The focus of the talk was primarily on the concept of normative framework which again has four integral concepts under its head in the form of livelihood, equity, sustainability, and democratization. Further the ecosystem was made the central theme of the discussion and it was stated that natural resources are ecosystem resources and that ecosystems existed in nested forms only.

The central aim of the organization was to encourage self sufficiency in kind and stressed on greater community participation by believing on the premise on that people are capable of causing change of any magnitude. The concept of the inherent productivity of the land was called as primary productivity and it was emphasized that the focus of agriculture in the upcoming times will be to utilize this latent factor. The concept of alow input sustainable agriculturea (LISA) was introduced and dealt with in some detail.

The focus over the later part of the discussion was water resource management with a stress on watershed management techniques. Overall the session was a high octane session covering a wide gauntlet of topics and was highly enriching.

Also, a session was taken by Mr Vijay Krishnan from Arghyam, on August14, 2008 , who interacted with the students (Rural Management students) and NGO leaders on the India Water Portal. The portal serves as a medium for people to come together, discuss and be informed on various water related issues.
It was launched on the recommendation of the National Knowledge Commission and covers vital issues like rain water harvesting, interface between agriculture and water, ecosanitation and water conflicts. Mr. Krishnan demonstrated to the students of how the portal provides an outstanding example of the use of technology for spreading of developmental issues. Films, Photographs and documentaries on water issues have been uploaded on the portal and these have been translated into different languages in order to enable understanding by people from different states by transcending language barriers. Also, for areas having poor internet connectivity, CDs and tapes have been made and circulated. Mr. Krishnan concluded the session by quoting the portal as a ‘Knowledge Management Tool’.

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