Rice harvesting is a slow and painstaking operation in the Solo River region - each stalk has to be cut separately. - - Fertilizer and Crop Yield Improvement in the Upper Solo River Basin. Erosion is one of the principal problems impeding the development of agriculture in Central and East Java. Without proper management of the watershed, it will be impossible to reduce flood damage or rehabilitate irrigation schemes, while siltation poses a threat to new dams and reservoirs. In order to provide training and experience in erosion control measures the Government is being assisted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as executing agency, in drawing up plans for the integrated watershed development of the Solo River. In addition, local farmers are being aided by the Freedom from Hunger Campaign/Action for Development fertilizer programme. This industry-sponsored programme provides fertilizer which is used on demonstration plots to convince farmers of its advantages in aiding better crop production and, in the case of the Upper Solo River Basin, as protection against erosion.