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Technologies Developed
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AICRPDA at a glance Genesis The Green Revolution in mid-sixties, though a boon to Indian agriculture, ushered in era of wide disparity between productivity of irrigated and rainfed agriculture. Alarmed by such a situation, during Fourth Plan (1969-74), the emphasize was to focus attention on hither to neglected farmers of the dryland regions to participate meaningfully in the agricultural development process. This socio -economic imbalance led to a serious rethinking and a comprehensive network research program was initiated to stabilize the performance of the then introduced hybrids of coarse cereals in rainfed region and to moderate the periodic drought related adverse impact on total agricultural productivity. Further, droughts of mid-sixties catalyzed the Govt. to invest on dryland research significantly. In1970 the ICAR launched All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture (AICRPDA) at Hyderabad, in collaboration with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) with 23 centres and Co-coordinating Cell at Hyderabad.
Milestones
Project Features
Agroecological Setting of AICRPDA Network CentresPresently, the AICRPDA network has 19 main centers, 3 subcentres, 5 voluntary centres and 8 ORP centres located in 23 SAUs, 1 CAU, 1 CU and 1 technical institute in 17 states and spread in diverse rainfed agro-ecologies. AICRPDA is the only project to have started with a multi-disciplinary team of agronomy, soil science, soil physics, soil & water conservation engineering, plant breeding, agricultural engineering etc. The location-specific research based on natural resource management and socioeconomic status is the hallmark of the programme. The collaborative on-farm technology assessment and refinement as action research through Operational Research Project concept and backup support to the developmental projects goes to the credit of the project. Self-evaluation is the main thrust for obtaining feedback. The domain of some centers also includes the tribal dominated districts. The project is supported by 516 staff (128 scientists, 252 technical and 136 administrative and supporting staff).
Agroecological Setting of AICRPDA Network Centres
Name of the Centre
SAU / ICAR Institute/
Others (Hqrs)
Agro-Climatic Zone (NARP) /
Agro–ecological Sub Region (AESR)
Climate*
Mean
Annual
Rainfall (mm)
Dominant
Soil Type
Major Rainfed Crop based Production System
Agra
(SC)
RBSC,
Agra
South–western semiarid zone in Uttar Pradesh (4.1)
Semiarid
(Hot dry)
665
Inceptisols
Pearlmillet
Akola
(MC)
PDKV,
Akola
Western Vidarbha Zone in Maharashtra
(6.3)
Semiarid
(Hot moist)
824
Vertisols
Cotton
Anantapur
(MC & ORP)
ANGRAU,
Hyderabad
Scarce rainfall zone (Rayalaseema) in Andhra Pradesh (3.0)
Arid
(Hot)
544
Alfisols
Groundnut
Arjia
(MC & ORP)
MPUAT,
Udaipur
Southern zone in Rajasthan
(4.2)
Semiarid
(Hot dry)
656
Vertisols
Maize
Ballowal Saunkhri
(MC & ORP)
PAU,
Ludhiana
Kandi region in Punjab
(9.1)
Subhumid)
(Hot dry)
1011
Inceptisols
Maize
Bangalore
(MC & ORP)
UAS_B,
Bangalore
Central, eastern and southern dry zone in Karnataka (8.2)
Semiarid
(Hot moist)
926
Alfisols
Fingermillet
Bellary
(VC)
CSWCRTI,
Dehradun
Northern dry zone in Karnataka
(3.0)
Arid
(Hot)
502
Vertisols
Rabi Sorghum
Bijapur
(MC)
UAS_D,
Dharwad
Northern dry zone in Karnataka
(6.1)
Semiarid
(Hot dry)
595
Vertisols
Rabi Sorghum
Biswanath Chariali (MC)
AAU,
Jorhat
North Bank plain zone in Assam (15.2)
Humid
(Hot)
1990
Alfisols
Rice
Chianki
(MC & ORP)
BAU,
Ranchi
Western plateau zone of Jharkhand
(11.0)
Subhumid
(Hot moist)
1179
Inceptisols
Rice
Faizabad
(SC)
NDUAT,
Faizabad
Eastern plain zone in Uttar Pradesh
(9.2)
Subhumid
(Hot dry)
1051
Inceptisols
Rice
Hisar
(MC & ORP)
CCSHAU,
Hisar
South-western dry zone in Haryana
(2.3)
Arid
(Hyper)
412
Inceptisols
Pearlmillet
Indore
(MC & ORP)
RVSKVV,
Gwalior
Malwa plateau in Madhya Pradesh
(5.2)
Semiarid
(Hot moist)
958
Vertisols
Soybean
Jagadalpur
(MC)
IGAU,
Raipur
Basthar Plateau zone in Chattisgarh
(12.1)
Subhumid
(Hot moist)
1297
Inceptisols
Rice
Jhansi
(VC)
IGFRI,
Jhansi
Bundhelkhand zone in Uttar Pradesh
(4.4)
Semiarid
(Hot moist)
870
Inceptisols
kharif Sorghum
Jodhpur
(VC)
CAZRI,
Jodhpur
Arid Western zone of Rajasthan
(2.1)
Arid
(Hyper)
331
Aridisols
Pearlmillet
Kovilpatti
(MC)
TNAU, Coimbatore
Southern zone of Tamil Nadu
(8.1)
Semiarid
(Hot dry)
723
Vertisols
Cotton
Parbhani
(MC)
MAU,
Parbhani
Central Maharastra Plateau Zone in Maharashtra (6.2)
Semiarid
(Hot moist)
901
Vertisols
Cotton
Phulbani
(MC)
OUAT,
Bhubaneswar
Eastern Ghat Zone in Orissa
(12.1)
Subhumid
Hot moist)
1580
Oxisols
Rice
Rajkot
(MC)
JAU,
Junagarh
North Saurashtra zones in Gujarat
