Contour bunds developed for large-scale farming in the USA are widely applied in soil and water conservation programmes in India. These bunds leave corners in some fields, so that there is a risk of losing the piece of land to a neighbour. Contour farming is only suitable where the holding is large and tractors are available. It is an area noted in the 1970s and 1980s by various 'expert' missions as having 'massive soil erosion' and 'the world's worst soil erosion'. Such attitudes are a critical constraint for many current soil conservation programmes.
Local people come to expect direct payment of other incentives for conservation.
Key findings of New Horizons cases Despite differences in the cultural and political context of the case studies of joint watershed management presented at the international workshop, there were important common elements. These cases are as yet only small successes. They have generally been achieved despite existing policy environments that tend to discriminate against sustainability. If these successes are to spread, then policies and practice must now be directed towards these proven alternatives. Due to the lamentably poor performance of almost all soil and water conservation projects, there is a need for a thorough reassessment of existing soil conservation practices and professional norms.