Palamu Tribal Pulse Lentil Rainfed Farming

Palamu district in western Jharkhand, one of India's most food-insecure districts, grows arhar pigeon pea and chana gram pulse on rainfed plateau uplands as protein sources for tribal households whose paddy crop often fails in drought years. Palamu's pulse cultivation by Oraon, Chero, and Munda communities follows traditional double-crop cycles combining paddy with upland pulses in intercropped systems that maximise output from small farm plots. The district's tribal communities have participated in the PRADAN and Jharkhand Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Project which provides pulse seed, cultivation training, and market linkage to women farmer-led self-help groups.