Integrated Farm Management Practices and Upscaling the Impact for Increased Productivity of Rainfed Systems

Most countries in the world depend primarily on rainfed agriculture for their food grains. Despite large strides made in improving productivity and environmental conditions in many developing countries, more than 850 million poor people in Africa and Asia still face poverty, hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, where rainfed agriculture is the main agricultural activity. Although the importance of rainfed agriculture varies regionally, it produces most food for poor communities in developing countries (Rockström et al., 2007; also see Chapter 1, this volume). These problems are exacerbated by adverse biophysical growing conditions and the poor socio-economic infrastructure in many areas in the semi-arid tropics (SAT). The SAT is home to 38% of the developing countries’ poor, 75% of whom live in rural areas. Over 45% of the world’s hungry and more than 70% of its malnourished children live in the SAT