Legislative Approaches to Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Governance - FAO Legislative Study No. 114

With the premise that legislation forms the backbone of sustainable governance arrangements, this publication seeks to highlight some of the ways in which countries from different regions manage natural resources in a sustainable manner. The concept of sustainable development is predicated on three core and interconnected elements: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. Sustainability, therefore, is much more than ensuring protection of the natural resource base. To be sustainable, agriculture must meet the needs of present and future generations for its products and services, while ensuring profitability, environmental health, and social and economic equity. This publication seeks to offer broad guidance to countries in the regulation of their natural resources by illustrating how other countries have recognized and addressed these connections and linkages. Using these pillars as a point of reference, and emphasizing a human rights-based framework, the study explores legislative approaches in the following sectors: land, water, fisheries and aquaculture, mining, petroleum, forestry and agriculture. This book is not intended to serve as a detailed manual on how to regulate each sector, rather, it presents a selection of provisions that allow a macro-level view of the linkages and connections that recognizes impacts in more than one pillar of sustainable development.