Winter crops drying out amid prolonged dry spell

By Basudev Sharma

Jajarkot, Feb. 5: Winter crops in Jajarkot have started drying up due to the lack of rainfall. Farmers relying on rain-fed agriculture are witnessing their crops dried out as they struggle to receive sufficient water.

Agriculture-dependent families face a potential food crisis as crops like wheat, lentils, chickpeas, mustard, and peas dry up in the fields. With no irrigation facilities, rural farmers depend entirely on rainfall. 

Those who lost their homes in the November 3, 2023 earthquake and are still in temporary shelters now face further distress as their crops fail.

The prolonged dry spell has raised concerns among locals. Around 70 per cent of agricultural land in Jajarkot’s seven local levels relies on rainfall.

Bhakta Bahadur Batala of Bheri Municipality-13 said that winter crops are drying up due to a lack of rain since mid-September.

“Wheat, mustard, lentils, chickpeas, and peas would have thrived if there had been rain between mid-November and mid-December. However, as winter progresses without rain, the crops are drying up,” he said.

Farmers typically harvest winter crops by late February, but the drought has devastated this year’s yield.

Sharmila Paudel of Bheri Municipality-9 said last year’s earthquake left them homeless, and now, the lack of rain is worsening the risk of a food crisis. She expressed concerns about food security due to the ongoing drought.

Kabiram Rokka Magar of Kushe Rural Municipality-8, who depends on rain-fed farming and labour employment, shared his worries about sustaining his family.

“This year, since the winter crops were sown, there has been no rain, causing them to dry up,” he said.

Declining temperatures and continued dry weather have worsened the situation. Frost covers the fields in the mornings, further damaging the fruit plants.