[Objective] The cultivation of safflower with micro rainwater harvesting technology on the hillslopes of the temperate desert grassland in Yili Valley was evaluated in order to provide technical support for dryland cultivation of safflower and for preventing water erosion and desertification. [Methods] The study was conducted from April to September 2021 at the Tiechanggou observation field in Yining City, Xinjiang Wei Autonomous Region. Five runoff plot treatments were set up: control, pit, horizontal terrace, square ridge, and contour ridge. Natural rainfall was observed, as well as runoff, soil loss, and safflower growth for each treatment. The soil moisture content in the 0—10 cm layer was monitored by time-domain reflectometry, and the potential evapotranspiration of safflower was simulated by the FAO Penman-Monteith model. [Results] The total rainfall during the study was 53.1 mm, and the potential evapotranspiration of safflower initially increased and then decreased. Runoff for the control treatment was the highest of all of the treatments (6.50×10^-2 mm), and safflower in this treatment did not emerge. Soil loss was greatest for the square ridge treatment (0.684 t/km²). The surface soil water content of the five treatments was the lowest in June, with a mean value of 1.50%. No runoff was observed for the pit treatment, and this treatment showed the highest plant survival number (16) and plant height at flowering (25. 3 cm). [Conclusion] Safflower growth at flowering for the five micro rainwater harvesting plots followed the order of pit＞horizontal terrace, square ridge, contour ridge＞control. Better conditions for safflower survival and growth were observed as total runoff declined.