ਬਰਾਨੀ

Meaning

What does barani mean in Punjabi? Barani (ਬਰਾਨੀ) means rain-fed: land and farming that depend on rainfall alone, with no canal or tube-well to water the fields. When the rain comes on time, the crop grows; when it fails, the crop fails. It is one of the oldest words in Punjab's farming vocabulary.

The word comes from the Persian baran, meaning rain. Barani land is land that waits on the sky: it is sown after the monsoon or the winter rains have wet the soil, and the farmer stores that moisture in the earth until the crop is cut.

Where is barani land found?

In Punjab the rain-fed areas are known as the barani tract. In Pakistani Punjab they cover about a quarter of the total cropped area, and the largest stretch is the Potohar plateau, where farming has always depended on rain. In Indian Punjab, barani farming survives mainly in the kandi belt along the Shivalik foothills, where canals do not reach.

Barani farming produces far less than irrigated farming. In Pakistani Punjab it contributes only about a tenth of the province's farm output, though it covers a much larger share of the land. That is why barani farmers keep their spending low: with no sure water, a big outlay on seed and fertiliser is a gamble on the rain.

What crops grow on barani land?

Wheat is the main barani crop. Farmers sow it after the monsoon, in late October and November, and cut it in spring. In Pakistani Punjab about 1.36 million acres of wheat grow on barani land. Hardy crops that need little water suit barani fields best, and many families keep livestock beside their crops, so the animals carry them through a dry year.

How is barani different from irrigated farming?

The difference is the source of water. Irrigated fields are watered by canals, tube-wells or tanks whenever the farmer chooses. Barani fields get water only when it rains, so the farmer must sow with the rain, save moisture in the soil and accept that some years will be poor. Dry farming is the English name for the same idea: growing crops without irrigation.