View source for Dryland farming

{{morefootnotes|date=October 2020}}
{{Short description|Non-irrigated farming in areas with little rainfall during the growing season}}
[[File:Camposcala.JPG|thumb|upright=1.25|Dryland farming in the [[Province of Granada| Granada region]] of Spain]]
{{Agriculture|land}}
'''Dryland farming''' and '''dry farming''' encompass specific [[agricultural]] techniques for the [[irrigation|non-irrigated]] cultivation of [[crop]]s. Dryland farming is associated with [[drylands]], areas characterized by a cool [[wet season]] (which charges the soil with virtually all the moisture that the crops will receive prior to harvest) followed by a warm dry season. They are also associated with [[arid]] conditions, areas prone to [[drought]] and those having scarce water resources.

== Process ==
[[File:Large dust storm in parts of eastern Washington on October 4, 2009.jpg|thumb|Dryland farming caused a large [[dust storm]] in parts of [[Eastern Washington]] on October 4, 2009. Courtesy: NASA/GSFC, MODIS Rapid Response<ref name="nasa"/>]]
Dryland farming has evolved as a set of techniques and management practices to adapt to limited availability of water, as in the Western US and other regions affected by [[climate change]] for crops such as [[tomato]] and [[maize]].<ref name="Kornei 2023">{{cite web |last=Kornei |first=Katherine |title=Dry farming could help agriculture in the western U.S. amid climate change |url=https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dry-farming-agriculture-climate-change |website=Science News |access-date=9 October 2024 |date=9 March 2023}}</ref>

In marginal regions, a farmer should be financially able to survive occasional crop failures, perhaps for several years in succession. Survival as a dryland farmer requires careful husbandry of the moisture available for the crop and aggressive management of expenses to minimize losses in poor years. Dryland farming involves the constant assessing of the amount of moisture present or lacking for any given crop cycle and planning accordingly. Dryland farmers know that to be financially successful they have to be aggressive during the good years in order to offset the dry years.

Dryland farming is dependent on natural rainfall, which can leave the ground vulnerable to [[dust storms]], particularly if poor farming techniques are used or if the storms strike at a particularly vulnerable time. The fact that a [[fallow]] period must be included in the [[crop rotation]] means that fields cannot always be protected by a [[cover crop]], which might otherwise offer protection against [[erosion]].

Some of the theories of dryland farming developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries claimed to be scientific but were in reality [[pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] and did not stand up to empirical testing. For example, it was alleged that [[tillage]] would seal in moisture, but such "dust mulching" ideas are based on what people imagine ''should'' happen, or have been told, rather than what testing actually confirms. In actuality, it has been shown that tillage increases water losses to evaporation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Technology and wheat yields in the semiarid Central Great Plains|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/30100000/1970-1979Documents/99%201979%20Greb%20J%20Soil%20Wat%20Cons.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212030646/https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/30100000/1970-1979Documents/99%201979%20Greb%20J%20Soil%20Wat%20Cons.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-12 }}</ref> The book ''[[Bad Land: An American Romance]]'' explores the effects that this had on people who were encouraged to [[homesteading|homestead]] in an area with little rainfall; most [[smallholding]]s failed after working miserably to cling on.

Dry farming depends on making the best use of the "bank" of soil moisture that was created by winter rainfall. Some dry farming practices include:<ref name="agstewards16"/><ref name="Garrett01"/>

* Wider than normal spacing, to provide a larger bank of moisture for each plant.
* Controlled traffic.
* Minimal tilling of land.
* Strict weed control, to ensure that weeds do not consume soil moisture needed by the cultivated plants.
* Selection of crops and cultivars suited for dry farming practices.
* Cultivation of soil to produce a "dust mulch", thought to prevent the loss of water through capillary action. This practice is controversial, and is not universally advocated.

== Locations ==
[[file:Wheat Farm in Behbahan, Iran.jpg|thumb|left|[[Wheat]] dryland farming in [[Behbahan]], [[Iran]]]]
Dry farming may be practiced in areas that have significant annual rainfall during a wet season, often in the winter.  Crops are cultivated during the subsequent dry season, using practices that make use of the stored moisture in the soil. [[California]], [[Colorado]], [[Kansas]], [[South Dakota]], [[North Dakota]], [[Montana]], [[Nebraska]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Oregon]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], and [[Wyoming]], in the [[United States]], are a few states where dry farming is practiced for a variety of crops.<ref name="agstewards16"/><ref name="OSU"/>

Dryland farming is used in the [[Great Plains]], the [[Palouse]] plateau of [[Eastern Washington]], and other arid regions of North America such as in the [[Southwestern United States]] and [[Mexico]] (see [[Agriculture in the Southwestern United States]] and [[Agriculture in the prehistoric Southwest]]), the Middle East and in other [[Cereal|grain]] growing regions such as the [[steppe]]s of Eurasia and [[Argentina]]. Dryland farming was introduced to southern Russia and Ukraine by [[Ukrainian Mennonites]] under the influence of [[Johann Cornies]], making the region the [[breadbasket]] of Europe.<ref name="Mennonites"/> In Australia, it is widely practiced in all states but the [[Northern Territory]].

