As the southwest monsoon begins to withdraw, farmers across several parts of India are facing prolonged dry spells and depleted soil moisture.
More than half of the country’s area was under dry or drought conditions as of 16 September 2026, according to the latest assessment by IIT Gandhinagar’s India Drought Monitor, reports Down To Earth.
The area under dry or drought conditions had risen from 38.9 percent about a month earlier to 52.5 percent. Maharashtra is among the states facing constant drought stress, with Marathwada recording a 36 percent rainfall deficit between 1 June and 20 September.
The concern comes at an important time for farmers. While kharif crops are nearing harvest in many regions, the water left in the soil and reservoirs will also influence the next cropping season. Parts of Maharashtra and other agricultural states have recorded dry spells lasting two to three weeks during the monsoon season.
In Beed, Maharashtra, where arid conditions and water scarcity have long made farming difficult, farmer Parmeshwar Thorat has learnt to work with limited water.
On his 1.75-acre farm, he grows avocados by directing water where it is needed, storing rainwater for the dry months, and preparing the soil before planting. He began experimenting with avocado cultivation in 2018 after learning about the Arka Supreme variety in Bengaluru. He later visited the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research to understand the crop better.
His experience offers a few practical lessons for farmers looking to protect crops when water becomes scarce.
1. Save water at the roots
One of the first steps Thorat took was to install drip irrigation. Instead of distributing water across the entire field, the system delivers it directly to the plants. This allows the available water to reach the root zone while reducing wastage.
The water collected during the monsoon is stored and then used during the drier months.
“Drip irrigation takes water and other nutrients directly to the roots, minimising wastage,” he says.
For farmers dealing with limited water, the method allows irrigation to be more targeted rather than relying on larger quantities of water being spread across the field.
2. Catch every drop
The avocado farmer also uses a pond on his farm to capture rainwater runoff.
The water collected during the monsoon is stored and then used during the drier months. This reduces his dependence on groundwater when rainfall has stopped.
“We collect as much rainwater as possible during the monsoon and use it during the dry seasons. It helps keep the farm sustainable,” he explains.
The practice is particularly relevant for farms in regions where rainfall arrives in short spells. Instead of allowing rainwater to run off the farm, capturing it creates a source that can be used when the next dry period arrives.
3. Start with the soil
Before planting his avocado saplings, the farmer prepared the soil by digging pits measuring two feet by two feet across 0.75 acres of his land.
He filled the pits with cow dung manure before planting the saplings.
“I knew the soil needed enrichment to supply the nutrients the plants required,” he says.
Soil preparation was part of his effort to establish the plants in the challenging conditions of Beed. He later moved towards organic farming as well, replacing the chemical fertilisers and pesticides he initially used with cow dung manure and natural farming methods.
One of the first steps Thorat took was to install drip irrigation. Photograph: (Rivulis)
4. Pick the right crop
For Thorat, drought management also began with deciding what to grow.
He did not immediately plant avocados. After revealing the Arka Supreme variety during a visit to Bengaluru, he researched its suitability for Maharashtra’s climate and visited ICAR-IIHR to learn about its cultivation.
The variety, he says, could withstand temperatures of 40 to 45 degrees Celsius, which made him consider it suitable for Beed’s hot conditions. He subsequently ordered 50 saplings from Karnataka.
His experience highlights another consideration for farmers facing changing rainfall patterns. Crop selection needs to account for the conditions in which the crop will actually be grown.
Farm with less water
The avocado farmer’s approach to farming in a water-scarce region was not based on a single solution.
His farm brought together drip irrigation, rainwater storage, and soil preparation. He also adopted organic farming practices after initially using chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
The result was a farming system designed around the water available to him rather than assuming that water would always be plentiful.
For Thorat, drought management also began with deciding what to grow.
For farmers entering the final phase of the monsoon, his experience offers a humble lesson. When rainfall becomes uncertain, protecting a crop can begin with using every available drop carefully, storing water when it arrives, and choosing cultivation practices suited to local conditions.
As Thorat puts it, “Farming is not easy. There will always be challenges, but with determination and a willingness to learn, you can overcome anything.”
