Mitigating Adverse Climatic Conditions through Water Harvesting Tank in Malwa Region

The activity of excavation of water harvesting tank in the individual farmer's field was extremely useful in arresting the runoff, bringing the fields into leveled condition through spreading of excavated soil in depressed area thus in avoiding even temporary water logging and reducing the chances of soil erosion. It also enhanced the water availability and allowed him to adjust the cropping sequence, including changing the timing of sowing, planting, spraying, and harvesting. This helped him to take advantage of the changing duration of growing seasons and associated heat and moisture levels to an appreciable increase in the crop productivity by turning the mono-cropped area into a multi-cropped/crop diversified area. The conjunctive use of ground and harvested surface water allowed him to alter the time at which fields are sowed or planted. It also helped the farmer to regulate the length of the growing season to better suit the adverse climatic conditions. These adaptation strategies helped the farmer and saved his crops from total failure and minimized losses compared to adjoining farmers.