Vol. 12, Issue 5 (2023)

Author(s):
Almaszabeen Badekhan and Mahantesh R Nayak

Abstract:
Karnataka state has the second largest area under rain-fed agriculture i.e., 7.01 m.ha after Rajasthan. It is highly vulnerable to changing climate and its extreme climatic conditions threatening the food security of state. The Northern Dry Zone (NDZ) of Karnataka was purposively selected for the study as it was drought vulnerable and was affected by changing climate. The study was undertaken to examine the growth rate in area, production, and productivity of major crops of NDZ i.e., four districts namely Bagalakote, Ballari, Koppal and Vijayapura districts over the period of 22 years (1997-2019). Maize and chickpea crops, Compund Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) was found to be significantly increasing in area and production whereas, productivity was found to be increasing significantly incase of rice and sorghum crops. Farmers were practiced of growing pulses as they were short-duration crops and drought tolerant by nature. Cropping intensity (CI) was increasing over the years in all dry districts to avoid crop failures and risks. Sesamum was found unsuitable crop to be grown in the Northern Dry Zone. Based on water availability, rice can be grown in the zone as the yield instability index is low.