The National Land Use policy – Outline, adopted at the first meeting of National Land Use and Wastelands Development Council, envisages :

"Among the major resources available in the country, the most important is land comprising soil, water and associated plant and animals involving the total Eco-system. The community’s demand for food, energy and many other needs has to depend on the preservation and improvement of the productivity of this natural resource". (1.1)
"In planning the efficient resource allocation in a total system, we should not forget the problems of the rural communities, the tribals and others below the poverty line in whose hands these resources have to be efficiently utilized and whose minimum needs the efficient use of such resources is meant to serve." (2.2)
"land must be treated as a single entity and the sectoral interests and pressure groups must not be allowed to defeat the prime objective of increased productivity and elimination of poverty. (3.2)
Soil and Water Conservation, since the beginning of planning processes in India has been moving towards fulfillment of these stipulations under diverse bio-physical as well as socio-economic conditions.

Enhancing and sustaining productivity of available land stock for primary production systems of crop cultivation livestock raising and forest management.
Generating additional employment opportunities and income through secured livelihood in rural areas.
Maintaining beneficial relationship between land and water cycles and deter / moderate hazards of droughts and flood.
Retarding Watershed degradation caused by deforestation, soil erosion, sedimentation, land degradation and hydrologic deterioration of the watersheds.
Locating, reclaiming and developing culturable wastelands, fallows other than current fallows and degraded lands to meet increasing and competing demands for additional land stock for various sectors.

Approach and Broad Methodology

Identification and Unit

• Identification of group of problems with package of treatments.
• Planning, implementing and monitoring of Soil and Water Conservation programmes on the basis of priority / responsive watersheds / micro-watersheds and with a multidisciplinary watershed management plan.

  Social and Management parameters

• Consider human and livestock population to compute familywise requirement of various land based commodities plus employment opportunities and desired income generation.
• Consider alternate land management system or combination of a number of land management systems in compatible manner to ensure higher and sustained production of aggregate biomass commensurate to the requirement of concerned communities.

Participation and Coordination

• Creation of greater awareness of grass root level and obtaining participation of beneficiaries.
• Interacting and coordinating with other agencies in the implementation of soil and water conservation programmes.

  Monitoring and Evaluation

• Identify key indicators for collection of data and building up time series for concurrent appraisal and subsequent evaluation studies. This is to quantify of multiple benefits such a protective / restorative, productive, water resources, related crop and plant, coverage intensity and productivity, production, income and employment generation.

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