Precipitation variability and nitrogen application management are crucial determinants of agricultural sustainability. Alfalfa-annual crop rotation represents a promising integrated farming approach. However, little attention has been given to the yield and soil water balance (SWB) of this system response to precipitation variation, and it remains unknown whether it is feasible to reduce nitrogen application while ensuring system yield. A 4-year field experiment (2018-2022) consisted of four rotation systems (winter wheat continuous cropping [WWWW] and 1- to 3-year alfalfa-based rotations [AWWW, AAWW, AAAW]) under three precipitation scenarios (normal [P0], +/- 30 % [P +/- 30]). Besides, two nitrogen rates (150 [NF], 75 [HF] kg N ha(-1)) were applied to winter wheat of rotation. Results showed that the AWWW, AAWW, and AAAW systems increased average grain yield by 11.1 %, 26.6 %, and 43.6 %, system crude protein yield by 36.5 %, 125.7 %, and 198.9 % compared to WWWW, with no significant differences between nitrogen levels. These improvements remained stable across precipitation variations. With time, the soil water balance decreased by 15.8 mm per 4-year cycle in P-30 and increased by 27.8 mm in P+30 compared to P0. The AAAW-NF treatment showed optimal performance under P + 30, while AAAW-HF treatment maintained high productivity under P-30 and P0. Our findings demonstrate that a 3-year alfalfa-1-year winter wheat rotation achieves multiple goals of maintaining high productivity, reducing nitrogen inputs by 50 % without yields penalty, and enhancing system resilience to precipitation variation. This system provides a climate-resilient strategy for sustainable rainfed agriculture while minimizing environmental impacts.