FAO recent publications: Improving governance of tenure in policy and practice – the ABC of land tenure – Investor perspectives

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has recently published several interesting publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, a series of briefs covering the VGGT implementation in the Mekong Region, and a publication outlining investors’ perspectives on agricultural investments in African countries.

Peer-reviewed articles (open access)

FAO published three peer-reviewed journal articles on improving governance of tenure in policy and practice. These articles describe: (1) multi-stakeholder partnerships for multi-stakeholder transformative governance, an important subject not only for governance of tenure but also for climate change, biodiversity, rural and environmental transformations; (2) the importance of monitoring the implementation of the VGGT to leave no one behind and to leave no one’s perspective behind; and (3) the detailed VGGT implementation process in Myanmar in which FAO and Landesa support the National Land Use Policy process, especially the drafting process of the new National Land Law and harmonisation of land-related laws.

• Jansen, L.J.M, Kalas, P.P., 2020. Improving Governance of Tenure in Policy and Practice: A Conceptual Basis to Analyze Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships for Multi-Stakeholder Transformative Governance Illustrated with an Example from South Africa. Sustainability 12 (23), 9901.  (Available at https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239901).
• Jansen, L.J.M., 2020. Improving governance of tenure in policy and practice: monitoring in a space for multiple views. Sustainability 12 (23), 9896. (Available at https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239896).
• Jansen, L.J.M. , Kalas, P.P., Bicchieri, M., 2020. Improving governance of tenure in policy and practice: the case of Myanmar. Land Use Policy 100: (Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104906).

VGGT implementation in the Mekong Region

This series of glossaries has been prepared to assist with an understanding of land tenure terms in the context of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT). While working in countries where none of the UN languages is widely used, FAO recognizes that it is important to be able to work in the national language. The glossaries contribute to an enhanced understanding of the VGGT. This document draws on other glossaries and includes key words that are used in the VGGT, together with other commonly used words in land administration, land management and land legislation.

“The ABC of land tenure – Key terms and their meaning with a focus on the Voluntary Guidelines and the Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security” has been officially published in:

• English-Myanmar language (http://www.fao.org/3/cb1041b/cb1041b.pdf);
• English-Vietnamese (http://www.fao.org/3/cb1116b/cb1116b.pdf).

The valuable inputs of and translation by Landesa (Myanmar) and the Information Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development (AGROINFO) of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) (Viet Nam) are especially recognized.

These publications are part of the series covering the VGGT implementation in the Mekong Region. A first series comprised the FAO/MRLG Policy Briefs on the protection and recognition of customary tenure systems (see http://www.fao.org/publications/card/en/c/CA1036EN/ and http://www.fao.org/publications/card/en/c/CA1037EN/ for the Policy Briefs related to Myanmar and Viet Nam, respectively).

Investors’ perspectives

This publication shows the perspectives of two home countries, both BRICS countries, on how they perceive their investments in African countries. 

• “Extraterritorial investments in agriculture in Africa: the perspectives of China and South Africa” (http://www.fao.org/3/cb1106en/cb1106en.pdf)