ABSTRACT
When this research began, the first instinct was to go out in the field to look for elaborate physical structures that had been constructed and managed by local people. Kaputa district, which has a dry hot climate and also happens to be one of the least developed areas in the country, was chosen. It was assumed that the harsh environment would provide fertile ground for indigenous skills and innovations to flourish. At the end of the first day in the field, the atmosphere back at the camp was one of gloom and despair for no bunds, terraces, contours or any such physical structures for harvesting water or controlling erosion had been discovered, and yet it was known that moisture stress caused by insufficient and erratic rains is one of the most important limiting factors to agricultural production in the district.
