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. 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.