== Crops ==
[[file:Palouse hills - 9591.jpg|thumb|Fields in the [[Palouse]], Washington State]]
The choice of crop is influenced by the timing of the predominant rainfall in relation to the seasons. For example, winter wheat is more suited to regions with higher winter rainfall while areas with summer wet seasons may be more suited to summer growing crops such as [[Sorghum bicolor|sorghum]], sunflowers or [[cotton]].<ref name="Ag in Aust" /> Dry farmed crops may include [[grape]]s, [[tomato]]es, [[pumpkin]]s, [[bean]]s, and other summer crops. 

Dryland grain crops include wheat, corn, millet, rye, and other grasses that produce grains. These crops grow using the winter water stored in the soil, rather than depending on rainfall during the growing season.<ref name="agstewards16" />

Successful dryland farming is possible with as little as {{convert|9|in|mm|abbr=off}} of precipitation a year; higher rainfall increases the variety of crops.

== Other considerations ==
===Capturing and conservation of moisture===
In regions such as [[Eastern Washington]], the average annual precipitation available to a dryland farm may be as little as {{convert|8.5|in|mm|order=flip}}.<ref name="climate-geography"/> In the [[Horse Heaven Hills]] in central Washington, wheat farming has been productive purportedly on an average annual rainfall approaching 6 inches.<ref name="Leder"/> Consequently, moisture must be captured until the crop can utilize it. Techniques include [[summer fallow]] rotation (in which one crop is grown on two seasons' precipitation, leaving standing stubble and [[crop residue]] to trap snow), and preventing [[Surface runoff|runoff]] by [[Terrace (agriculture)|terracing]] fields. "Terracing" is also practiced by farmers on a smaller scale by laying out the direction of furrows to slow water runoff downhill, usually by plowing along either [[Contour plowing|contours]] or [[Keyline design|keylines]]. Moisture can be conserved by eliminating weeds and leaving crop residue to shade the soil.

===Effective use of available moisture===
Once moisture is available for the crop to use, it must be used as effectively as possible. Seed planting depth and timing are carefully considered to place the seed at a depth at which sufficient moisture exists, or where it will exist when [[seasonal precipitation]] falls. Farmers tend to use crop varieties which are [[drought tolerance|drought-tolerant]] and heat-stress tolerant (even lower-yielding varieties). Thus the likelihood of a successful crop is [[Hedge (finance)|hedged]] if seasonal precipitation fails.

===Soil conservation===
{{main|Soil conservation}}
The nature of dryland farming makes it particularly susceptible to erosion, especially wind erosion. Some techniques for conserving soil moisture (such as frequent tillage to kill weeds) are at odds with techniques for conserving topsoil. Since healthy [[topsoil]] is critical to [[sustainable agriculture]], in particular within arid areas, its preservation is generally considered{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} the most important long-term goal of a dryland farming operation. [[Erosion control#Examples|Erosion control]] techniques such as [[windbreak]]s, [[reduced tillage]] or [[no-till]], spreading straw (or other [[mulch]] on particularly susceptible ground), and [[strip farming]] are used to minimize topsoil loss.

===Weedling===
Weedling is process of turning over 90 degree and exposing weed's root during tillage to prevent soil erosion by wind and [[desertification]]. At the same time, Direct absorption of nutrients from weeds and moisture provides suitable environment  to floris biodiversity of organisms in soil.

===Control of input costs===
Dryland farming is practiced in regions inherently marginal for non-irrigated agriculture. Because of this, there is an increased risk of [[crop failure]] and poor yields which may occur in a dry year (regardless of money or effort expended). Dryland farmers must evaluate the potential yield of a crop constantly throughout the growing season and be prepared to decrease inputs to the crop such as fertilizer and [[weed control]] if it appears that it is likely to have a poor yield due to insufficient moisture. Conversely, in years when moisture is abundant, farmers may increase their input efforts and budget to maximize yields and to offset poor harvests.

