Countries of the Near East vary in the type, quantity and format of the inventories of their land resources. Quite often, these data are sporadic, incomplete, out of date or based on diverse systems of land and soil classification and mapping. There is a need for the establishment of a user-friendly database on land and water Resources for each country, to be easily available at the desktop of land use planners and decision makers. Land resources information systems experiences in the countries are presented in this document, as well as recommendations for future collaboration in database development, reporting and exchange of information, expertise and experiences in land and water management in the region and the implementation of regional projects.

This document contains the proceedings of the Subregional Workshop on Land and Water Information Systems (LWRIS) in the Caribbean, held in Barbados in October 2000. The meeting was organized by FAO Land and Water Development Division (AGL), in collaboration with the Caribbean Agricultural and Research Development Institute. LWRIS experiences in the countries are presented as well as recommendations for future collaboration in database development, reporting and exchange of information, expertise and experience in land and water management in the region and the implementation of regional projects. This includes the preparation of national and regional reports on the state of land, water and plant nutrient resources in the Caribbean for dissemination through the Caribbean Land and Water Resources Network (CLAWRENET) Web site that is linked to Web sites in the countries and with the AGL Web site.

This document contains the proceedings of the Regional Workshop on Ladn Resources Information Systems (LRIS) in Asia, held in Quezon City in January 2000. LRIS experiences in the countries are [presented, along with recommendations for future reporting and exhange of information, data expertise in land resources information. This includes the preparation of national and subregional reports on the state of land, water and plant nutrient resources in Asian countries.

The purpose of the workshop was to promote Land Resources Information Systems (LRIS) and their application in the assessment, mapping and monitoring of land in relation to food security in the South African Development Community (SADC) countries. The workshop reviewed advances made both within and outside SADC. Experiences were discussed and a plan of action prepared to promote future reporting and exchange of information, data expertise and experiences in land information using technical cooperation among developing countries

This publication provides an overview of the world's land resources characteristics, their status and limitations at a global, regional and national level. The statistics given include data on soil, climate and terrain characteristics and constraints, human-induced land degradation status and desertification risk. A comparative analysis of national land resource potential is included. A link is made between the land resource limitations and the population affected.