Skip to content
RIMAIAgribusiness SchoolMy land

D-dryland Dictionary

Dryland Farming

Crop production that relies on rainfall without irrigation

All termsIntroduced in Module 9Open the Toolkit
An open dictionary on a farm office desk
Plain meaning
Crop production that relies on rainfall without irrigation
How to use it
On dryland, plan for at least one bad rainfall season in three and choose crops and costs that survive it.
South African benchmark
South Africa's maize is mostly dryland.
Country notes
Most smallholder cropping in all four local markets is dryland.
Go and read
C9
Calculate it
T-C-07 Risk Register
Library sources
LIB-A020, LIB-A033
See also
Drought-tolerant crop, Index insurance, Water right
Dryland farming compared with irrigated farming and the enterprises each supportsWater decides the enterpriseDryland: rain onlyIrrigated: borehole, dam or riverboreholeDrought-tolerant crops, grazing, sorghumHigh-value vegetables, fruit, seed crops
Dryland farming, shown as a diagram.

Introduced in C9 Climate, Water and Resource Risk.