29 March 2018: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has published a report titled, ‘Landscapes for Life,’ which presents an integrated multi-sector and multi-scale vision for sustainable land and water management at the landscape level.

The report, ‘Landscapes for Life: Approaches to Landscape Management for Sustainable Food and Agriculture,’ explores a range of tools and practices to enhance land and water management as key elements for sustainable food and agriculture. The publication observes that the ecosystems that provide the foundation for sustainable agriculture in productive landscapes and seascapes are being degraded, and their integrity disrupted, at unprecedented rates. It then provides an overview of landscape and territorial approaches developed and tested by FAO to address development needs while restoring and protecting natural resources.

All the approaches highlighted in the publication have a common feature – the integration of knowledge from different sectors. The methods also rely on a range of tools and demonstrated good practices spanning watershed management, forest and landscape restoration, ecosystem approaches to fisheries and aquaculture, agroecology, incentives for ecosystem services, as well as mainstreaming ecosystem services and biodiversity into agriculture production practices and policies. [UN Water Press Release] [Publication: Landscapes for Life: Approaches to Landscape Management for Sustainable Food and Agriculture]