Reviving South Asia’s Fallow Lands: Local Solutions for a Regional Challenge
Every year, more than 15 million hectares of farmland across South Asia lie idle after the rice harvest, waiting months for the next planting season. The problem is particularly evident in the rice-growing regions of Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. In the winter following the rains, about 22.3 million hectares of rice-fallow land remain uncultivated, and India accounts for nearly 88% of it. Within India, the eastern states dominate this picture, making up over 80% of the country’s rice-fallow land[1]. This scale of underused farmland highlights the significant opportunity to bring idle fields back into production. For small and marginal farmers, leaving land fallow is more than a missed opportunity as it directly reduces food security and farm income, especially when alternative work options are limited. However, one-size-fits-all kind of solutions rarely work, as the drivers of fallowing differ by season and geography.
Seasonal and Local Patterns
Patterns of fallowing vary by season and location. During the kharif (monsoon) season, climate risks such as erratic rainfall and floods deter cultivation in many rainfed ecologies. By contrast, in rabi season (winter), limited irrigation, capital, labour and related resources become the binding constraints to bringing land under crops. Recognising these localised drivers is crucial for designing interventions that reduce fallowing and support farm households.
What the Survey Tells Us?
A 2023 survey of 1,440 farmers across 72 communities in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) covering India, Nepal, and Bangladesh shows that land fallowing is common. In India’s EGP, about 21% of households left land uncultivated during the kharif season and 41% during rabi. Nepal reported much lower fallow rates in kharif at just 6%, but the figure jumped to 38% in rabi due to irrigation shortages and hail risks. Bangladesh had the lowest overall fallow, with 5% in kharif and 13% in rabi, supported by improved irrigation access. Even so, the impact is significant as with average holdings near one hectare, leaving even half a hectare idle can severely cut into household food supplies and income. The survey also revealed that larger landholders often fallow land when credit or inputs are limited, while tools like crop insurance help keep fields productive.
The drivers of land fallowing show different patterns across countries. In India, climate risks and irrigation gaps are the main hurdles in kharif, while shortages of capital and labour weigh heavily in rabi. In Nepal, irrigation challenges dominate year-round, with hail adding further risks in the rabi season. In Bangladesh, climate shocks and time constraints are the key factors. These country-level differences reflect regional agro-climatic realities and highlight why solutions must be tailored to each geography.
Evidence show that accurate interventions could make a real difference. Risk-sharing tools such as crop insurance reduce the chances of land being left idle aftershocks. Direct benefit transfers help farmers buy critical inputs on time, keeping more land in use. Expanding irrigation and building protection against climate risks address seasonal bottlenecks head-on. And time-saving services such as mechanisation and timely seed delivery ensure farmers can make the most of short planting windows.
Pathways Forward
Ongoing initiatives such as the Rupantar project illustrate how participatory approaches can transform fallow into opportunity. By linking water access, short-duration crop varieties, and timely agronomic advice, farmers are encouraged to diversify beyond rice. For example, pulses and oilseeds grown in rice-fallow systems can use residual soil moisture while fitting into narrow sowing windows. Early results from the Rupantar project showcase that the effectiveness of context-specific solutions combined with targeted extension efforts can transform the local food system and improve farmers’ welfare.
Fallowing is not inevitable. With localised, season-sensitive solutions, ranging from irrigation reliability to crop diversification, South Asia, can turn idle fields into productive land, boosting both food security and farmer resilience.
Authors
Dr. Bhuvana N, Consultant, Senior Social Researcher, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), India, currently working on the Rupantar project.
Dr. Ravi Nandi, Innovation System Scientist, CIMMYT, Bangladesh.
Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the support of our funders ACIAR, and the CGIAR Trust Fund for making this project possible.
[1] https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1502759/full