The objectives of this study are to analyze and synthesize the experience of the World Bank and other agencies in dryland management, with special emphasis on Africa.Recommendations are provided on "good policies and practices" in drylands management, which can support actions to fulfil obligations arising from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) for member countries and for international organizations, such as the World Bank.

This paper is about land tenure relations among the matrilineal and patrilineal cultures in Malawi. Data from the National Agricultural and Livestock Census are used to characterize marriage systems and settlement and landholding patterns for local communities. Marriage systems correspond to customary land tenure patterns of matrilineal or patrilineal land holding. The differences between the two major ways of land holding represent a particular challenge for land reforms intending to unify rules for land tenure and land devolution.

This report addresses the challenges of land management in the Lake Victoria basin of East Africa. In 1999 the World Agroforestry Centre launched a major effort to identify, diagnose and reverse degradation in the Lake Victoria basin, focusing primarily on the Kenyan part of the basin. Dubbed “TransVic,” this project was supported by a number of donor agencies and collaborators, with particularly strong support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

This report analyses the impact of climate change and land degradation on agriculture and related sectors in Viet Nam. It intends to guide the project based on the design of the Country Strategic Opportunities Paper (COSOP) priorities and to identify supplementary financing for International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) projects from the UNFCCC and other carbon related financing mechanisms. It is explained that the harmful effects of climate change are already being experienced in Viet Nam, and farming communities have begun to respond by:

 Large-scale land investment is not a new phenomenon in Africa, but the speed and scale at which it is occurring today makes it one of the most pressing issues on the continent. These land investments are promoted by advocates as “win-win” solutions - benefiting national economies, rural development and ensuring food security at the same time.

This information paper illustrates sustainable dryland management practises in communities vulnerable to climate change with case studies in India and the Sudan.In both cases the adaptation programme is presented, including infrastructural strategy and social involvement, followed by results of the programme, subsequent impact on the community and examples of further achievements and successes in local areas.

Following from the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture project, this book examines the relationships and linkages between land use and water management and social systems. Given that agriculture is the largest economic sector in many developing countries, this volume provides innovative ideas for the prevention of land degradation and for improving the sustainability of food production in the developing world.

This report contributes to the aim of the International Union of Soil Sciences to put sustainable land management higher on the global agenda. The report is divided into three distinct sections:Part I discusses the global soils agenda and outlines experiences and strategies for sustainable land management. It also highlights challenges related to implementing this agenda globallyPart II presents summaries of papers on the development of international mechanisms and instruments for sustainable land management (SLM).

This document outlines the necessity of formulating development policies specifically targeted at pastoralists and their livelihoods. The author reports that pastoralists have generally been ill-served by development policies and actions because of myths suggesting that pastoralists were 'backward'. Previous policies focused on changing pastoralists into something more ‘modern' or progressive.

This article synthesises findings on various topics relating to drought strategies and land use in African pastoral systems. These include:an exploration of the ecology of african rangelandsan investigation into pastoral strategies for mitigation of droughta look at the importance of opportunistic behavior and mobility as a strategy for pastoralistsan exploration of the factors contributing to a gradual breakdown of nomadism.

The paper is a desk study prepared as a basis for discussion and further field research into land tenure and conflict in the region.The first section provides an overview of land tenure and land utilization issues. This section includes an analysis of gender and other demographic issues as they relate to land tenure and access to natural resources.

Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) are disadvantaged in a myriad of ways and they have special needs which require special attention. Challenges such as undiversified economies, vulnerability to climate change and climate variability, land degradation and desertification, among others, are undermining the economic potential of many LLDCs. This has been exacerbated by weak export base of many LLDCs centered on a few primary agricultural and/ or mineral commodities.