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.

Cette étude a été réalisée au Mali entre le 23/11 et le 16/12/2006 pour le Service des Régimes Fonciers de la F.A.O. dans le cadre de son programme : « Documents normatifs pour une meilleure administration foncière ».

The present paper – the third in the HIV/AIDS Programme Working Paper Series – is based on field research conducted by two grassroots organizations – CINDI-Kitwe in Zambia and GROOTS Kenya in Kenya to map out and document cases of property grabbing from children, in particular those who became orphans due to AIDS. It is intended to explore methods which grassroots organizations use or can use to document their work.

Ce manuel de formation souligne la façon de gérer et de résoudre les conflits concernant les droits relatifs au régime foncier, la sécurité foncière et l’accès à la terre dans le domaine du développement rural. Il a pour origine des activités complémentaires entreprises sous l’égide du Programme de soutien aux moyens d’existence de la FAO de l’Unité de la gestion des terres et des régimes fonciers et de la Coalition internationale pour l’accès à la terre.

This issue of Land Reform, Land Settlement and Cooperatives contains an interesting and wide-ranging set of contributions providing insights into land related issues ranging from Italy to the Central Andes, and from the historical development of sustainable tenure practices to aspects of agriculture sector planning. The eight articles featured open with that of Lavigne Delville, which addresses issues relating to insecurity of tenure in West Africa, and identifies what the paths of change currently appear to be.

The goal of this exercise is to identify some of the tools a development agent needs for achieving effective local participation in policy development. The intended audiences are FAO professionals and their colleagues, in other agencies and in the field programs. This paper uses an analogy of walking and climbing to separate the familiar project experiences (the walking) from the less-known territory of policy influence (the climbing).

The paper looks at land tenure in Mozambique, where ever since independence in 1975, property in land has been vested in the state, and despite the political and economic shift to a multiparty system and market economy, this underlying principle has remained in place: no land may be sold, mortgaged, or otherwise encumbered or alienated. Local traditional land management systems meanwhile have retained a robust role as the de facto land management system of Mozambique.

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.

Cette étude propose une analyse de la dimension de genre au sein de la législation relative à l’agriculture et examine le statut juridique des femmes dans trois secteurs clés. Le résultat est une analyse qui identifie les principaux facteurs juridiques et certains facteurs non juridiques ayant une incidence sur l’existence et l’exercice des droits des femmes liés à l’agriculture.

Varias décadas atrás, las administraciones públicas concentraban sus esfuerzos en fomentar la pesca y la acuicultura y asegurar el crecimiento de la producción y el consumo de sus productos. En el decenio de 1980, cuando muchos recursos alcanzaron la plena explotación o incluso una explotación excesiva, los responsables de las políticas comenzaron a prestar más atención a la ordenación pesquera además de ocuparse del fomento de la acuicultura.

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.

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.