The scarcity of reliable perennial water sources, including groundwater, is posing serious challenges to the provision of municipal water to the rapidly growing rural communities and small towns in Barani areas. While new crops should be required new marketing channels and offer new value-added activities for farm communities, but assistance is needed to fully exploit these opportunities. According to an update study on Barani areas, which was prepared by the Punjab government with the assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB), it stated that present circumstances constitutes a serious impediment to the sustainable development of local industrial and service activities, and represents a tremendous burden and loss of productive potential on families, mainly women, who may spend hours collecting water on a daily basis. According to study, Pakistan is noteworthy for its significant development of water resources, in particular the Indus River irrigation system, which is the largest contiguous irrigation system in the world. The system supplies irrigation water to over 14.9 million hectares (ha) and has permanently transformed agriculture and the livelihood of tens of millions of Pakistanis for the better. In Punjab, 8.4 million ha is irrigated by the Indus River system and irrigated agriculture (i) accounts for 28 percent of Punjab's gross domestic product (GDP) output, (ii) employs 54 percent of the labour force, (iii) produces 90 percent of agricultural output, and (iv) uses over 95 percent of the water resources. Punjab provides about 58 percent of the national GDP, and 66 percent of the national agricultural GDP. However, about one quarter of Pakistan's cultivable area remains outside this system and suffers from chronically low agricultural productivity. In Punjab, report mentioned that about 19 percent of cultivable lands lie in Barani areas, mainly in the Pothowar plateau between the Indus and Jhelum rivers. The plateau covers an area of 2.2 million ha, of which 1.0 million ha is under rain-fed agriculture. Around 2,600 villages have a population of 4.2 million, and these people generally have far more limited opportunities for productive agriculture and the livelihood it supports than farmers in the irrigated areas. Commenting over the "Barani Agriculture", report mentioned that the agriculture and livestock have been the traditional sources of revenue for people in Barani areas, and still account for 40 percent of their income in Punjab. Improvement in livelihood for Barani residents, especially for a large majority of small landholders and tenants, will depend to a large extent on gains in agriculture and livestock productivity and growth in the local non-farm sector. Improvement in both on-farm and non-farm sectors is constrained by several factors common to rural areas of Pakistan. Among the constraints are (i) impeded access to markets, inputs, and services due to inadequate or non-existent transportation infrastructure; (ii) lack of access to electricity, with negative consequences for the productive potential of both the agriculture and non-farm sectors; (iii) productivity constraints arising from the lack of access to and inadequate social services; (iv) lack of access to finance and business development services; and (v) poor access to agriculture and livestock advisory and support services. The government with external support is currently giving considerable emphasis and committing significant resources to address those constraints, report disclosed. Agriculture experts stated that the constraint that most significantly affects Barani areas and agricultural and livestock productivity is shortage of water. With no or limited secure water sources, farming depends on rainfall, which is irregular in both annual and seasonal amounts as well as intensity in any given storm event. Farmers have developed farming systems with very low input requirements to keep the financial risk of crop failures manageable. This practice results in low productivity. The primary crops grown and their average yields are wheat (0.5 tons/ha [t/ha]), maize (0.7 t/ha), and groundnuts (0.4 t/ha). In contrast, irrigated yields are as follows: wheat (3.1 t/ha), maize (1.7 t/ha), and groundnuts (1.5 t/ha). In addition to lower average yields, Barani areas are highly susceptible to prolonged drought and associated poverty shocks due to the absence of reliable surface or ground water sources, statistics revealed. Report pointed out that the most recent 2001-2003 drought had a devastating effect, especially on the more arid parts of Barani areas, and forced many families to migrate to urban areas, sell off productive assets, and face serious indebtedness. In addition to water management and land preparation constraints, study mentioned that the development of the command area of small dams has not effectively involved human resources or provided support for farmers who are supposed to make the transition from Barani to irrigated agriculture. Barani farmers have had success in cultivation despite substantial barriers and exposure to risks, however, they need assistance in adapting to new higher-value or more intensive cropping patterns that are appropriate for their soil and climatic conditions. Orchard, vegetable, and other crops that were not feasible under Barani conditions can significantly improve farmer livelihood, but farmers must have the capacity and confidence to grow such crops. Improved water supply may necessitate changes to existing cropping practices such as rotation to maximise yield gains. Due to the unreliability of water supply, Barani farmers are often reluctant to risk significant investment in inputs, with improved water supply, they often need guidance in developing the most productive input regime. Changed cropping and agricultural practices may also require new and unfamiliar post-harvest techniques. New crops may require new marketing channels and offer new value-added activities for farm communities, but assistance is needed to fully exploit these opportunities. Increased production intensity can also create employment opportunities and allow for fuller employment of landless labourers, report concluded.