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.

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.

Foreign acquisitions of farmland in Africa and elsewhere have become the focus of concern. Many observers consider them a new form of colonialism that threatens food security of the poor. However, investments could be good news if the objectives of land purchasers are reconciled with the investment needs of developing countries.

This guide on Rural property tax systems in Central and Eastern Europe has been prepared to support governments in the design and implementation of systems to raise revenues at local levels. An increasing number of countries are introducing policies to decentralize the provision of rural services but very often local levels of government have insufficient funds to carry out these newly decentralized responsibilities. Raising revenues through property taxes on rural land represents one way to improve the capacity of local levels to deliver services.

Este nmero especial de Unasylva tiene dos objetivos principales. Pone a disposicin de nuestros lectores una seleccin de algunos de los trabajos presentados en el importante Cuarto perodo de sesiones del Comit de Desarrollo Forestal en los Trpicos, de la FAO y, de esta manera, pone de relieve la principal preocupacin de la Organizacin en materia forestal: cul es la mejor manera y la ms adecuada para el hombre de utilizar la formacin ecolgica menos conocida, es decir, los bosques tropicales hmedos.

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 report is based on the proceedings of the Technical Consultation on Gender, Property Rights and Livelihoods in the Era of AIDS, organized by FAO in November 2008. It takes stock of where FAO and its partners are in terms of addressing property rights insecurity and provides a proposed framework through which future action can take place.

It is increasingly recognised that migrants constitute an invaluable resource for development and poverty reduction in their home countries. For many developing countries, remittances from overseas migrants exceed development aid and foreign direct investment volumes. Moreover, remittances from migrant relatives, either internal or international, are often the main component of rural households’ incomes. Unlike aid, remittances flow directly to individual households and unlike loans they incur no debt.

Gender equality is one of the ten core principles of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security. This guide aims to assist in its implementation through the achievement of responsible gender-equitable governance of land tenure. The guide focuses on equity and on how land tenure can be governed in ways that address the different needs and priorities of women and men.

This publication explores various aspects of the interface between water rights and land tenure. It is intended to synthetize and assess current learning on this topic, to define salient issues and to propose fruitful approaches for further investigation.

An international journal of forestry and forest industries