When the Sky Stays Silent: What Happens to Farmers Without Rain?

A personal reflection on farming, rainfall, climate change and the uncertainty faced by farmers in rural Andhra Pradesh (Kunkupadu Village, Addanki Mandal, AP)

There are some things we take for granted because they have always been part of our lives.

For me, one of them has always been farming.

Since my childhood, I have seen my father cultivate crops. Every year, there was a cycle  preparing the land, waiting for the right time, planting the crop, hoping for good rainfall, taking care of it and finally waiting for the harvest.

But this year feels different.

For the first time since I was born, my father has not cultivated even a single crop.

Not because he doesn't want to farm.

Not because the land is unavailable.

But because the rain we need has not come at the right time.

🌧️ When Rain Decides Whether a Crop Begins

For many people, rain may simply mean a pleasant day or a change in weather.

For a farmer, rain can mean something much bigger:

Should I plant the crop or wait?

Planting at the wrong time can mean spending money on seeds, fertilizers, labour and other inputs without knowing whether the crop will survive.

This is the reality for many farmers whose agriculture depends heavily on rainfall.

In our village, Kunkupadu, in Addanki Mandal of Andhra Pradesh, this uncertainty is something I am seeing very closely.

And it made me ask:

What happens to a farmer when the rain doesn't come when it is needed?

🌱 No Crop Means No Income

For a farmer, not cultivating a crop doesn't simply mean leaving a field empty.

It can mean losing an entire season of income.

The farmer may already have expenses such as:

• Seeds

• Fertilizers

• Labour

• Electricity

• Machinery

• Land preparation

• Previous loans

When there is no crop, recovering these costs becomes difficult.

And if the farmer depends almost completely on agriculture, the question becomes even more serious:

What is the alternative?

🚬 The Problem Doesn't End With Growing the Crop

Even when farmers successfully grow a crop, another problem begins:

Will they get a fair price for it?

This is something I have seen with tobacco farming as well.

Last year, farmers around us faced difficulties related to tobacco sales and profitability. Growing a crop requires investment and hard work, but a farmer's income ultimately depends on what happens in the market after harvest.

So farmers can face risks at multiple stages:

No rain → difficult cultivation

Successful cultivation → uncertain yield

Good yield → uncertain market price

This makes farming extremely unpredictable.

🌍 Is This Because of El Niño?

This year, there is another important climate factor to watch: El Niño.

El Niño is a climate phenomenon involving unusually warm ocean temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It can influence atmospheric circulation and weather patterns around the world.

According to NOAA's current August 2026 outlook, El Niño is strengthening, with a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event during the Northern Hemisphere fall and winter of 2026–27.

At the same time, the India Meteorological Department has reported that subdued rainfall activity is likely to continue over Peninsular India in the coming week.

But there is an important point:

We should not say that El Niño alone is responsible for the lack of rain in one particular village.

Weather is influenced by many factors, including atmospheric circulation, ocean conditions, local weather systems and climate variability.

So rather than saying:

"El Niño caused our village to receive no rain."

I think it is more accurate to say:

"El Niño is one important climate factor that can influence rainfall patterns, while local rainfall depends on many interacting factors."

👨‍🌾 What Can Farmers Do?

This is probably the hardest question.

If a farmer's livelihood depends on agriculture, simply saying "don't depend on rain" is not a realistic solution.

Farmers need better support and more options.

Some possible approaches include:

💧 Better water management

Rainwater harvesting, farm ponds, groundwater management and efficient irrigation can help farmers reduce dependence on uncertain rainfall.

🌾 Crop diversification

Instead of depending completely on one crop, farmers can consider suitable combinations of crops and allied activities based on local conditions, water availability and market demand.

The Economic Survey also highlights diversification and allied activities such as livestock, fisheries and agroforestry as ways to help farmers manage weather and income risks.

📱 Better weather information

Timely weather forecasts and agricultural advisories can help farmers make better decisions about:

When to sow → When to irrigate → Which crop to choose → When to protect the crop

🏪 Better market support

Producing a crop is only one part of farming.

Farmers also need:

Fair prices + reliable markets + storage + transportation + access to information

🤝 Farmer organisations

Farmers can also benefit from working together through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), cooperatives and other collective models that can improve bargaining power and access to markets.

🇮🇳 Why This Matters to India

Agriculture is not a small part of India's economy or employment.

According to India's Economic Survey 2025–26, agriculture and allied activities account for 46.1% of India's workforce.

That means a problem in agriculture is not just a problem for farmers.

It can affect:

Farmers → Rural families → Food supply → Prices → Rural economy → The wider economy

That is why climate and agriculture should not be treated as separate issues.

🌳 Is Nature Trying to Tell Us Something?

This is the question that stays with me.

We often talk about economic growth, technology, industries, cities and development.

But behind all of that is something much simpler:

Water.

Without water, agriculture suffers.

Without agriculture, food security is affected.

And without a healthy environment, all of us eventually face the consequences.

Climate change does not always appear as a dramatic event.

Sometimes it may appear as:

A farmer waiting for rain.

A field that remains empty.

A family wondering what to do next.

A crop that is never planted.

🌱 Nature Protects Us When We Protect Nature

I don't think we can control the rain.

But we can control how we treat the environment.

We can:

• Protect forests

• Save water

• Reduce pollution

• Improve soil health

• Harvest rainwater

• Use water efficiently

• Support sustainable agriculture

• Reduce unnecessary environmental damage

Maybe we should stop thinking about nature as something separate from us.

We are part of nature.

And perhaps the simplest lesson is:

If we protect nature, nature protects us.

❤️ Why I Wanted to Write This

This isn't just another topic I read about on the internet.

I am writing this because I am seeing it in my own family.

Since my childhood, I have seen my father cultivate crops.

This year, for the first time, the fields have remained without a crop because the rainfall we need has not arrived at the right time.

It made me realise something I had never thought about deeply before:

For a farmer, rain is not just weather.

Rain can decide whether a season begins.

Rain can decide whether there is income.

Rain can decide whether a family can plan for the future.

And when the rain doesn't come, the question isn't simply:

"When will it rain?"

The bigger question is:

"What can we do to make farmers less vulnerable when nature doesn't behave as expected?"

That is a question we all need to think about.

Because when the fields suffer, eventually, society feels it too. 🌱

@Ramisetty Pavani    

Date: 05-09-2026