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Sorghum is uniquely adapted to dryland and used by the Indonesian government to optimize the utilization of dryland and increase farmers’ incomes. The objective of this study was to analyze the contribution of sorghum to increasing income and the level of welfare of dryland farmer households in Wonogiri, Central Java, Indonesia. The study was conducted from October to December 2022 using a survey method through direct interviews with purposively selected sorghum-growing farmers. A set of questions included household income and expenditure. The average total income and expenditure indicators, poverty line figures, RMW, and ERFHI were used to measure the welfare level of farmer households. The study found that the income derived from sorghum contributes 22.87% to total household income and tends to increase household income by 29.65%. According to the average total income earned, farming households were in a prosperous condition. This can be seen from the total income, which is higher than the total expenditure, the average per capita income higher than the poverty line, the average total income higher than RMW, and the value of ERFHI at 1.25. Income derived from sorghum has increased by 21.43–56.00% from less prosperous households to prosperous ones. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the existing literature on sorghum development and farmers’ income and to be a reference for policy makers in formulating poverty alleviation programs and improving the welfare of farmer households, as well as expanding sorghum development by optimizing the utilization of agroecological, economic and social resources.

Rice production in the karst dryland is still low, due to soil characteristics that lack nutrient availability. Meanwhile, upland rice has received less attention, and it has not been used to its full potential. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of various combinations of inorganic fertilizers, poultry manure, and upland rice varieties on the production and economic value of karst dryland in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta. This experiment was arranged in a factorial design, with inorganic fertilizers, poultry manure, and upland rice varieties set in a randomized block design with three replications. The first factor was a combination of inorganic and organic fertilizer rates: 72 N kg ha−1 + 26 P2O5 kg ha−1 + 25 K2O ha−1 + 3 t ha−1 organic, 92 N kg ha−1 + 36 P2O5 kg ha−1 + 30 K2O kg ha−1 + 2 t ha−1 organic, 112 N kg ha−1 + 46 P2O5 kg ha−1 + 35 K2O kg ha−1 + 1 t ha−1 organic. The second factor is the upland varieties of Inpago 8, Inpago 10, and Inpago 12 and lowland variety Inpari 42 Agritan GSR, as checked. Based on the study, we concluded that the combination of 92 N kg ha−1 + 36 P2O5 kg ha−1 + 30 K2O kg ha−1 + 2 t ha−1 poultry manure fertilizers with Inpago 8 resulted in an IDR profit of 23,586,000 ha−1, and it is the most recommendable fertilizer and variety combination to be developed in the karst dryland, in consideration of land fertility and sustainability.