In this issue, we will be introducing the new Land tenure e-journal, which has just launched its first issue. This e-journal is dedicated to land-related issues, including land tenure. We will also learn about the recently issued report, the State of the World’s plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and we will introduce you to the new web site gearing up for the 2012 event marking the twentieth anniversary of the Earth Summit - FAO@Rio+20.

This training manual is for people working in natural disaster risk management and response as well as for people who work in the land tenure sector. In a self-training format this publication aims to provide an overview of the major land tenure issues that may arise following a natural disaster which need to be considered and included in the decision-making processes associated with the whole disaster risk management phases.

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and other development partners are working together with countries to prepare Voluntary Guidelines that will provide practical guidance to states, civil society, the private sector, donors and development specialists on the responsible governance of tenure. By setting out principles and internationally accepted standards for responsible practices, the Voluntary Guidelines will provide a framework and point of reference that stakeholders can use when developing their own policies and actions.

FAO Notes sur les régimes fonciers 2

This guide on Gender and access to land has been prepared to support land administrators in governments and their counterparts in civil society who are involved in land access and land administration questions in rural development. It is frequently the case that gender issues are left out or misunderstood in such situations, often with negative results. This guide is designed to show where and why gender inclusion is important in projects and programmes that aim at improving land tenure and land administration arrangements.

This paper summarizes the good practices by nine selected OECD countries that seek to promote responsible foreign investment in developing country agriculture, primarily by investors in their territory or jurisdiction. The study provides examples of the increasing trend of home countries in establishing binding legal norms and other mechanisms as safeguards that are relevant for agricultural investment.

Este manual de capacitación está destinado a personas que trabajan tanto en la gestión de riesgos y respuesta a los desastres naturales, como aquéllas que trabajan en el sector de la tenencia de la tierra. Mediante un formato de auto-capacitación, esta publicación tiene como objetivo brindar una visión general de los aspectos más importantes de la tenencia de la tierra que pueden surgir después de un desastre natural y que necesitan ser considerados e incluidos en los procesos de toma de decisiones asociados con las diferentes fases del manejo de riesgos en los desastres naturales.

An international journal of forestry and forest industries

The Workshop on Governance of Tenure for Responsible Capture Fisheries was convened by the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department in collaboration with the Land Tenure Unit of the Natural Resources and Environment Department to generate inputs and guidance on the contents and process of developing fisheries sector specific implementation guidelines on the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security.

Land Tenure Working Paper 18. Presents the main themes that characterize the governance in land tenure and analyses the aspects related to the evolution of agricultural policy issues in various Central American countries. It also offers some examples and lessons learned from new models of land administration and land access mechanisms that Central American governments and International Cooperation have fostered over the past fifteen years in the Region. Available in Spanish

Perhaps the most important socio-economic and political development in Europe between the time of ETTS IV and that of ETTS V was the start of the process of transition for the former centrally planned economies to a market economy system. The changes to every part of these countries' society and institutions are profound and sometimes painful. The forest and forest products sector is no exception.