This guide is written for people who work in land administration and all those with an interest in land, land tenure and their governance. Although much has been written about the importance of good governance in achieving development goals, there is comparatively little material on good governance in land tenure and administration. Failings in governance have adverse consequences for society as a whole. By contrast, good governance can help achieve economic development and the reduction of poverty. Good governance matters. Land is the single greatest resource in most countries.

Increasing demand for food, fiber and fodder will put great strains on land, water, energy and other
resources. The expected increase in agricultural production will bear heavily on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Agricultural commodity markets may also change: the price spikes of 2008 and 2011 are a reminder of how sensitive agricultural commodity markets can be. This paper aims to provide a brief but comprehensive overview of the main challenges associated with increasing demand for agricultural

Soil is a non-renewable resource that requires constant monitoring to prevent its degradation and promote its sustainable management. The ‘Land Use/Cover Area frame statistical Survey Soil’ (LUCAS Soil) is an extensive and regular topsoil survey that is carried out across the European Union to derive policy-relevant statistics on the effect of land management on soil characteristics. Approximately 45 000 soil samples have been collected from two time-periods, 2009–2012 and 2015. A new sampling series will be undertaken in 2018, with new measurements included.

While the economic growth renaissance in sub-Saharan Africa is widely recognized, much less is known about progress in living conditions. This book comprehensively evaluates trends in living conditions in 16 major sub-Saharan African countries, corresponding to nearly 75% of the total population. A striking diversity of experience emerges. While monetary indicators improved in many countries, others are yet to succeed in channeling the benefits of economic growth into the pockets of the poor. Some countries experienced little economic growth, and saw little material progress for the poor.

Land and soil are limited natural resources. ‘Land’, can be defined as the terrestrial bio-productive system that

Countries retain powers of compulsory acquisition in order to enable governments to acquire land for specific purposes. The nature of these powers and the ways in which they are used are invariably sensitive and have wide implications, including from the perspective of international agreements on human rights and their national expressions. Compulsory acquisition is disruptive for those who are affected and whose land is taken and, if done poorly, will have serious negative impacts on people and their livelihoods.

This publication, ‘Island Innovations – UNDP and GEF: Leveraging the Environment for the Sustainable Development of SIDS’, demonstrates that far from succumbing to these challenges, SIDS have time and again risen to the task of managing their fragile environments to meet their sustainable development goals.

The present volume is part of a series of Land Tenure Studies produced by FAO’s Land Tenure Service of the Rural Development Division. Land tenure plays a vital role in achieving sustainable rural development. Increasing technological change and economic integration are requiring policy makers, planners, development experts and rural producers to re-examine the institutional arrangements used to administer who has rights to what resources for which purposes and for how long.

The increasing demand for rural land and its natural resources is creating competition and conflicts. Many interested parties, including farmers, nature conservationists, rural residents and tourists, compete for the same space. Especially in densely populated areas, agriculture, recreation, urban and suburban growth and infrastructure development exert a constant pressure on rural areas.

It took scientists more than three decades to transform a perceived desertification crisis in the Sahel into a non-event. Looking beyond the Sahel, the chapters in this book provide case studies from around the world that examine the use and relevance of the desertification concept.

Cette publication d’Options Méditerranéennes (OM) réunit les travaux du réseau Foncimed présentés au séminaire de Cargèse d’octobre 2011 et de Montpellier de juillet 2013. Foncimed est un réseau méditerranéen pluridisciplinaire et interinstitutionnel d'échanges et de comparaisons d'expériences sur la question foncière. Il fonctionne depuis 2007 animé conjointement par le CIHEAM-IAMM et l'INRA-SAD.

Empirical investigation of the impact of institutional and socioeconomic factors on agricultural productivity and natural resource conditions is important for an informed evaluation of current policies, and to identify areas for future improvements. In this line, the current study addresses three topics of relevance to the process of agricultural intensification and natural resource management in the context of the less-favoured Highlands of Tigray, Ethiopia.