Consisting mainly of arid and semi-arid areas and the country's 200 backward districts, these rainfed regions are concentrated in 13 states.

Environmental degradation, reducing land holdings size, decline in agricultural productionpeople are deserting farming. Dominantly rainfed states like Rajasthan have registered a dramatic increase in the shift from farm to non-farm employment from a mere 19.3 per cent in 1983 to 32.7 per cent in 2000 with a higher dependence on wage income.

Read more on the India Environment Portal