FAO has launched revised Guidelines for Integrated Land Use Planning to help countries reconcile agricultural production with other demands on land, soil and water. Unveiled at the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP17 meeting, the framework is intended to support decisions on resource use, restoration and protection, according to FAO Newsroom. It is voluntary and carries no binding obligations.
The guidance addresses competition between agriculture, urban growth and infrastructure, alongside the need to conserve and restore natural resources. FAO says it is designed to help governments consider food and water security, climate resilience, land degradation neutrality and sustainable socioeconomic development within the same planning process, rather than treating these objectives separately.
Countries are expected to adapt the framework to their own priorities, laws and circumstances. The guidelines are intended to work alongside existing policies, institutions and planning arrangements, not to replace national systems or impose a uniform model. Governments can select and adjust the tools, indicators and approaches they use to suit their domestic requirements.
According to FAO Newsroom, this is the first substantial revision of the guidance since 1993. It incorporates developments in geospatial technology, digital information systems, land evaluation, analysis that weighs multiple criteria and decision-support tools. FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol highlighted the importance of bringing together soil data, mapping, monitoring and local knowledge to inform decisions about production, land use, restoration and investment.
Stakeholder participation and transparent, inclusive decisions are also central to the revised approach. A forthcoming Practitioners’ Guide will provide implementation advice for the framework’s nine steps. FAO developed the guidelines through worldwide consultations with its members, technical specialists and partner organisations. The agency says the guidance supports more resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, closer alignment between the Rio Conventions and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Its Committee on Agriculture acknowledged the guidelines at its 30th session.