En toda África, la degradación de los recursos de la tierra y la pobre gestión del agua son serios obstáculos para el desarrollo de la agricultura. Inapropiadas prácticas agrícolas resultan de la erosión del suelo, la pérdida de la composición orgánica del suelo y la disminución de la fertilidad y la capacidad para retener el agua. Suelos fértiles a veces se convierten en duros y con corteza, con lo que la valiosa agua de lluvia pasa corriendo en lugar de que filtrarse en el suelo y se lleva la preciosa capa arable y los nutrientes. Los resultados son cultivos enfermizos debido a los déficits de agua y de nutrientes y a la acumulación de malas hierbas y enfermedades, producciones malas e inestables, y la escasez crónica de agua debido a la falta de recargas de agua subterránea. ¿Cómo salir de este ciclo vicioso? La FAO y otras organizaciones de desarrollo han estado promocionando las escuelas de campo para agricultores, un enfoque innovador para la educación de los adultos que se fomentó primero en Asia sudoriental para la gestión de plaga, para mejorar la gestión de la tierra y del agua en África.

The maintenance of good soil quality is vital for the environmental and economic sustainability of annual cropping. A decline in soil quality has a marked impact on plant growth and yield, grain quality, production costs and the increased risk of soil erosion. Therefore, it can have significant consequences on society and the environment. A decline in soil physical properties in particular takes considerable time and cost to correct. Safeguarding soil resources for future generations and minimizing the ecological footprint of annual cropping are important tasks for land managers. Visual Soil Assessment is based on the visual assessment of key soil ‘state’ and plant performance indicators of soil quality, presented on a scorecard. With the exception of soil texture, the soil indicators are dynamic indicators, i.e. capable of changing under different management regimes and land-use pressures. Being sensitive to change, they are useful early warning indicators of changes in soil condition and as such provide an effective monitoring tool.

Land evaluation is a vital link in the chain leading to sustainable management of land resources. There is a perceived need to update the FAO 1976 Framework for Land Evaluation to reflect current concerns related to climate change, biodiversity and desertification. The goods and services of the land that are related to its multiple functions or benefits as well as the sustainability of its use need to be addressed. New tools to conduct land evaluation have become available and the need for a participatory approach has been recognized.Many concepts and definitions of the original Framework remain valid; others evolved and new concepts arose over the past 25–30 years.