Rice fallows offer a huge potential niche for legume cultivation in South Asia. For example, chickpea yields in the High Barind Tract of Bangladesh normally remain below 1 tonne per ha due mainly to crop establishment problems and terminal drought and heat stress. At this level, the crop remains a marginal proposition for most farmers. Establishment, early vigour, growth and yield of chickpea can be improved by on-farm seed priming. The seed priming process simply involves soaking the seeds overnight (for about 8 hour), surface drying them and then sowing within the following day in rice fallows. Seed priming raised yields by almost 50 percent and reduced the risk of crop failure by half.