- Livestock in drought-prone Bundelkhand bears the earliest and sharpest impact of weather extremes.
- Despite several interventions to build resilience against weather extremes, access to them remains limited on the ground.
- Improved fodder varieties and fodder banks offer potential solutions, but farmers say they are not yet scaled or widely distributed.
It has been over three months since 65-year-old livestock farmer Faujdar Singh Yadav, has been missing. Yadav’s family, that lives in Doda Mafi village in Chitrakoot district of Bundelkhand, owns 14 cattle. “During the summer, there was not enough fodder at home, so he used to take the cattle into the forest to graze. In the third week of April, he went out to graze the cattle. In search of fodder, the cattle went deeper into the forest and disappeared from his sight. While searching for the cattle, he probably got lost too,” narrates Yadav’s son Rama Shankar. “The cattle returned home by late evening, but my father hasn’t returned to this day. An FIR was registered, but there is still no information about my father.”
Yadav’s story reflects a wider crisis in Bundelkhand, where recurring drought and fodder shortages are forcing livestock farmers to venture farther in search of food, sometimes putting both people and cattle at risk.
Bundelkhand is a historically drought-prone region where droughts have become more frequent in recent decades. Recent studies find that the region now faces severe drought every 5-7 years which adversely affects the rural economy that depends on crop production and livestock rearing. The cattle economy bears the earliest and sharpest impact.
In the peak summer of the 2016 drought, reports said thousands of cattle died from fodder and water shortages across the region. Many farmers still live with the aftermath of that crisis.
In another part of Bundelkhand, near Pachara Panchayat in Mahoba’s Jaitpur block, a few buffaloes were seen drinking rainwater collected in a roadside pothole. Fifty-five-year-old livestock farmer Kalka Prasad recalled, “A decade ago, I had six cattle, including three cows and three buffaloes. Now I have three buffaloes. Two of my cows died during the 2015-16 drought. One cow survived, which I abandoned because there was nothing left to feed her.”
Free grazing, where the cattle is left open to graze on any land, is a common practice, known as anna pratha, across Bundelkhand. A study found that around 67% of farmers in the region practice anna pratha, mainly because of fodder and water shortages during summer.
A low-rainfall year can further worsen the fodder crisis. Kalka Prasad explained, “This year, rainfall is low. In years with low rainfall, water doesn’t reach the canal. Without irrigation, wheat yields drop drastically, leading to a severe shortage of straw (bhusa). The lower the straw output, the higher its price, making it unaffordable to buy.” Crop residue such as straw forms a significant part of fodder.
Rainfall recorded in Mahoba up to August 1 this year was 43% below normal. The shortfall echoes a broader forecast: on April 13 and again on May 29, the India Meteorological Department projected El Niño conditions during the southwest monsoon and a high probability of below-normal rainfall across India between June and September. In its latest forecast on August 31, the weather agency said that monthly rainfall across the country during September 2026 is most likely to be below normal.
Anticipating fodder shortages due to a weak monsoon, the union government has directed state and district administrations to overstock fodder, arrange supplies from surplus regions, identify alternative feed sources, and curb hoarding and black marketing.
To see how Bundelkhand has prepared for the challenge ahead, Mongabay-India travelled to several districts in a region where nearly 80% of the population relies on agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihoods, with the two sectors together generating 96% of farmers’ income.
The crisis of fodder
Recurring droughts in Bundelkhand not only reduce crop yields but also severely deplete crop residue, the primary source of livestock feed. Bundelkhand experienced a severe drought in 2015, and the summer of 2016 witnessed an acute crisis of food, fodder, and water across the region.
A 2015 drought impact assessment by Swaraj Abhiyan, a socio-political organisation, with Parmarth, Orai, across 108 villages in seven Uttar Pradesh districts of Bundelkhand, found that 77% of surveyed cattle-owning households had reduced cattle feed, while 88% reported a decline in milk yield. Twenty-seven percent said they had let cattle loose due to fodder scarcity, and 40% reported distress sales of cattle.
