This Project Brief provides key findings, lessons and policy implications drawn from the research programme entitled ‘Socio-Economic Analysis and Policy Implications of the Roles of Agriculture in Developing Countries’ (ROA Project) implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations from 2000 to 2006.
Capacity development is at the heart of Action Against Desertification’s efforts to combat land degradation, desertification and drought. A capacity development strategy is in place to strengthen the capacities of individuals and organizations in sustainable land management and restoration, and to support the establishment of an enabling policy and legal environment at local, national, and regional level to increase the impact and ensure sustainability of activities carried out under Action Against Desertification.
Four years since the Voluntary Guidelines were endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security as the global consensus on improving tenure, their principles and processes are inspiring people around the world to take action. With wide ownership by governments, civil society and the private sector, they represent an unbiased framework in which new conversations on tenure are taking place, new skills are being developed, and new policies are being influenced in participatory ways.
Unprecedented pressures on land have been created as new areas are cultivated, taken over by expanding urban centres or are abandoned due to degradation, climate change and conflict. These developments have strained the rules, processes and institutions that determine which land resources are used, by whom, for how long and under what conditions.
As this book shows, farmer field schools have proven to be a very useful approach for helping African farmers to improve how they manage their land and water. Numerous projects throughout Africa have shown that they result in improved soils, better yields and higher incomes for farmers. The document summarizes some of these experiences, points out successes, and – equally important – shows constraints and gaps that need to be addressed.
Cooperation between Finland and FAO has been ongoing since the Organization was established in 1945. Finland has contributed as well as financially, through active participation in FAO’s work and has been a key donor for projects around the world. As a traditional partner in FAO’s Assistant Professional Officer (APO) Programme, Finland has frequently financed APOs since 1965.
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