xiv
vii. Land evaluation needs to consider all stakeholders; and
viii. The scale and the level of decision-making should be clearly defined prior to the
land evaluation process.
The general outline of the procedures for land evaluation in the Framework (FAO
1976) remains valid, but experience has shown the need for greater flexibility in the
application of procedures.
In the past, the Framework outline could be strictly followed
in, say, reconnaissance assessment of where new crops can be grown. But for practical
land use planning and development purposes, flexibility of aims, inputs, procedures and
outputs will be needed. Environmental services rendered by the land need to be brought
in, although economic evaluation of these is difficult. Consultation with stakeholders
–farmers and other land users as well as all interested institutions– needs to be combined
with the standard approach comparing requirements of the use
or service with properties
of the land. A new procedure is suggested, with the inclusion of new activities and paths.
The emphasis is on the integration of local knowledge into the existing framework and
on the participation of all stakeholders. The stakeholders should be involved from the
beginning to the end of the land evaluation process. The existing framework is extended
with socio-economic procedures developed in the diagnosis and design framework.
Links with other research domains are made explicit in the revised framework; for
example, with research activities related to agronomy and with a biophysical research
programme including specialized studies (Chapter 4).
Chapter 5 is a draft outline of the revised framework for land evaluation. Annex 1
provides a glossary of terms used in this document. Annex 2 discusses the kinds of data
needed and lists information on relevant data sources. Annex 3 presents a summary
of tools that may be used in or for a land evaluation following a revised Framework.
Several of these tools are illustrated in a series of case studies summarized or annotated
in Annex 4. Any specific tool or method may or may not
be optimal or applicable in
a given environment or socio-economic or cultural context, or at a different scale of
evaluation.