Nearly 61% of the total area of the Rajasthan state falls under the Great Indian ‘Thar’ desert. Recurrent droughts, low rainfall, high diurnal temperature variations, sandy soils low in fertility and water-holding capacity characterize the edapho-climatic conditions of this region. These edapho-climatic challenges in western Rajasthan have led to the evolution of traditional sustainable agriculture practices through generations. Field ploughing with animal-drawn desi ploughs, earthen embankment on the field boundaries as ‘Baad’ for conserving soil, mixed cropping, fallowing, the use of local landraces for seeds, manual interculture, etc., have traditionally been components of farming systems of the region. For soil fertility management, traditionally, animal manures, green manuring, wood ash, tank silt, etc. were used as sources of nutrients besides maintaining Khejri (Propsopis cineraria) trees on farms. With the advent of modern agricultural technologies, these centuries old survival strategies lagged behind. Integrating traditional agricultural practices with modern techniques is the only way to make farming practices sustainable and capable of meeting the demands of the population of this region. Selection of short-duration cultivars and their proper seed rate, use of proper sowing devices and the management of soil crust are integral components of this new approach. Indigenous technical knowledge and modern scientific technologies individually or by blending are capable of giving multiple benefits. Farm yard manure (FYM) application (@ 5.0 t/ha) over seed furrows retained 2.26% higher moisture in the surface layer besides its mulching effect and reduced the crust strength from 49 to 69 kPa during a week after sowing. Graded bunding can reduce the run-off from 20% to 4.8% and soil loss from 24 to 4.12 t/ha/year. The mixing of pond silt @ 76 t/ha increased the available water capacity by 7%, reduced the infiltration rate from 15 to 13.2 cm/h and hence increased the yield of pearl millet and mung by 35–50%. Inoculation of cluster bean with Rhizobium and PSB individually increased the yield by 17% and 20%, whereas their combined application increased the yield by 22.3%. Policy interventions are also needed to address the emerging challenges of groundwater depletion, wasteland management and drought management.