The Land and Poverty conference will present the latest research and practice on the diversity of reforms, interventions, and innovations in the land sector around the world. The 2018 conference theme will be: Land Governance in an Interconnected World

A sustainable planet may not be attainable, and a fairer world may require us to temper our dreams. Justice, equity, sanitation and even clean water may be within the reach of all, but only if many of the planet’s seven billion humans give up the dream of high life satisfaction as well. To achieve…

Promoting inclusive and sustainable economic and social development whilst simultaneously adapting to climate change impacts and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions – Climate Compatible Development (CCD) – requires coherent policy approaches that span multiple sectors. This paper develops and…

Water insecurity has driven social distress throughout history, from the Mayan Empire to modern-day Syria. But global efforts to avoid crises have been inadequate. There's a better path forward. The Commentary by Charles Iceland Aqueduct Director discusses the state of current water hotspots, and…

Launch of a new programme providing access to legal research and training in developing countries.

The report " Making Every Drop count" released last week by the High Level Panel on Water (HLPW) indicates that the world may face a 40% shortfall in water availability by 2030. To put it another way, the current water crisis in Cape Town, South Africa, could become reality for other cities and…

The protection and sustainable management of soils is a precondition for sustainable development and moreover for the survival of humankind. Degraded soils, in particular in Africa, cause famine, poverty, migration and, under certain circumstances, even wars. Although insufficient protection and…

The International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy is a book series that discusses central questions in law and politics with regard to the protection and sustainable management of soil and land – at the international, national and regional level. Volume 2 of the International Yearbook of Soil Law…

Over the past decade there have been extraordinary advances towards drought risk reduction with the development of new water-conserving technologies, and new tools for planning, vulnerability and impact assessment, mitigation, and policy. Drought and Water Crises: Integrating Science, Management,…

The draft report ‘A Global Pact for the Environment: Legal Foundations’ compiles studies from experts in international environmental law from around the world, and outlines the reasons that a Global Pact would constitute an important milestone in the evolution of international environmental law and…

FAO report calls for a more pro-active and long-term planning to become more resilient against droughts

Do you want to find out why promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment can help deliver better environmental outcomes, and to figure out how you can do it? The course will help you better understand the linkages between gender and the environment. It will provide you with the knowledge and…

Improvements in land use and management are needed at a global scale to tackle inter‐connected global challenges of population growth, poverty, migration, climate change, biodiversity loss, and degrading land and water resources. There are hundreds of technical options for improving the…

This handbook contains 30 good practice examples that have been identified within the WATER SUM project. It is a valuable tool for identifying relevant experience in the fields of climate change, drought management, water demand management, and communication and participation. Examples of national…

This article examines the nature of commitments that countries have made and if follow-up and review arrangements currently planned are consistent with those. In particular, we consider the need to encompass both the global SDG targets and the nationally defined targets foreseen

It is unclear how the current global food system will meet the growing demands of a population expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050. In the present context of climate change, ongoing loss of species and genetic diversity, soil degradation, increasing urbanization, social conflict and extreme…

Water resource management needs to be improved to meet the growing demand for drinking water and for water used in the agricultural and energy sectors.

Engaging the private sector has become a common motto for the development community. This, in itself, is a major evolution, as private forces have too long been dismissed, when not chastised, by many development actors! It is now well recognised that the vast majority of employment is provided by…

The planet is facing a 40% shortfall in water supply by 2030, unless we dramatically improve the management of this precious resource

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) highlighted ongoing efforts to leverage private funding for large-scale land restoration, through the newly launched LDN Fund, a public-private funding mechanism. Simone Quatrini, Global Mechanism of the UNCCD, said more than 100 countries so far…

The World Economic Forum releases report on Harnessing Public-Private Cooperation to Deliver the New Urban Agenda · A-to-Z guide on the implementation of sustainable urban development and housing solutions following the adoption of the New Urban Agenda at the Habitat III conference in October 2016 ·…

This guide results from the accumulated lessons of many resource persons in many countries on supporting farmer field schools (FFS) in learning and adaptive management for sustainable land and water management. FAO supported the capacity development process through field projects and the field work…

In a world with 7 billion people to feed amid growing concerns about land and water scarcity, today’s land and water professionals need easy access to up-to-date information, models, approaches and technologies for sustainable food production. FAO hosts state-of-the-art databases and software to…

Global Forest Watch Water (GFW Water) is a free global database and interactive mapping tool designed to help identify deforestation risks to watersheds and opportunities for natural infrastructure solutions. The tool can help downstream beneficiaries, financing and development institutions, civil…

Far below the Dead Sea, between Israel, Jordan and Palestinian territory, researchers have found evidence of a drought that has no precedent in human experience. From depths of 300 metres below the landlocked basin, drillers brought to the surface a core that contained 30 metres of thick,…