Nutrient deficiency, high rate of evapotranspiration, and insufficient and erratic rainfall are the critical challenges for crop production in the dryland areas (DLAs) of Sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania, where 61% of arable land is prone to drought. In addressing these challenges, field trials were conducted in central Tanzania to evaluate the interactive effects of ripping and tie-ridges with organic (FYM) and inorganic fertilizers (N) on the mitigation of the critical period of soil moisture stress (CPSMS) for sorghum yield performance. Both in situ rainwater harvesting techniques (IRWHT) and flat-cultivated land were integrated with 8 Mg FYM ha(-1), 70Kg N ha(-1), and a combination of 35 Kg N ha(-1) and 4 Mg FYM ha(-1) (N+ FYM). Among the IRWHT, tie-ridges stored a significant water volume of 577 and 457 m(3)ha(-1), which mitigated the CPSMS by the maximum of 95% and 37% for the above-average rainfall and below-average rainfall season, respectively. However, it only registered the highest grain yield (2.02Mg ha(-1)) and biomass (3.46Mg ha(-1)) in a below-average rainfall season. The highest overall grain yield (5.73Mg ha(-)) and biomass (12.09Mg ha(-1)) were harvested in ripping with combined fertilizer treatments in an above-average rainfall season, while the lowest grain yield (0.5Mg ha(-1)) and biomass (1.2Mg ha(-1)) were registered in the flat-cultivation control in the below-average rainfall season. In the latter season, IRWHT increased the mitigation potential in the order; flat cultivation