Which are the objectives of IWM?
Watershed management relies on the participation of the population in planning, utilisation and monitoring and thus supports the building of democratic structures, especially in developing countries. Moreover, this concept is suitable for providing a framework for the utilisation of traditional social structures and traditional knowledge for development [1].
Some of the major objectives of IWM to improve the livelihood of a community are:
- Conserve soil, rainwater, and vegetation effectively and harvest the surplus water to create water sources in addition to groundwater recharge
- Promote sustainable farming and stabilize crop yields by adopting suitable soil, water, nutrient management and crop management practices
- Cover non‐arable area effectively through afforestation, horticulture, and pasture land development based on land capability class
- Enhance the income of individuals by adopting alternative
enterprises - Restore ecological balance
- Build capacity to appreciate economic value of ecologic
functioning watersheds [4]
Harvest the surplus water to create water sources in addition to groundwater recharge. The aim is to promote sustainable farming and stabilize crop yields by adopting suitable soil, water, nutrient and crop management practices ‐ cover non‐arable area effectively through afforestation, horticulture,and pasture land development based on land capability class ‐ enhance the income of individuals by adopting alternative enterprises ‐ restore ecological balance ‐ build capacity to appreciate economic value of ecologic functioning watersheds [5].