Elements	Approaches
User orientation	Participatory, community-based at all stages from planning to implementation.
Policy	Focus on policy and institutional issues that influence farmer and community decisions.
Equity	Consideration of equity, including gender analysis, in research planning and implementation.
Landscape	Integration of people, soil, and water at every scale from plot to catchment.
Research intensity	Linking strategic, applied, and adaptive research with technology development and participatory dissemination.
Knowledge	Reliance on both indigenous and scientific sources.
Orientation/goals	Linking increased productivity with natural resource conservation.

With funding support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) through the project "Catchment Approach to Managing Soil Erosion in Asia" field research was started in late 1998 in six countries in Asia, namely, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.  The program focuses on three major components.  These are:

Ø       catchment research to evaluate the effects of different land management practices on water and nutrient flows in selected representative catchments;

Ø       capacity building of participating NARES in research on integrated catchment management and soil erosion; and

Ø       dissemination of research results for enhanced adoption of land management technologies and for more accessible information as a concrete basis for decision making.

In addition to addressing these three major components, the implementation mechanisms advocated by MSEC are also documented and evaluated. In essence, the project looks at both the identification and application of alternative erosion management systems in catchments and the effective methodology for faster and sustainable adoption of these management systems. 

Objectives

Ø       develop sustainable and acceptable community-based land management systems that are suitable for the entire catchment;

Ø       quantify and evaluate the biophysical, environmental, and socioeconomic effects of soil erosion, both on and off site;

Ø       generate reliable information and prepare scientifically-based guidelines for the improvement of catchment management policies; and

Ø       enhance NARES capacity in research on integrated catchment management and soil erosion control. 

Expected outputs

Outputs from its activities are expected to be forthcoming in the first three years, but for some, a longer time frame is needed. In fact, the project is envisioned for a period of at least 10 years. Expected outputs are:

Ø       Decision support tools and guidelines based on a better understanding of the on- and off-site effects of soil erosion.

Ø       Alternative technologies and land management systems that are socially and institutionally acceptable to the communities in the catchment areas.

Ø       Methodology for impact assessment and gaining the participation of farmers and other stakeholders in the management of catchments, including policies that will improve the management of catchments by the local government and the communities.

Ø       Information and communication strategies to effectively disseminate the results of the research to the farmers and other land users.

Ø       Enhanced NARES capacity in integrated catchment management research

Ø       Improved program management for catchment management research