We must agree as a nation, that several mistakes have been made in our land deals in recent years. We were stampeding in the wrong direction without adequately consulting beneficiaries i.e. those who are directly affected, those individuals and groups who suffer if anything goes wrong. They are also seen but not heard i.e. the voiceless and marginalized living in the rural areas.
Tenure is crucial to the livelihoods of billions of people. For many, their food security is linked to their tenure security. People with weak, insecure tenure rights risk losing their means to support themselves if they lose their access to natural resources. Women often have weaker tenure rights where there is discrimination in laws and customs. Tenure systems define who can use which natural resources, for how long and under what conditions. Many tenure problems are caused by weak governance and attempts to address them are affected by the quality of governance.
The “Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests in the Context of National Food Security” (VGGT), endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) in 2012, set out principles and internationally accepted standards for responsible practices and is the first comprehensive intergovernmental global instrument on tenure and its administration.
Enterprises involved in agricultural supply chains can create employment, raise labour standards and bring the technology to increase agricultural production or reduce pollution. But their activities can also contribute to food insecurity by leading to the eviction of local communities from their lands. Child labour and abuses of migrant workers and women are regularly reported. The production of some agricultural commodities leads to soil degradation, water resource depletion and deforestation.
To support the practical application of the OECD-FAO Guidance, in early 2018 the OECD and FAO launched an implementation pilot with over thirty companies and industry initiatives. The first stage of the pilot was a baseline survey to assess how companies and industry initiatives are implementing the OECD-FAO Guidance and other related international standards. This report presents the findings of the baseline assessment.
This learning guide has been designed specifically to give civil society and grassroots organizations a deeper understanding of the Voluntary guidelines on the responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests in the context of national food security (VGGT) to enable the members of these organizations and their constituents to use the VGGT meaningfully and effectively to improve the governance of tenure in their respective countries.
Sierra Leone's first documentary on Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) and the New Land Policy of Sierra Leone produced by Culture Radio 104.5 FM in cooperation with Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
This webinar is organized jointly with the European Commission Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, in the framework of the FAO-EU Partnership Programme: Food and Nutrition Security Impact, Resilience, Sustainability and Transformation (FIRST). SPEAKERS: 1.Mr. Paul De Wit, Senior Land Tenure Consultant, FIRST Programme, FAO Representation in Myanmar 2. Ms.
Ahead of a seminar in Brussels, Andrew Hilton, an FAO expert on land tenure, underlines the need for open dialogue with the private sector when implementing the Voluntary Guidelines.
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