(5.1)
Semiarid
(Hot dry)
590
Vertisols
Groundnut
Rakh Dhiansar (SC)
SKUAS_T,
Jammu
Low altitude subtropical zone in Jammu and Kashmir (14.2)
Semiarid
(Moist dry)
860
Inceptisols
Maize
Rewa
(MC)
JNKVV,
Jabalpur
Keymore plateau and Satpura Hill zone in Madhya Pradesh (10.3)
Subhumid
(Hot dry)
1088
Vertisols
Soybean
Sardar Krishinagar
(MC)
SDAU,
Dantewada
Northern Gujarat in Gujarat
(2.3)
Semiarid/ Arid
(Hot dry)
670
Entisols
Pearlmillet
Solapur
(MC & ORP)
MPKV,
Rahuri
Scarcity zone in Maharashtra
(6.1)
Semiarid
(Hot dry)
732
Vertisols
Rabi Sorghum
Varanasi
(MC)
BHU,
Varanasi
Eastern Plain and Vindhyan Zone in Uttar Pradesh (4.3 / 9.2)
Semi arid
(Hot moist)
Subhumid
(Hot dry)
1049
Inceptisols
Rice
Main/Sub-centres - Mandate
ORP Centres - Mandate
Research Focus
The initial Indo-CIDA research at AICRPDA Centres was in three phases i.e 1970-75, 1976-1982 and 1982-1987. During last 45 years, the evolution of location-specific experiments at netwrok centres has been: Low monetary inputs for higher crop productivity (1972 - 80); Farm Mechanization for energy use efficiency (since 1973); Sustainable cropping systems for risk resilience and resource use efficiency (1972 onwards); Contingency crop Planning to cope with weather aberrations (1976 onwards); Evaluation of improved varieties for drought tolerance and compatibility in cropping systems (1974 onwards); Rainwater management for higher water productivity (1976 onwards); Conservation tillage systems for resource use efficiency (1985 onwards); Alternate Land Use / crop diversification for risk resilience (1981 onwards); Permanent Manurial Trials at 18 Centres for efficient carbon and nutrient balance and optimization (1984 onwards) and PMTs as benchmark experiments served as platforms for developing carbon sequestration strategies and carbon foot prints in rainfed production systems; Tillage and nutrient management at 19 Centres for efficient resource and energy use (2000 onwards) which formed basis for development of resource conservation practices, soil quality indicators and further for Conservation Agriculture research initiative in rainfed production systems under ICAR-CRP; Integrated Farming Systems for higher income and improved livelihoods (2007 onwards); Climate Resilient Rainfed Agriculture through Real Time Contingency Plan Implementation (2011 onwards); AICRPDA collaborative research continued with SAUs, national schemes/institutes (CRIDA, ICAR institutes, ICAR-AP Cess, AICRPs on Agrometeorlogy, Agroforestry, IFS and crop AICRPs, DST, CSIR, NOVOD, MoWR, MoRD, NABARD, NARP, NATP, NAIP, NICRA etc.) and International programmes (ICRISAT, ILRI, ACIAR, ICARDA, PPIC, DFID, UNDP etc.)
National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA)
To deal with climate variability in the right earnest, the National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) program was initiated at 23 centers of AICRPDA in 2010-11, both on-station and on-farm. The real-time contingency plan (RTCP) is conceptualized with two pronged approach i.e. preparedness and real time contingency measures under on-farm situations to cope with weather aberrations such as delayed onset of monsoon, early/midseason/terminal droughts, excess rainfall events and flash floods. The on-farm demonstrations are being implemented in more than 3000 farmers’ fields in 35 adopted villages in 24 districts across 15 states.
Tribal-Sub-Plan Programme (TSP)
The Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) program is also being implemented by eight AICRPDA centres viz., Arjia, Chianki, Indore, Phulbani, Biswanath Chariali, Jagdalpur, SK Nagar and Solapur in 76 villages covering 11 districts in Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The focus is on improving the productivity, profitability and enhancing knowledge base and livelihoods of tribal farmers through demonstration of improved rainfed technologies, creation of physical assets, livelihood interventions and capacity building programmes.
Significant Achievements
Nomograms/Theme maps/Data base developed
AICRPDA : Impact on Rainfed Agriculture Research, Education and Development
An appreciation of work
Publications
Linkages
Over the years, AICRPDA Network Centres developed linkages with various state, national and international institutes/agencies for on station and on-farm research, technology refinement/ up scaling/ demonstrations, scientific and technical support, agro-advisories, teaching, and rainfed agriculture development programes.
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                                                                                Developed and Maintained by PC unit, AICRPDA, Hyderabad       Updated on 27/10/2020
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