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Farmers in parts of Banda district are increasingly cultivating vegetables and other seasonal crops on the exposed bed of the Ken river as recurring drought and shrinking water availability continue to affect agriculture across Bundelkhand. The retreating river has left behind fertile alluvial soil, allowing farmers to grow crops close to the remaining water channels.
In the photographs, farmers can be seen cultivating fields on the riverbed and using portable pumps to draw water directly from the river for irrigation. While riverbed farming provides a temporary source of income and food production, it also highlights the growing pressure on water resources in one of India’s most drought-prone regions.
Bundelkhand has long struggled with erratic rainfall, groundwater depletion and periodic droughts, forcing communities to adapt through alternative farming practices and water conservation measures. Water scarcity remains a major challenge for the region’s agriculture and rural livelihoods.