Drylands are not defined by sudden disasters; their crisis unfolds quietly through declining soil fertility, uncertain rainfall, groundwater stress and repeated production shocks. This slow accumulation of vulnerability rarely attracts the attention commanded by floods or droughts, yet its economic consequences can be profound for farming households.
Drylands cover nearly 47 per cent of the world's land surface, support more than two billion people, and account for over 40 per cent of cultivated land globally. In India, dryland covers60–68% of the net sown area and contributing 40–44% of total food-grain production, with substantial concentrations across the central, western and southern plateaus that contribute significantly to national production of millets, pulses and oilseeds.
