Dryland regions in Sub-Saharan Africa are home to one-half of the region’s population and three-quarters of its poor. Poor both in natural resources and in assets and income, the inhabitants of drylands are highly vulnerable to droughts and other shocks.

This report forms part of the GEF-funded project on “Groundwater Governance: A Global Framework for Country Action” under the International Waters focal area, and includes partners from the FAO, GEF-IW, IAH, UNESCO-IHP and the Bank.

This report begins with definitions of watersheds and watershed management, a characterization of the problem of watershed degradation, and a short history of watershed management operations and policies. It discusses the findings on watershed management approaches and methodologies. It looks at findings on institutions for watershed management and reviews the economics of watershed management.