Kharif, rabi and zaid

Indian farming follows three cropping seasons: kharif, rabi and zaid. Farmers have followed this rhythm for centuries, so there is something to harvest at different times of the year, which keeps food coming.

The names kharif, rabi and zaid come from Arabic and have been used since Mughal times. Before that, they were called kedāra (wet crops), haimana (winter crops) and graiṣhmika (summer crops). The seasons are older than the words.

Kharif — the monsoon season. Sowing starts with the rains around June, in hot, very rainy weather; harvest is around September–October. Kharif crops: rice, maize, jowar, bajra, groundnut, sugarcane and cotton.

Rabi — the winter season. Sowing is around October–November, in cool weather with less water; harvest is around March–April. Rabi crops: wheat, barley, peas, mustard and gram.

Zaid — the summer season, squeezed between the rabi harvest and the kharif sowing. Its crops grow quickly in the heat: watermelon, cucumber, muskmelon and pumpkin.

See how each season's crops match its water. Rice grows in standing water, so it is a kharif crop. Wheat needs cool weather and less water, so it is a rabi crop. Melons grow fast in the hot summer gap.

Each season has its own risks. Kharif crops depend on the monsoon arriving on time. But too much rain can also destroy crops and cause great hardship to farming families. Too little rain and too much are both disasters.

This knowledge is old. The Arthaśhāstra described a good rainy season: one-third of the year's rain at the beginning (Śhrāvaṇa, July–August) and at the end (Kārtika, October–November), and two-thirds in the middle (August to October). Not just how much rain, but when — exactly what a crop needs.