Soil and water are the two important natural resources, which are the backbone of the Indian agriculture. The prime cause for the backwardness of the farmers is reduction in soil fertility and productivity, due to massive soil erosion. Most of the farmers are depending mainly on renewable natural resources for their livelihoods. The inhabitants of the foothill region of Northwest Himalayas have degraded lands, fragmented and small land holdings and are generally resource poor.

The crop productivity in Siwalik rainfed areas including kandi belt of Jammu and Kashmir is very low. To improve the agricultural productivity of these areas, a holistic approach through watershed management project was introduced in early 1990 to manipulate land and water resources more efficiently for better crop production.