Land Reform, Land Settlement and Cooperatives continues to play an important role in land tenure and rural development studies and more specifically as part of FAO's programmes since its first publication in 1963. In the last decade, the issues of good governance, new institutional structures and methodological approaches offering a wider perspective have become important elements of the debate. The articles in this volume of Land Reform, Land Settlement and Cooperatives reflect this in a variety of ways.
The first article, by Stephan Baas and Ayman Omer Ali, summarizes some of the key findings of a study carried out in Yemen that focused on the institutional aspects of several community-based organizations. The article highlights the increasing role that civil society organizations are playing in rural development. The second article, by a Brazilian team led by Beatriz Heredia, presents an analysis of the regional impacts of land reform in Brazil. The goal was to apprehend the transformations in the lives of the settlers both in the agrarian reform settlements and in the regions where these are located.
In the article by Luisa Guillén and Jan Van Wambeke, a methodological proposal based on the authors' experiences is illustrated as a way to improve the implementation of field projects dealing with the issues of territorial planning and food security.
The role of local-level institutions in reducing vulnerability to natural disasters is presented in the article by Stephan Baas and Federica Battista, which summarizes key findings and recommendations produced by a workshop on the comparative analysis of examples and experiences of local action before, during and after situations of natural hazards.
First applied in Europe, the development of practical tools for improved planning at the microregional level is then outlined by Einhard Schmidt-Kallert, with a modest but important contribution for field personnel in rural areas with different professional backgrounds and who are involved in microregional planning processes.
Eastern Europe is the geographical focus of the article by Laura Gerber and Renée Giovarelli, who discuss the status of land reform and land markets in the region, detailing how much systemic progress has been made over the past 15 years in paving the way for functional agricultural land markets, most notably in the privatization of land and the development of land administration systems.
Finally, Tomas Lindemann proposes some lessons learned in the field of decentralization and local government development. A reinvigorated municipal structure is emerging in Latin America, setting the scene for an important legislative transformation towards greater control over local institutional organization by local constituencies, management of natural resources that is increasingly sustainable, and the reduction of poverty.
Paul Munro-Faure
Chief, Land Tenure Service
FAO
Rural Development Division
