The development of agricultural technologies and a better appreciation of the existing but under-utilised knowledge of resource management will be crucial in meeting the ecological needs and in achieving the anticipated food demands of the growing population in the future. The greatest challenge for the coming decades lies in the fact that the production environments are unstable and degrading. Land degradation is proceeding so fast that unless policies and approaches change, many countries will not be able to achieve sustainable agriculture in the foreseeable future.

In collaboration with UNEP, FAO has developed an improved planning framework for land resources development and management that addresses the problems recognized during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)This document is the last in a series of three publications which introduce these new concepts and propose an integrated planning approach for sustainable management of land resources based on an interactive partnership between governments and people.

Abstract not available.

Whilst still in its infancy, the development of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) tools is paving the way for global land use monitoring. This paper provides a first, tentative description of livestock related land use.

Land degradation in the tropics is strongly associated with human population growth. The latter phenomenon is quite marked in humid areas and in the temperate highlands (Jahnke 1982). Notably in the plateaux of Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, several pastoral systems have gradually evolved into mixed farming, in order to cope with such pressure (Ruthenberg, 1980). Land is more intensively utilized as population density increases since mixed systems are more efficient than specialized crop or livestock systems (McIntire et al.,1992). In fact, livestock crop integration allows:

Extensive grazing is the predominant form of land use on at least a quarter of the world’s land surface, in which livestock are raised on food that comes mainly from rangelands. Extensive grazing differs from crop or forestry production, in which the produce remains in situ whilst growing. Evaluation for extensive grazing, unlike that for cropping or forestry, must take into account the production of both grazing forage, termed primary production, and the livestock that feed on this forage, termed secondary production.

This bulletin gives an overview of the ninth session of the working party on Soil Classification and Survey of the European Commission on Agriculture that took place in Ghent, Belgium, in september 1973. It presents the papers, discussions and recommendations developed during the meeting. A methodology of land evaluation is being developed in FAO and will be used for the interpretation of the FAO/UNESCO Soil Map of the World with a view to making a global evaluation of the land resources available for agricultural development.

The papers presented here formed a part of the background documentation of an Expert Consultation on Land Evaluation for Rural Purposes, which was convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in co-operation with the University of Agriculture and the International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improvement, Wageningen, Netherlands. The meeting was held at the International Agricultural Centre, Wageningen, 6-12 October 1972.

This publication has been prepared as a background paper in view of the UN conference on the human environment that was held in Stockholm in 1972. This background document had contribution from UNESCO, IAEA and WHO. While the demand for land for land increases at a very rapid rate through population growth, technological progress and industrial development, soil resources remain fixed. The maintenance of their productivity is therefore of paramount importance.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners will hold consultations on various issues relating to the voluntary guidelines on responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural resources. The voluntary guidelines aim to provide practical guidance for State governance bodies, civil society and the private sector. The voluntary guidelines will provide a basis, which interested parties can use when developing their strategies and activities.

Investment in agriculture is crucial for increasing productivity levels in developing countries and for creating economic and social benefits that contribute to the eradication of hunger. In addition, security of land tenure is critical for the realization of the right to food.

This document is the first part of a two part manual on local level assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management:
? Part 1 ? Planning and Methodological Approach, Analysis and Reporting
? Part 2 ? Field Methodology and Tools