Kalka Prasad explained, “Our farming depends on rainwater. Due to the lack of irrigation, we are unable to grow green fodder (such as chari or berseem). So, we have only dry fodder in the form of wheat straw and mustard cake. It lasts barely six to seven months. Between March and June, we set the animals free to graze. During these days, the cattle do not get a full meal. Consequently, milk productivity drops drastically. A buffalo that usually yields 5 to 6 litres of milk yields only 2 to 2.5 litres.”
A study by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)–Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute (IGFRI) found that Banda, Mahoba, Chitrakoot, and Hamirpur fall under severely dry matter deficit, with availability below 40%. Across Bundelkhand overall, the dry matter deficit stands at 42%.
A 2020 International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) study on Bundelkhand’s dairy sector found that free-roaming cattle damage an estimated 25–35% of the kharif crop every year. The damage discourages farmers from cultivating their land.
Rajkumar Yadav, a livestock farmer from Doda Mafi village in Chitrakoot’s Manikpur block, owns four buffaloes and three cows. He said, “Wheat straw lasts only five to six months, and green fodder varieties require water, which we don’t have. Last year, there was good rainfall, so we sowed paddy, and paddy straw served as fodder for a few days. This year, we didn’t sow paddy due to very low rainfall during the crop-sowing period, worsening the fodder issue. Due to the lack of fodder in summer, our cattle’s milk production drops. It causes us direct financial loss.”
New seeds, old barriers
In 2021, ICAR-IGFRI drafted an Uttar Pradesh Fodder Resources Development Plan for the state. It recommended improved varieties of Berseem, cowpea, gaur, oat, and anjan grass for drought-prone Bundelkhand. More recently, ICAR-IGFRI has developed two further varieties: Bundel Berseem-9 (JHB-20-1) and Bundel Marvel-2 (JHD-22-7).
When we asked Kalka Prasad about these varieties, he replied, “What are these names? We don’t know anything about them. No one in the village knows.” Ranjan Singh, Chief Veterinary Officer of Mahoba, admitted the same: ” Bundel Berseem-9 (JHB-20-1) and Bundel Marvel-2(JHD-22-7) have not come to our notice yet. We promote Napier in the field. Once planted, Napier doesn’t require re-sowing for 4-5 years. However, to cultivate it, a farmer must have irrigated land.”
Several livestock farmers in Mahoba, Banda and Chitrakoot said they cannot grow green fodder crops like berseem and chari without irrigation facilities, echoing a 2017 ICAR-IGFRI study that identified small landholdings (84.1%) and lack of irrigation (78.87%) as the top barriers to adopting fodder technology among Bundelkhand farmers.
Harcharan Singh, a livestock farmer from Pachara village, said, “Earlier, the village had sufficient Gram Sabha land for pastures. As the population grew, lands were leased out, and grazing land gradually disappeared. The fodder crisis kept escalating.”
Scientists point to workarounds. Arun Kumar Shukla, Principal Scientist and Head of the Division of Grassland & Silvipasture Management at ICAR-IGFRI, said farmers without irrigation “can cultivate Anjan and Dhaman grass instead” of Napier. Sitaram Kantwa, also a Principal Scientist in the Crop Production Division of ICAR-IGFRI, noted that developing a single variety takes seven to eight years and that it is disseminated through government workshops and booklets.
But on the ground, there is limited access to these varieties. Jitendra Singh, Chief Veterinary Officer of Chitrakoot, said the department distributes Napier roots “to five farmers every year.” Karan Singh Parihar, one of only two or three farmers in Unchadih, Chitrakoot district to have planted it, said the variety is effective if irrigation is available.
Bharat Kumar, a farmer from Paikora Gram Panchayat in Chitrakoot district, however, complains, “If root slips are given to only five farmers every year, the distribution will take decades to reach all farmers in the district.”
Beyond better seeds, Uttar Pradesh’s Fodder Resource Development Programme also promotes storage and better use of crop residues. The ICAR-CRIDA District Agriculture Contingency Plan for Mahoba goes further, recommending permanent fodder banks, drought-tolerant fodder crops, and emergency grazing camps, among other measures.
