rainfed

1 4.5

Land that gets its water only from rain and not from irrigation

adjective
/ˈreɪnˌfɛd/

Specialized

: de lluvia

The region relies on rainfed farming to grow crops without any additional water sources.

Examples

Rainfed agriculture is a key to sustainable development of water and food.

Academic text (2003)
Currently, production of cereal crops by rainfed methods accounts for more than 70 percent of all cropland.

Academic text (1992)
Many farmers are shifting to rainfed systems to adapt to climate change and conserve water.
In areas with limited irrigation, rainfed practices provide essential support for local food security.

Synonyms

unirrigated

vsrainfed

1 6.4

Land that does not get extra water from pipes or sprinklers

specifies water comes only from rainfall rather than just lacking artificial supply

nonirrigated

vsrainfed

Specialized

1 6.5

Fields that people do not water and that depend only on rain

has identical meaning but uses a different word form

Antonyms

irrigable

Specialized

1 4.9

Land that can receive water by pipes or channels for growing crops

How Irrigated

rainfed

Specialized

1 4.5

nonirrigation

Specialized

7.8

dryland

Specialized

1 5.1

Surface Forms

rainfed positive

Morphology

rainfed = rain + fed (transparent) = rain + fed

The meaning is directly derived from 'rain' and 'fed', indicating crops that are fed by rain.

Etymology

Rainfed is simply rain + fed, where fed comes from 'to give food or water', so imagine fields that are 'fed by rain' instead of by people. So, rainfed means land that gets its water only from rain.