Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part A (2024)

Agro-climatic zonation forms the basis for location-specific agricultural planning and is especially crucial in rainfed regions where crop performance is tightly linked to rainfall variability, temperature regimes, and soil characteristics. This paper investigates how agro-climatic classification systems influence crop management strategies in rainfed agriculture. Drawing from global and regional examples, it examines the zonation principles, their relevance to cropping patterns, input use efficiency, soil-water conservation, and resilience building in vulnerable agro-ecologies. The paper further discusses how integrating zonation with precision agriculture, crop modeling, and farmer knowledge can improve planning, productivity, and sustainability in rain-dependent systems.