The uneven march of the southwest monsoon is once again exposing the fragility of rain-fed agriculture. The southwest monsoon has never been an equal-opportunity visitor. This year it has arrived with a familiar paradox. While Konkan, Mumbai and large parts of western Maharashtra have been inundated by torrential rain, Marathwada remains trapped in a frustrating cycle of scattered showers followed by long dry spells. For a region where agriculture depends overwhelmingly on th

Farmers in drought-scarred Latur find their claims trapped in a maze of technicalities and delay. Latur district has long been hostage to the vagaries of the monsoon. With the weather being increasingly defined by erratic temperatures and monsoon patterns, agriculture in Marathwada region is fast becoming a gamble. Each season, farmers stake their livelihoods on the caprice of rain which is either too little or unseasonal, causing crops to wither or rot. The Kharif season of