Issues relating to land and land reform have been moving up the agenda of rural poverty and food security in recent years with the increasing acceptance that the prerequisites for broad-based and equitable development include the essential need for people to have access to land and other natural resources. Access needs to be on an equitable basis allowing the poor and the disadvantaged, including women, to secure the assets needed for them and their families to generate sustainable livelihoods.

The articles in this issue supplement the recent publication "Good governance in land tenure and administration" (Land Tenure Studies No. 9), which provides practical advice for land professionals on improving governance in a land administration system or other land tenure arrangement.

This document reports on the regional consultation for Southern America (including Mexico), held in Brasilia on 20 and 21 of May 2010 with the support of the Government of Brazil and preceded by a civil society meeting composed of organizations integrating the International NGO/CSO Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC), whose recommendations have been annexed at this document.

Compulsory acquisition is the power of government to acquire private rights in land without the willing consent of the owner or occupant in order to benefit society and is often necessary for social and economic development and the protection of the natural environment. The exercise of these powers is frequently contentious and problematic. The guide explains what compulsory acquisition and compensation are, and what constitutes good practice in this area, examining the consequences of poor legislation, procedures and implementation.

La presente guía responde a la necesidad de incrementar las inversiones en el ámbito de la agricultura y alienta a todas las partes interesadas —en particular al público destinatario compuesto por las autoridades gubernamentales que participan en los procesos de promoción, aprobación y supervisión de inversiones— a que estudien modelos de inversión que reduzcan o eviten la transferencia de derechos de tenencia de la tierra.

Document de travail sur les régimes fonciers 10. L’unité de gestion des terres et des régimes fonciers de la FAO travaille avec des partenaires pour développer des directives volontaires sur la gouvernance responsable de la tenure des terres et des autres ressources naturelles qui peuvent être adoptées au niveau international et mises en œuvre par les Etats. Le document de discussion a été préparé afin de recueillir des avis et des commentaires sur le contenu et sur l’étendue des directives volontaires.

This paper describes the perspective of stakeholders on the development of the Voluntary Guidelines on tenure. These Guidelines represent the greatest extent of “common ground” on governance of tenure that has been found to date in a global forum. This consensus was developed through intergovernmental negotiations with the participation of civil society, the private sector and research and academic institutes. This paper draws on interviews to identify how people engaged in the process and the dynamics that were created between the parties.

This manual complements FAO Land Tenure Studies 6: The design of land consolidation pilot projects in Central and Eastern Europe. The manual concentrates on the practical aspects of defining and implementing the first pilot projects. It identifies the main conditions that should be in place before the project starts, and it defines potentials and constraints. It draws attention to issues that should be addressed and it discusses methods, tools and techniques. The manual identifies the main activities in a pilot project and their sequence.

En el presente nmero de Unasylva se examinan algunas de las cuestiones relacionadas con la poblacin que vive en los bosques y depende de ellos, y en particular su participacin en la ordenacin forestal sostenible.

La FAO junto con varios asociados está desarrollando las Directrices voluntarias sobre la gobernanza responsable de la tenencia de la tierra y de otros recursos naturales. Las directrices voluntarias intentan proporcionar a los Estados, a la sociedad civil y al sector privado la orientación práctica sobre la gobernanza responsable de la tenencia como medios para aliviar el hambre y la pobreza, mejorar el medio ambiente, apoyar el desarrollo económico nacional y local, y reformar la administración pública.

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), GTZ (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit) 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.

This issue of Unasylva considers some of the issues related to forest-dwelling and forest-dependent people, and particularly their role in and relationship to sustainable forest management.