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Sustainable wood products and their value chains can play a fundamental role in achieving the objectives stated in the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement, delivering a wide range of benefits to populations in remote forest areas as well as to local, regional and global society. Generation of income and employment, disaster risk reduction, and reduction of the material and carbon footprint of the planet are some of the direct contributions sustainable forest products can provide to the SDGs and the climate change commitments. Furthermore, sustainable management of natural forests reduces forest degradation and forest production can increase the opportunity cost for deforestation, while generating revenues [...]

This sourcebook provides an overview of the second, digital edition of the Climate-Smart Agriculture Sourcebook. The new edition includes new findings, case studies and lessons learned. It also takes into account the changes in the landscape of international climate action since the original edition was published in 2013. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – which encompasses the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda – provides an international framework for strong national actions and collective efforts to achieve sustainable development. Climate-smart agriculture, as an approach to achieve sustainable food and agriculture, [...]

Tracking adaptation processes and outcomes is a continuous process which also encompasses monitoring and evaluation – one of the important elements of the climate change adaptation. A detailed review of existing literature on adaptation tracking tools showed a number of challenges and limitations related to their application in agricultural sectors. Though some of the tools are technically sound, practical use is constrained by non-availability of adequate baseline data and information. In addit ion, several of these frameworks are individual project specific, complex and thus seldom contribute to better informed policy level decisions and adaptation planning.  This paper outlines the importance [...]

In the five years since the Voluntary Guidelines on the responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) was endorsed, the Guidelines have inspired policy and legal reforms in countries, from Gabon to Guatemala, making a real difference to people's lives. Communities, including pastoralists, rural women, fisher folk, rural workers and indigenous peoples are already using the VGGT to claim, secure and restore their legitimate rights to land, forests and fisheries.  FAO, together with relevant stakeholders and partners, and with financial support from the European Union, organized a technical thematic forum from 5 - 6 October 2017 to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the [...]

The FAO Governance of Tenure Technical Guides are part of FAO’s initiative to help develop capacities to improve tenure governance and thereby assist countries in applying the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security. The FAO Governance of Tenure Technical Guides are prepared by technical specialists and can be used by a range of actors. They: translate principles of the Guidelines into practical mechanisms, processes and actions; give examples of good practice – what has worked, where, why and how; provide useful tools for activities such as the design of policy and reform processes, for the design of [...]

A technical guide on valuing land tenure rights in line with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security

This learning guide was developed in partnership between several divisions of the FAO and FIAN International. The methodology draws upon the one used in the People’s manual on the guidelines on governance of land, fisheries and forests: A guide for promotion, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, developed by the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC) and a set of publications, among which we would like to particularly acknowledge the relevance of Enhancing stakeholder participation in national forest programmes: a training manual (FAO, 2010). This learning guide incorporates some content from these publications when relevant. This learning guide was tested in 2015 in [...]

This study provides a rationale for building linkages between social protection and sustainable forestry in developing countries through: the development of a conceptual framework for understanding the two-way relationship between social protection instruments and forestry policies; a review of evidence of the role of forestry policies in reducing vulnerabilities and fostering livelihoods among forest-dependent people; a review of the evidence of the impact of social protection instruments on th e resilience of forest-dependent people and on the promotion of sustainable forest management; and a discussion of ways of developing linkages between social protection and forestry policies.

This study provides a rationale for building linkages between social protection and sustainable forestry in developing countries through: the development of a conceptual framework for understanding the two-way relationship between social protection instruments and forestry policies; a review of evidence of the role of forestry policies in reducing vulnerabilities and fostering livelihoods among forest-dependent people; a review of the evidence of the impact of social protection instruments on th e resilience of forest-dependent people and on the promotion of sustainable forest management; and a discussion of ways of developing linkages between social protection and forestry policies.

These guidelines, now available in French, support preparation of policies, plans and actions to create and sustainably manage urban green spaces. Networking, collaboration, communication, resource mobilization, monitoring and community engagement are key.