It is increasingly recognised that pastoralism is essential for sustainable management and ecosystem health of dryland environments, yet natural resource management strategies are increasingly threatened by many different factors. The key to the successful conservation of dryland environments in the Horn of Africa lies in the ability of pastoralists to observe and manage variations in vegetation and precipitation in order to maintain pastoral livelihoods and growth.

Short article discussing challenges and solutions to Simanjro Conservation Easement in northern Tanzania.

The Simanjiro plains provide a key wet season dispersal area for wildebeest and zebra migrating from northern Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park. The plains lie within the boundaries of

The overarching goal of this study was to understand the bottlenecks and the incentives present in forest management in the Kyrgyz Republic. The study focused on the legal, policy, social, institutional, and governance constraints that prevent rural communities living within and around forest lands from increasing the benefits they derive from the use of forest resources, while preserving fragile forest ecosystems.

La Declaración Final de la Conferencia sobre Reforma Agraria y Desarrollo Rural (CIRADR), celebrada en Marzo de 2006 en Porto Alegre, Brasil, ha inspirado las reflexiones iniciales:

“Reconocemos que las políticas y prácticas para ampliar el acceso cierto a la tierra, al agua y demás recursos naturales y el suministro de servicios rurales deberían ser revisadas para lograr el completo respeto de los derechos y aspiraciones de la población rural, mujeres y grupos vulnerables, incluyendo comunidades rurales tradicionales e indígenas...”

The 2008 report by ActionAid suggests that, since women and girls are overrepresented among poor and excluded people, the food crisis is having a particularly harsh impact on them.  According to the FAO, even before the current crisis women made up 60% of the chronically hungry.

[adapted from ActionAid] October, 2012- The report states that the importance of land to rural women goes beyond growing food. Having secure access to, and independent control over, land can mean the difference between, on the one hand, enjoying rights such as education and freedom from violence or, on the other, continual subjugation in society. ActionAid view security of land tenure for impoverished rural communities as a fundamental component of dignified, sustainable development and a crucial step towards reducing poverty and reducing inequality.

[via UN-HABITAT] How can we judge if a land tool is responsive to both women and men’s needs?

Despite progress on women’s rights, rights to land and security of tenure are not enjoyed equally by women and men in many parts of the world. This goes against international human rights, and also impacts negatively on households and the economy.

The report of the discussion that took place online in September 2012 is now online!!! (Special thanks to Andrea...) Check it in the attachement below. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information, we would be glad to recveive more feed back from you. Jai jagat!

The main objective of this book is to demonstrate the potential that geoprocessing tools have for supporting rural extension and development. The focus is on the Global Positioning System (GPS), virtual globes, and simple geographic information systems (GIS). Based on examples, and without any claim to comprehensiveness, the book offers a range of insights into the use of these geoprocessing tools in interventions in the context of international development cooperation.

The World Bank recently undertook an in-depth review of land governance and land policy in South Africa, with Land Portal partners Urban LandMark managing the process and implementing a Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF) for South Africa.