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.

The Livelihood Support Programme (LSP) evolved from the belief that FAO could have a greater impact on reducing poverty and food insecurity, if its wealth of talent and experience were integrated into a more flexible and demand-responsive team approach. This paper represents part of an area of work which examines ways in which the poor can use small amounts of land to establish homegardens to support their livelihoods.

This paper examines the existing and potential connections between rural people and forests in the Kyrgyz Republic, with the aim of developing an improved understanding of the role and potential role of the forestry sector in poverty reduction.1 While the paper focuses on Kyrgyzstan, the wider aim is to show, building on some of the experiences of Kyrgyzstan, how the connections between forests and poverty reduction might be explored in West and Central Asia more generally.

This joint FAO-World Bank publication aims to draw attention to the negative impacts of weak governance in land administration and to point out the manifold benefits of good governance in the protection of property rights and the development of efficient land and property markets. It provides positive examples of good practices from around the world, as well as an overview of principles and key questions to be applied in any country for the evaluation of governance in land administration.

This paper proposes an approach to assist countries in ensuring that NFM planning more strongly meets the needs and demands of forest-related national policy processes. The approach is based on an understanding that there is a multiplicity of issues and legitimate interests related to forests that require multipurpose information systems.

Land Reform, Land Settlement and Cooperatives continues to play an important role in land tenure and rural development studies and more specifically as part of FAO’s programmes since its first publication in 1963. In the last decade, the issues of good governance, new institutional structures and methodological approaches offering a wider perspective have become important elements of the debate. The articles in this volume of Land Reform, Land Settlement and Cooperatives reflect this in a variety of ways.

This Framework for Action has been prepared to achieve the goals of the Shared Global Vision for Groundwater Governance 2030. It describes the main steps to be taken and is an urgent call for action to all who can make a difference: national and local governments, international organizations, the private sector, civil society, media, educational institutes and professional organizations — but also to well owners, groundwater users and concerned citizens everywhere.

Laos depends heavily on rice based agriculture systems and there is evidence that the traditional diversified diet and income base is being eroded, resulting in a negative effect on the livelihoods of the people. The opportunity to gather food in forests is diminishing and dietary diversity is being narrowed.

This publication is a compilation of presentations and recommendations resulting from the Global Conference on Inland Fisheries: Freshwater, Fish and the Future, convened at FAO HQ in January 2015 and is part of an MOU signed with Michigan State University. Contents include scientific papers on inland fisheries from a global perspective that cover biological and socio-cultural assessments, drivers and governance issues. Ten steps to responsible inland fisheries are included along with recommendations for their implementation.

اتعد المبادئ التوجيهية بمثابة مرجع يحتذى به وتحدد المبادئ والمعايير المقبولة دوليا لممارسات الحوكمة المسؤولة للحيازة. وتوفر إطارا تستطيع البلدان الاستفادة منه عند صياغة استراتيجياتها وسياساتها وتشريعاتها وبرامجها وأنشطتها. وتسمح المبادئ التوجيهية للحكومات والمجتمع المدني والقطاع الخاص والمواطنين بالحكم على ما إذا كانت إجراءاتها المقترحة والإجراءات التي يتخذها الآخرون تمثل ممارسات مقبولة من عدمه.

Esta guía presenta una visión de conjunto de las Directrices voluntarias sobre la gobernanza responsable de la tenencia de la tierra, la pesca y los bosques en el contexto de la seguridad alimentaria nacional. La guía describe la naturaleza, propósito, contenido y destinatarios deseados de las Directrices; explica qué se entiende por tenencia, e indica de qué manera el mejoramiento de la gobernanza de la tenencia puede servir para reducir el hambre y la pobreza y conducir al uso sostenible de los recursos naturales.

A humanidade tem sido testemunha e participante nas múltiplas mudanças pelas quais a agricultura passou no decorrer dos séculos. Desde os primórdios desta antiga prática, o cultivo tem sido a espinha dorsal do desenvolvimento econômico de muitas sociedades e a principal fonte de preservação e evolução da vida. Nas civilizações pré-históricas e agrárias mais antigas, a agricultura não somente era uma fonte de alimento e de matérias-primas, mas também representava uma fonte de expressão da ordem inata da natureza.