Policies and institutions for increasing benefits of integrated watershed management programsK VRajuauthorK HAnanthaauthorS PWaniauthorOne of the most challenging policy issues for a long time has been conservation and management of land and water resources for sustainable agriculture and poverty reduction, specifically in rainfed areas. Rainfed agriculture contributes 60% of world’s staple food and is being practiced on 80% of the world’s agricultural area (FAOSTAT 2005). Water is a limiting factor in achieving food production (crop growth) in semi-arid and dry subhumid zones (SEI 2005). Nearly two-thirds of India’s agriculture is based on rainfed areas and contributes about 9% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)1. As the source of growth in irrigated areas declines, rainfed agriculture must increase to fill the gap...........Watershed Management2011CRC Press(Taylor & Francis)Book Section