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Abstract
An effort to understand the Interrelationships between competing commodity production systems on floodplains, which could be incorporated into management strategies, is the main purpose of this study. It is shown that with the help of Geographic Information System (GIS) a systems understanding, including environmental and socio-economic elements, of the resource base and resource use patterns in floodplain production systems can be developed to achieve the desired goal. Thereby, leading to "the development of systems management strategies for increased productivity, diversity of resource base, equitability and sustainability in floodplain systems".

Introduction
Natural resources are invaluable, therefore, should be used with utmost care and planning so as to fulfil the needs of ever increasing population in Asian countries. Natural hazards like floods occur year after year playing havoc to the mankind in terms of human life and property. Natural resources - mainly land and water, under Asian subcontinent condition, are endowed with rich diversity and vast expanse.

Rainwater runoff should be managed through watershed development and should also utilise the local resources especially labour. Sustainable development plans like widespread afforestation and erosion prevention will begin to be felt within a decade (Mishra, 1996). Long term continuity is a vital ingredient in the strategy for sustainable development. FAO has defined that the orientation of technological and institutional changes in such a manner as to ensure the attainment and continued satisfaction of human needs for present and future generation. Such sustainable development conserves land, water, plant and animal genetic resources, is environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable.

The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) commissioned participatory watershed management studies in parts of India and inferred (Turton et al., 1998);

• Results from one success story are not easily replicable;
• Approaches to development are resource intensive;
• There is uncertainty over the long-term institutional and ecological sustainability of modified system.

GIS allows extremely simple form of presentation of the existing facts and scenarios, which is very important for a sustainable participatory approach. Specialists and common man, alike, should get the feel of their surroundings, problems and remedies in the form of various options. We should be able to provide adequate and quick information to the policy makers and also should be able to make changes in suggested options fairly quickly. All this can be achieved with the help of GIS techniques.

Purpose
The project is aimed at the widespread developmental problem of small and marginal farmers' and fishers' needs being poorly addressed by interventions that fail to take account of the complex interactions in floodplain production systems. The consequence of this is that research and planning both have little positive impact for these primary producers, and due to poor understanding of the systems, may even have negative impacts. The ultimate result is that resource poor producers continue to face conditions of declining income and sustainability of livelihood.

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