A method of farming in arid and semi-arid areas without using irrigation, the land being treated so as to conserve moisture. The technique consists of cultivating a given area in alternate years allowing moisture to be stored in the fallow year. Moisture losses are reduced by producing a mulch and removing weeds. In Siberia, where melting snow provides much of the moisture for spring crops, the soil is ploughed in the autumn providing furrows in which snow can collect, preventing it from being blown away and evaporated by strong winds. Usually alternate narrow strips are cultivated in an attempt to reduce erosion in the fallow year. Dry farming methods are employed in the drier regions of India, USSR, Canada and Austria.