Future Outlook and Options for Target Crops: The Sorghum and Pearl millet Economy of India

More than 60% of the area in India is cultivated in arid and semi-arid conditions characterized by long dry seasons, inadequate and unpredictable rainfall and infertile and fragile soils, which provides around 40% of the food produced (Gulati and Kelley 2000). Farmers here are exposed to harsh agro climatic conditions, as they have to cultivate shallow and poor soils receiving low and erratic rainfall below 600 mm. Recurrent droughts coupled with frequent dry spells further exacerbate the situation. In the last few decades these regions are facing a shrinking natural resource base and land degradation, resulting in low productivity in crop and livestock sectors. This has contributed to increased poverty, malnutrition and indebtedness of smallholder farm families.