Following from Tasks 5 and 6 in the 9-step World Bank IRBM planning process outlined in Box 3.1 above, bottom-up planning at the sub-basin or local community level, also called land and water management planning (LWMP), complements and feeds into the framework master planning at the basin-wide level described above. The three objectives of sub-basin land and water management planning are (Reference 3):

1. To improve regional/sub-basin/catchment-level productivity through increased farm productivity, improved land and water management efficiencies, and improved farmer education and awareness 

2. To at least maintain the sustainability of the land and water resources – but where possible, to improve it – by addressing problems at a sub-basin, catchment, or county level in an integrated way and through local ownership and input 

3. To achieve an acceptable balance of economic, environmental, and social outcomes in accordance with community values and expectations through close collaboration between the government agencies and those individuals involved with and/or affected by the LWMP.

LWMPs cover smaller sub-catchments and address the land, vegetation, and water-related problems affecting both farm productivity and natural resources health, as well as impacts on urban areas within the catchment. They may cover the area of a single water user association or land care group (such as a group with dry land farms) or many such groups. They consider a large range of works and measures to better achieve sustainable use and protection of the resources. These may include (Reference 3): 

• Improved on-farm water supply and storage, drainage works, surface water and groundwater conjunctive use policies, channel lining 

• Farm planning (new technology, laser leveling), new crop types better suited to local conditions, more salt-tolerant crops 

• Improved water management, water use efficiency, reuse of water, smarter irrigation scheduling 

• Improved management of vegetation, forest areas, wetlands, river banks

LWMPs may cover a relatively long period (say, 10 to 20 years) so that works and activities can be phased to suit the resources available. They link all elements of land and water management together, such that a solution in one area does not cause problems in another. For example, poor-quality drainage water would not be allowed downstream into another area. They are developed in partnership between the government agencies (providing technical input and advice) and the stakeholders representative of the local people. Stakeholders share the costs. Often in developing countries, farmers are unable to make any significant financial contributions, so they provide the labor for the on-farm or within-irrigation area improvements.

LWMPs can overcome a variety of problems: 

• High levels of non-beneficial evapotranspiration (ET) due to rising groundwater levels resulting from inefficient irrigation practices, poor drainage, and heavy clearing of native vegetation 

• Soil waterlogging and salinization due to poor natural drainage 

• Downstream environmental damage from saline/nutrient-rich drainage and runoff 

• Degradation of rivers and wetlands, loss of native vegetation, and consequent impacts on fauna 

• Single-use policies for groundwater and surface water 

• Poor urban planning and uncoordinated urban expansion 

• Poor farming techniques and old technology, low farmer education and awareness 

• Inappropriate crop types and low yields.

In places where it has not yet been introduced, bottom-up LWMP may be best introduced through pilot projects, whether in an agricultural or an urban watershed, whose benefits can be shown clearly at the community level.