Production of commodities for global markets is an increasingly important factor of tropical deforestation, taking over smallholders subsistence farming. Measures to reduce deforestation and convert shifting cultivation systems towards permanent crops have recently been strengthened in several countries. But these changes have variable environmental and social impacts, including on ethnic minorities. In Vietnam, although a forest transition - i.e.

FAO Informative Material for the International Year of Soils (IYS 2015).

Fostering collective action is necessary for scaling sustainable land management (SLM) innovations. This paper analyses the significance of social networks in SLM among agricultural rural communities in central Ethiopia and eastern Uganda. Social networks facilitate collective action important for small-scale resource-poor farmers, who tend to rely more on informal sources of information, as well as for women farmers, whose information needs are often not addressed by formal extension services.

The objective was to determine the influence of market access or lack of it, on farmer investment in soil and water conservation (SWC) technologies in the highlands of eastern Uganda. Linking farmers to better markets for their agricultural commodities would contribute to raising their incomes and motivate farmers’ adoption of conservation in SWC technologies. Areas of relatively high agricultural potential but remote from major markets face disincentives; when farmers are unable to transport produce to markets on time, they are left in the hands of middlemen who dictate low prices.

Scaling up is not just about technology transfer but a critical understanding of the needs and visions of farmers as well. Despite the success of pilot projects for Integrated Natural Resource Management implemented in the study area, effect and uptake of the pilot tested innovations have been insignificant. This study assesses implications of adopting Innovative Platforms (IP) as a means of accelerating uptake and utilization of sustainable land management (SLM) technologies in the highlands of eastern Uganda.

Key challenges encountered while operationalizing the African Highlands Initiative (AHI) devolution model are linked to coordination management, with issues arising out of collaboration processes. Capacity at local government level is weak and characterized by high turnover of staff. Joint visioning, planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, are essential. Team building skills, leadership, and systems thinking are required.

Deze brochure gaat over het Renesse van de toekomst. Over belangrijke uitdagingen die op het gebied afkomen, over het unieke kustlandschap als natuurlijk kapitaal van Renesse en over slim anticiperen op de toekomst waarbij dit natuurlijk kapitaal centraal staat. De gevolgen van zeespiegelstijging voor kust van Renesse zijn naar verwachting beheersbaar bij een geïntensiveerde voortzetting van het huidige zandsuppletiebeleid tot 2050. Wel is het zaak om via de ruimtelijke inrichting Renesse en omgeving bestand te maken tegen meer en grotere weersextremen.

Voor duurzame gebiedsontwikkeling is een balans van planet, people, profit (3P) nodig. Daarvoor heeft men weging als rechtsvindingsmethodiek nodig. Daarbij zouden ecosysteemdiensten behulpzaam kunnen zijn. Deze kunnen leiden tot duurzame functiecombinaties in het buitengebied, wat dan weer duurzame gebiedsontwikkeling garandeert. Ontbreekt een van deze schakels, dan riskeert men planologische monoculturen en enkelvoudig ruimtegebruik. Momenteel ontbreekt weging als schakel. In het groene omgevingsrecht is de sectorale toetsing nog steeds het uitgangspunt.

Gender equity is a matter of fundamental human rights and social justice, as well as a pre-condition for sustainable development. The empowerment of women and gender equity has been recognized as a significant driver of development, enhancing the effectiveness of programs, projects, and initiatives.

Twenty-seven nations are classified as ‘water scarce’, a further 16 as ‘water stressed’. This situation, coupled with the fact that many surface and groundwater systems are shared between two or more states, has led governments to develop sustainable water management strategies. This implies a real commitment by all water users – households, farmers, and industrialists – to use available supplies in ways that reap sustainable and equitable benefits for all.

In northern Tanzania, new grassroots groups called Women’s Rights and Leadership Forums (WRLFs) are mobilizing women and men in pastoralist communities to promote and defend local land rights. This briefing highlights some of the WRLFs’ achievements and strategies; asks how these forums, which appear to be a part of an emerging grassroots social movement for land rights, can be further supported; and explores whether such forums could be replicated elsewhere in the region