This paper discusses the role of FAO support to the Government of Mozambiques Land Commission since 1995, through three consecutive projects. While each has had a relatively short duration, all have been planned and implemented within a single conceptual framework with a much longer time horizon. This has allowed a difficult and complex issue to be progressively developed and nurtured within a realistic time scale, while building up a strong sense of national ownership of the process.

Over the past 30 years, the natural environment of the Asia-Pacific region has been subjected to increasing degradation of both land and water resources thereby threatening livelihoods, food security, people's health and long-term sustainable development. Pressures on these resources are more severe compared to other regions in the world. Some 850 million hectares, representing more that 28 percent of the region's land area, are affected by some form of land degradation.

Land Tenure Working Paper 13: Secure land rights are crucial if local populations are to engage actively as stakeholders in rural development.

The first detailed study of large scale land acquisitions in Africa analyses the modalities and likely impacts. The study highlights the possible opportunities (investments, rising agricultural productivity and rural incomes), if things are managed well and warns about the risks (uncompensated loss of land rights for the rural poor) if contracts are not properly negotiated and enforced. It makes recommendations to the main stakeholders to make this new trend useful for food security and rural development.

This guide explains what compulsory acquisition and

The purpose of this study is to analyze the economic effects of land reform policies in

Tajikistan on the country’s agricultural sector and rural households. There is a conspicuous

lack of evidence-based policy dialogue with the government on the effectiveness of land and

agricultural policies in Tajikistan. Though the majority of rural inhabitants live in poverty and

many are food insecure, a scientifically proper evaluation of the effects of land and farm

policy reforms has yet to be done. The present study is an attempt to fill this void by offering

The habitat of tsetse fly (Glossina spp.) depends upon climatic conditions, host

availability and land cover characteristics. In this paper, the Land Cover Classification

System (LCCS), developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is proposed as a tool to harmonize

land cover mapping exercises carried out in the context of tsetse and trypanosomiasis

(T&T) research and control. Habitat modifications are

This discussion paper has been prepared by FAO’s Land Tenure and Management Unit to

seek views and comments on voluntary guidelines on responsible governance of tenure of

land and other natural resources. Weak governance of tenure results in the loss of life and

livelihoods; it deters investment and widespread economic growth and discourages the

sustainable use of natural resources. In contrast, responsible governance of tenure ensures

Land consolidation can be an important tool for increasing agricultural competitiveness and improving rural conditions. Farmers can become more competitive when they decrease fragmentation and increase the size of their farms, and rural communities can benefit when consolidation projects include components to improve local infrastructure and the environment.

The objective of this study was to identify areas of land degradation in sub‐Saharan Africa as

observed from space by tracking the greenness of the vegetation signal expressed as

Normalize Differenced Vegetation Index (NDVI). A series of additional databases was used,

and, through a step‐wise amalgamation of these, conclusions were drawn about the type of

(agro) ecosystems under threat. The datasets (based on 8x8 km2 pixels) of weather and NDVI

(as a proxy for net primary productivity of the land) were averaged annually from monthly

What are the impacts of the increasing spread of biofuels on access to land in producer countries, particularly for poorer rural people? Biofuels could revitalise rural agriculture and livelihoods or, where there are competing claims on land exclude poorer land and resource users. This study documents current knowledge on current and potential impacts of commercial biofuel production for access to land in Africa, Latin America and Asia, charting both negative experiences and promising approaches.

In September 2008, the FAO-Dimitra project organised its third workshop with all its partners in Brussels, on the theme:“Information and communication strategies to fight gender inequality as regards land access and its consequences for rural populations in Africa”.

This document presents a synthesis of the workshop’s

activities as well as the different articles which were prepared for the workshop by the participants – the partners of the network and FAO colleagues.