Socioeconomic and Policy Research on Watershed Management in India Synthesis of Past Experiences and Needs for Future Research:Global Theme on Agroecosystems Report no. 7

Much of the progress in the past in terms of improving the productivity of agriculture and reducing poverty has occurred in areas with favorable biophysical and socioeconomic conditions. As in many developing countries, more than two-thirds of the agricultural land and the rural population in India are found in rainfed areas, which have been largely bypassed by the past process of agricultural transformation. As opportunities for further productivity growth in more favored areas are being exhausted, there is an urgent need to invest in rainfed areas where widespread rural poverty, water scarcity and degradation of the resource base are still critical development constraints. Several technical interventions for resource conservation in the past that neglected the economic and policy dimensions have failed. In the past few years, a new watershed and community-based approach that maintains people’s livelihoods at the heart of the debate on natural resource management has evolved. India is one of the countries that have adopted this integrated watershed management approach as a vehicle for sustainable agricultural transformation and livelihood security in the rainfed areas. India has also gained significant experience in the implementation of this approach. With the objective of synthesizing this knowledge and identifying the needs for future research, this study was jointly undertaken by ICRISAT and IWMI, initially focusing on socioeconomic and policy aspects. The study provides a broad overview of the national policy and institutional frameworks for watershed development, followed by a detailed assessment of various institutional arrangements and watershed management experiences using selected case studies. The major lessons and key determinants of successful watershed interventions are identified from the case studies. The study concludes by highlighting the knowledge gaps and areas for future socioeconomic and policy research to enhance the impacts of watershed programs.