The Endless Seasonal Cycle
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The Endless Seasonal Cycle

by Madeleine Nicolas

In semi-arid India, rainfall is the basis of subsistence of millions of farmers. Groundwater resources are constantly solicited to the point where borewells go dry. Many try to dig deeper, only to find their boreholes go drier faster. As such, one good year, or a series of bad years, will have a significant outcome on their ability to earn a living. The photo on the left was taken after three years of poor rainfall, on the right, after one year of substantial monsoon. As the landscapes turn green, the pumps run again, and the paddy fields are vivid anew. The cycle recommences.