On the ground, however, these measures are largely absent in several parts. “No such fodder bank has been established in our area,” said livestock farmer Bharat Kumar. “There isn’t even enough fodder available, so what would we even store in a bank?” Mahoba’s Soil Conservation Officer P.C. Vishwakarma, who also holds additional charge as the District Agriculture Officer, confirmed the gap: “Dry fodder is stocked in gaushalas (cow shelters). But we don’t have enough fodder to stock and preserve. Our district lacks adequate irrigation facilities, so we currently have no system in place for fodder conservation.”
Purushottam Sharma, Principal Scientist and Head of Plant-Animal Relationship in ICAR-IGFRI, said that there are multiple preservation techniques available, “If preserving green fodder proves difficult, dry fodder can be conserved by making hay. Leguminous fodder, as well as the leaves of babool and Stylo hamata grass, can be preserved as dry feed.”
These suggestions will only prove their worth once they reach the ground. For now, the numbers tell a starker story: in just five years, Chitrakoot has lost nearly 100,000 cattle and buffaloes — from 5,19,428 in the 2019 Livestock Census to 4,19,678 in 2024-25, a figure shared by Chief Veterinary Officer Jitendra Singh. The rest of Bundelkhand’s numbers will come once the government releases the 2025 census. If Chitrakoot is any indication, Bundelkhand’s livestock economy is under pressure from recurring droughts and lack of fodder.
Banner image: Rama Shankar with his family’s cattle in Doda Mafi village. Image by Shivam Bhardwaj.
Read more: Biodiversity and pastoral traditions lose shine with time in these grass preserves
Facts Only
* A 65-year-old livestock farmer in Doda Mafi village, Bundelkhand, is missing after going to graze cattle in April and becoming lost in the forest.
* Livestock farmers face recurring droughts in Bundelkhand.
* In the peak summer of the 2016 drought, thousands of cattle died from fodder and water shortages.
* A few buffaloes were observed drinking rainwater collected in a roadside pothole near Pachara Panchayat.
* Free grazing practice known as anna pratha is common across Bundelkhand, practiced by approximately 67% of farmers due to fodder and water shortages.
* In the 2015-16 drought, 77% of surveyed cattle-owning households in a region had reduced feed, and 88% reported a decline in milk yield.
* Twenty-seven percent of surveyed households let cattle loose due to fodder scarcity, and 40% reported distress sales of cattle during the 2015 drought assessment.
* Cattle yield only 2 to 2.5 liters of milk when grazing on dry fodder like wheat straw instead of green fodder.
* Dry matter deficit across Bundelkhand stands at 42%.
* Several livestock farmers cite the lack of irrigation as a barrier to growing green fodder crops like berseem and chari.
* The distribution of Napier roots is limited, with only five farmers receiving them annually in some areas.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative reveals a structural failure where environmental volatility translates directly into existential economic and human risk for the agrarian community. The pattern observed is one of systemic resource depletion compounded by institutional and infrastructural inertia. While scientific solutions—improved fodder varieties and alternative feed strategies like utilizing grass—are identified, their penetration is blocked by entrenched limitations: the lack of irrigation infrastructure prevents farmers from accessing high-yield green fodder, and bureaucratic processes impede the timely dissemination of effective technologies. The situation moves beyond mere short-term coping to a chronic depletion cycle where adaptation is choked off by physical constraints (lack of water for growth) and administrative bottlenecks (slow distribution).
The implication is that resilience is not solely a function of available biological knowledge but is determined by the accessibility of physical assets, specifically water and land management systems. The focus on dry fodder conservation measures like fodder banks remains aspirational because the prerequisite—sufficient resources and organized governance—is missing; as one farmer noted, without basic feed, storage becomes irrelevant. This suggests that interventions must simultaneously address ecological realities (water availability) and socio-economic barriers (land tenure, infrastructure), rather than treating symptoms in isolation.
Bridge questions: If the focus shifts from distributing specific seeds to immediately mobilizing water management solutions for fodder production, would the pace of resilience change? How can policy mechanisms be designed to bypass infrastructural deficits to ensure that scientific knowledge translates into on-the-ground survival strategies? What is the cost, measured in lost human and animal capital, of this prolonged gap between environmental threat and adaptive capacity?
Sentinel — Human
The text functions as substantive, human-sourced journalism, effectively blending personal crisis narratives with agricultural data to illustrate systemic failures in drought-prone regions.