Monsoon season was monitored for rainfall departures, dry spells and maximum dry spell in 695 districts. One hundred and sixty-two districts received less than 75 per cent of their normal rainfall. About 30 per cent of districts in high rainfall zone (>1000mm) received deficient rainfall during the season.

The performance and economics of farm ponds for rainfed ecosystems were studied. Farm pond with cement + soil lining (6:1) was found effective in scarce rainfall zone (Rayalaseema) in Andhra Pradesh, High-density polyethylene (HDPE) (250 micron) sheet lined farm ponds were found useful in eastern dry zone with semiarid alfisols of Karnataka and HDPE (500 micron) sheet lined farm ponds were found effective in southern zone with semiarid vertisols in Rajasthan.