We evaluated soil fertility in seven watersheds on the East India Plateau, finding that soils are acid and infertile, with low chemical fertiliser use, and organic nutrient recycling is insufficient to maintain soil fertility. This leads to inefficient rainfall use and low yields. Fertiliser rates need to increase greatly, notably in P and K. This will challenge risk-averse subsistence farmers. Field-specific fertiliser regimes are needed despite consistent fertility trends along toposequences.

Improving management of water resources requires understanding of the natural and human components and drivers that influence the resources, and how these interact. Development of an integrated modelling process can be useful for gaining and sharing understanding of the impact of the interactions. Here we have developed such a modelling process for the Campaspe basin in northern Victoria, Australia. The model has been used to explore the impact of various scenarios on the water resources.

Catchment response can be influenced by man’s activities as well as natural forces like climate, and understanding how stream flow is affected by such activities is important in a changing world, particularly in developing countries. Data for the Bani River in Africa show a steady decrease in the groundwater component of stream flow. This paper shows that the decrease appears to be driven by increased water use in the catchment, and has resulted in the river ceasing to flow in the dry season.