Compendium of LAND and SARD Cases
This compendium was compiled as a supporting document to the 2002 Task Managers' Report to CSD+10 on the Land and Agriculture Cluster for Chapters 10, 12 and 14 of Agenda 21. It draws together 63 cases from 39 countries illustrating the many features of land management and SARD implementation. These are intended to provide important supporting and empirical evidence to answer five key questions for decision-makers:
1. What technical innovations are leading to improvements in food production with SARD?
2. What novel institutional partnerships and joint working arrangements have been developed for better land use policies and SARD?
3. What examples of enabling policies have been implemented by governments to support sustainable land management and SARD?
4. What rural development outcomes have occurred with successful implementation of SARD?
5. What wider environmental outcomes have been achieved with successful implementation of land use policies and SARD?
Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) Database
The GAP database provides information on successful practices to address environmental, economic and social sustainability for on-farm production and post production processes resulting in safe and healthy food and non-food agricultural products. It includes 854 records, including different types of information: projects, field activities, publications and guidelines.
Livestock and Rangeland Knowledgebase
The Livestock and Rangeland Knowledgebase is a product of IFAD's Thematic Group on Community-Based Management of Natural Resources. It is based on case studies of a range of IFAD projects that support livestock production among pastoralists, agro-pastoralists and smallholders and is meant for planners, policy-makers, front-line staff involved in the design and implementation of sustainable livestock projects.
People Centred Development Successes
Improved participatory methods and tools are needed to ensure the participation of all stakeholders, especially the rural poor, in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of policies, programmes and institutional measures. The focus on the rural poor - men and women - in food-deficit and economically marginal areas, as well as socio-economically marginalized groups in favourably endowed areas, is aimed at more equitable sharing of benefits from development. Good practices cases with this focus can be accessed from the FAO Participation website and the website of the Livelihood Support Programme.
SARD Retrospective Study: Looking Back to Look Forward
One of our best teachers is the past. As the SARD Initiative began, it chose to revisit a few completed projects that were viewed as successes. A retrospective study was carried out to better understand what really seems to remain in place long after project funding has concluded. Following a desk review of several hundred cases, retrospective studies in Honduras, Zimbabwe and the Philippines were carried out to draw lessons on sustainable dimensions of good practices long after project completion. The retrospective study brought some lessons of process and practice including those related to partnerships and participation, building trust and ownership, inclusiveness, exit strategies, and many related to extending and enhancing knowledge and building individual and institutional capacity. The impacts that appeared to be truly sustainable included those resulting from implementing practical conservation agriculture practices and building human confidence and skills in decision making, networking and negotiation.
TECA (Technology for Agriculture)
TECA is an FAO initiative that aims to improve access to information and knowledge about available proven technologies in order to enhance their adoption in agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry thus contributing to food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable development. It is a platform for a network of agricultural technology repositories where knowledge is maintained, accessed and shared.
FAO Best Practices Website
This recently developed FAO Website (2006) provides a series of summaries that introduce some best practices in FAO's areas of expertise. These summaries represent an important first step in synthesizing the Organization's broad range of experience from programmes and projects. The practices have been divided by theme. They have been adopted successfully in more than one region and are interdisciplinary, reflecting the complex nature of the problems addressed. The examples chosen have emerged from consultation with FAO staff both in the field and at headquarters. The Website is also a useful source of links to further resources and technical information.