== Arid-zone agriculture ==
{{main|Desert farming}}
[[file:Heat affected crop during a green drought.jpg|thumb|A dryland farming paddock]]
Arid-zone agriculture, or desert agriculture, is the subject of research and development that includes studies of how to increase the agricultural productivity of lands dominated by a lack of fresh water, an abundance of heat and sunlight, and usually one or more of the following: Extreme winter cold, short rainy season, saline soil or water, strong dry winds, poor soil structure, overgrazing, limited technological development, poverty, or political instability.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

The two basic approaches are:{{cn|date=February 2025}}

* View the given environmental and socioeconomic characteristics as negative obstacles to be overcome.
* View as many as possible of them as positive resources to be used.

== See also ==
* [[Agriculture in Israel]]
* [[Agriculture in the prehistoric Southwest]]
* [[Arid Forest Research Institute]]
* [[Biosalinity]]
* [[Dust Bowl]]
* [[Environmental issues with agriculture]]
* [[International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas]]
* [[Irrigation]]
* [[Seawater greenhouse]]
* [[Small-scale agriculture]]
* [[University of Arid Agriculture]]
* [[Xerophyte]]

== References ==
{{refs|refs=
<ref name="agstewards16">{{cite web|url=http://agwaterstewards.org/index.php/practices/dry_farming/|title=Dry Farming|website=California Agricultural Water Stewardship Initiative|access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="OSU">{{cite web|url=http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/sfn/su13dryfarm|title=Dry farming vegetables|website=OSU Small Farms|publisher=Oregon State University|access-date=27 April 2016|ref=smallfarms16|archive-date=13 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413053723/http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/sfn/su13dryfarm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="Mennonites">{{cite book |last=Smith |first=C. Henry |others=Revised and expanded by Cornelius Krahn |title=Smith's Story of the Mennonites |year=1981 |publisher=Faith and Life Press |location=Newton, Kansas |isbn=0-87303-069-9 |pages=263–265}}</ref>
<ref name="Ag in Aust">{{cite book|title=Agriculture in Australia – An Introduction|last1=Malcolm|first1=Bill|last2=Sale|first2=Peter"|last3=Egan|first3=Adrian|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1996|isbn=0-19-553695-9|location=Australia}}</ref>
<ref name="nasa">{{cite web|url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=40590|title=Dust Storm in Eastern Washington : Image of the Day|date=6 October 2009 |publisher=earthobservatory.nasa.gov|access-date=2009-10-10}}</ref>
<ref name="Garrett01">{{cite web|url=http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/sfn/su14dryfarming|title=Common misconceptions and key points about dry farming: Case study of dry farmer with more than 40 years of experience|last1=Garrett|first1=Amy|website=OSU Small Farms|publisher=Oregon State University|access-date=28 April 2016|archive-date=10 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510102656/http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/sfn/su14dryfarming|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="climate-geography">{{cite web | url=http://choosewashingtonstate.com/research-resources/about-washington/climate-geography/ | title=The Amazingly Diverse Climate and Geography of Washington State }}</ref>
<ref name="Leder">{{cite web | last = Leder | first = Dave | date =  2019-02-04 | title = Dryland wheat farmers grow to love no-till method | url = https://www.capitalpress.com/specialsections/innovations/dryland-wheat-farmers-grow-to-love-no-till-method/article_ba82e894-0ad7-11e9-9cf9-7bc410cda818.html | work = Capital Press | access-date = 2019-12-03}}</ref>
}}

== Further reading ==
* Henry Gilbert, ''Dryland Farming: January 1982–December 1990'' (Beltsville, Md.: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library, 1991)
* Mary W. M. Hargraves, ''Dry Farming in the Northern Great Plains: Years of Readjustment, 1920–1990'' (Lawrence: University of Kansas, 1993)
* Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture, Report (Guthrie, OK: n.p. 1908)
* Dr. John A. Widtsoe, Ph.D. ''Dry-Farming, A System Of Agriculture For Countries Under A Low Rainfall'' (NY: The Macmillan Company, 1911)
* Victor Squires and Philip Tow, ''Dryland Farming: A Systems Approach – An Analysis of Dryland Agriculture in Australia'' (Sydney: Sydney University Press, 1991)
* O'Bar, Scott, (2013). Alternative Crops for Drylands – Proactively Adapting to Climate Change and Water Shortages. Amaigabe Press, Santa Barbara, CA {{ISBN|978-0-9882822-0-9}}
* [http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=DR009 Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Dry Farming]
* P. Koohafkan and B.A. Stewart, [http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i0372e/i0372e00.htm Water and Cereals in Drylands] published by [[Food and Agriculture Organization|The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations]] and [[Earthscan]] ([http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i0372e/i0372e.pdf PDF])
* Steve Solomon, ''Water-Wise Vegetables: For the Maritime Northwest Gardener'' (Sasquatch Books, 1993)

== External links ==
* {{commonscat-inline|Dryland farming}}

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