Sustainable and integrated solutions are required to address the intricately linked food, climate, land, soil, water and biodiversity crises.
These solutions comprise integrated land-use planning, integrated landscape management, integrated water resources management, the Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystems nexus approach, agroecology and the agrifood systems approach.
Adopting the WEFE nexus approach acknowledges the interconnectedness between these components and their impact on ecosystems. It allows to maximize synergies, reduce risks, and support practical actions in collaboration with stakeholders.
In order for such integrated land, soil and water resource management solutions to be implemented coherently at scale, the following enablers will need to be set in place: policy coherence across sectors; governance of natural resources; data, information and technology; risk management systems including early warning and adaptation and resilience strategies; sustainable financing and investment; and innovation and institutional capacities.
Better coherence between sectoral policies is needed to maximize the gains associated with land and water management and to address overlaps and trade-offs between conflicting objectives. This requires adapting and strengthening of institutions and regulatory environments.
Stronger policies to promote sustainable land, soil and water management should include clear land and water rights, in addition to incentives for sustainable practices and disincentives for unsustainable ones. Regulatory frameworks can create a more conducive environment for public and private sector investments.
Securing access to resources for smallholders and vulnerable groups offers the potential to enhance productivity, protect resources and contribute to inclusive rural development.
Data and information are key to ensuring the sustainable and productive management of land and water. The rapid development of information and communication technologies, including remote sensing, offers new opportunities for support to land and water management. Efforts should be made to ensure that the right information reaches decision-makers at all levels.
Public and private investment instruments that increase agricultural productivity, contribute to inclusive development and preserve natural resources need to be developed and put into practice. Sustainable investments require coordinated collaboration between the public sector and the financial and private sectors.
Farmers, especially in developing regions, often lack access to the necessary technologies, information and skills required to implement sustainable practices; this hinders the adoption of innovative and sustainable land and water management techniques. Farmer-centred training programmes should use modern communication technologies to promote the adoption of sustainable practices that strengthen resilience while ensuring the overall improvement of farmers’ socioeconomic status.
In areas where land and water resources are scarce, satisfying competing societal objectives (agriculture, industry, urban development, energy, biodiversity conservation) often implies trade-offs and difficult choices in resource allocation. Integrated land and water resource planning provides tools to manage the competition for resources and optimize their use.
The need for integrated solutions to the food, climate, land, soil, water and biodiversity crises is emerging from recent international processes, their various calls for action and the setting of targets and commitments that aim to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. These integrated solutions offer a framework for countries to enhance their efforts towards addressing these intertwined objectives in an integrated manner.
Integrated land-use planning is needed at different levels of decision-making to address emerging challenges and increased competing demands.
An evidence-based integrated planning process – supported by suitable tools and practices, and incorporating different sectors and stakeholders, as well as emerging opportunities and challenges – is essential. FAO’s forthcoming nine-step guidelines for integrated land-use planning aim to facilitate this process.
Field programmes should be designed and implemented to utilize the updated integrated land-use planning and integrated landscape management tools and to fine-tune them to support land-use decisions at different levels while ensuring inclusivity and responsible governance.
An integrated water resources management approach is recommended to optimize the allocation of water across various uses, including different crop types, fisheries, aquaculture, livestock, and non-agricultural sectors such as domestic supply, energy, industry and recreation.
