in Sub-Saharan Africa where it accounts for about 96% of the cropland.
World Bank lending commitments to water management in rainfed agriculture amounts to about 10 percent to that for irrigated agriculture, with about half of commitments for the Africa Region. Project activities focus on promoting soil and water management techniques, and more recently also on providing better hydroclimatic information and climate risk management.
Further Resources:
Watershed Management Approaches, Policies, and Operations: Lessons for Scaling Up. Water Sector Board Discussion Paper No. 11, 2008.
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