The governance of natural resources should promote their sustainable management, ensuring the conservation and proper use of these resources. This involves implementing policies and practices that promote soil conservation, the protection of water, biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices by family farmers. Sustainable management of natural resources contributes to the resilience of family farming and the preservation of resources for future generations.
The challenge of better governance is directly linked to territorial planning and territorial management tools that allow generating more information and guiding decision-making at different levels. Among the different strategies, it is possible to identify experiences of agricultural zoning, the protection of agricultural areas, the promotion of productive diversification and infrastructure planning that are compatible with family farming.
At the global level, there are different frameworks that guide actions in favor of better governance of natural resources, such as the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests in the context of national food security, as well as experiences that recognize the importance of establishing legal and policy frameworks that protect the rights of access to land, water, forests and other resources necessary for agriculture.

Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure
of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security
Download documentExternal Links
- Farmers' Organizations for Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (FO4ACP)
- FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
- UN Decade of Family Farming
- FAO Training for Latin America and the Caribbean
- Family Farming Knowledge Platform
- Program of Brazil-FAO International Cooperation
- Mesoamerica Hunger Free AMEXCID-FAO
- South-South cooperation: Digital transformation and innovation in agriculture
- Policy Support and Governance Gateway
Contact
Luiz Beduschi
Senior Policy Officer in Territorial Development
Pedro Boareto
Project coordinator
Ricardo Rivera
Communication expert
Catalina Acosta
Technical Assistant for Implementation and Awareness-Raising