The modest potential of dry farming in vast areas, will add to a substantial overall growth. Our farmers seem to be in distress. Except for a few well to do ones, most of them find their life as farmers miserable. They find it increasingly difficult to make both ends meet, especially for the families stuck in dry farming. They seem to feel that they are denied a fair share of the "goodness' the country has come to enjoy in recent times. Not a healthy trend in a democracy. The source of their frustration is not merely the world around them. Their little empire, the farm, is gradually getting impoverished, and farming is becoming un-remunerative. In fact, agriculture development in the country is reaching a dead end. The modest growth rate of 2 per cent, often quoted, is somewhat misleading. For, the Economic Survey 2008, reports that between 1990 and 2007, the food production growth rate was 1.2 per cent, while the population growth was 1.9 per cent. Evidently, while the overall growth rate is low, the production is moving away from food grains. Paradigm change Efforts to get out of this rut are many. They all seem to converge on more investments, irrigation, infrastructure, research and extension, economic incentives and market facilities. But, all these are already there. Still, the growth rate is not picking up. Surprisingly, most of these recommendations also call for a "second green revolution'. And in the same breath, they also call for a paradigm change in development strategy. But, a "paradigm change' must emerge from a "change in the perspective'. It is fairly clear that future growth hardly results from the green revolution route, since it is already exploited. A search for new sources of growth leads us to opportunities in dry farming, where the potential, though limited, remains untapped. In the last 60 years, the farm sector has changed enormously. Farm holdings have increased in number but have shrunk in size. Farmlands have degenerated. Farm surroundings, having lost the vegetative cover, have ceased to be efficient in retaining rainwater in the terrain, or as a source of organic manures. The technology of the green revolution is unsuitable, because this technology was specific to a situation. It was suited to favourable conditions like irrigated areas, resourceful farmer groups and use of expensive purchased inputs. But, in dry farming, we have impoverished farmlands, resource poor farmers and room for low cost practices. In the wake of the green revolution, farmers become the central players in development. They happen to be the end-users of the natural farm resources, the new technologies and the growth opportunities. Also, ultimately, farming is what farmer does, based on what he knows, what he believes and what he is able to do. So, durable changes require upgrading his knowledge and ability