Integrated Watershed Management for Land and Water Conservation and Sustainable Agricultural Production in Asia: Proceedings of the ADB-ICRISAT-IWMI Project Review and Planning Meeting 10–14 December 2001, Hanoi, Vietnam

Erratic rainfall, land degradation, soil erosion, poverty and burgeoning population characterize the dry regions in Asia. To develop sustainable natural resource management options for increasing the agricultural productivity and income of the rural poor in these regions, a new Integrated Farmer Participatory Watershed Management Model was developed by ICRISAT in partnership with the national agricultural research systems (NARS). This model was applied at selected benchmark locations in Asia by ICRISAT through the project RETA 5812 “Improving management of natural resources for sustainable rainfed agriculture in Asia”, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The challenge for catchment research is to generate technologies and management systems that is now being addressed by the Management of Soil Erosion Consortium (MSEC) project RETA 5803 “Catchment approach to managing soil erosion in Asia”. This project is funded by ADB and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) serves as the facilitator. The workshop “Integrated Watershed Management for Land and Water Conservation and Sustainable Agricultural Production in Asia” was held to review these projects. Forty-five scientists from China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam participated in the workshop. The objectives of the workshop were to: (1) Review the progress made at benchmark watersheds/catchments and synthesize the findings from the work of the projects RETA 5812 and RETA 5803; (2) Discuss work plans for 2002, identify emerging issues and future strategies for sustainable use of natural resources for improving rural livelihoods through new initiatives; and (3) Discuss watershed development and management technologies. During the period, a one-day workshop on Watershed Methodologies was also organized. The research papers based on the work conducted for three years at different benchmark sites in Asia are covered in this publication. The multi-country and multi-institutional research findings about watershed/catchment management reported here will serve as a valuable resource for the researchers, policymakers and students working in the area of sustainable management of natural resource