The paper identifies key development issues relating to land and water management in the less developed countries of the Himalayan and South-East Asia regions, and how these are likely to be affected by climate change. The paper links the issues of poverty, land and water resource management and climate change adaptation in practice. The paper also reviews some of the many innovative efforts underway in the region to support land and water management and poverty reduction at multiple levels (local, national and regional). It highlights how climate change adaptation measures can complement and reinforce these innovations in land and resource management to reduce rural poverty in Asia.