In a country like India, where the majority of the population is engaged in livelihoods largely dependent on the natural resource such as agriculture, factors like quality, availability and access to natural resources occupy a crucial role in influencing incomes earned by households. In a situation like this, watershed development and management practices play a dual role of natural resource conservation as well as livelihood enhancement. For instance, improved soil quality and water availability facilitate higher crop productivity and more fodder for livestock, which in turn augments income earned by the people engaged in such occupation.

Watershed development approach is based on participatory planning following a bottom-up approach for developing a context appropriate plan for execution; empowerment and employment of people through establishment and strengthening of local level institution; conservation and appropriate management of watershed’s natural resources through holistic development of the watershed; sustainability through people’s participation in the process of development, voluntary contribution and formulation and adoption of a withdrawal strategy for post-project sustainability of the project. In the community-based participatory watershed development project, villagers create and maintain the assets and thus have a strong sense of ownership, which is the key to the sustainability of such project.