Land Management is the process of regulating the use and development of land assets. In simple terms it is concerned with the regulation of land use to ensure that the users of land take full advantage of their land in the most sustainable manner possible. Land assets are generally used for various purposes that can include natural agriculture, water resource utilization, reforestation and eco-tourism projects.
A major component of land management concerns the implementation of strategies that promote and facilitate the sustainable production of food in an efficient manner. The objective of this strategy is to ensure food security and to enhance agricultural intensification. Strategies need to be developed that focus on promoting and facilitating the productive capacity of smallholders to increase production and productivity levels. This can be done by improving agricultural policy and legislation, intensifying agricultural research and development, promoting improved management practices at the local level, and developing better relations among parties involved in the agricultural sector. In addition, policies must focus on providing education to the public on environmental sustainability as well as development of agricultural intensification strategies.
There are several indicators that can be used to determine the general condition of the agricultural land management. These include the ratio of acres of arable land to total acres of all the crops in operation, the percentage of total acres of land used for agricultural production, the amount of nitrogen fertilization needed to promote crop growth, the spatial coverage of trees, and the land drainage. However, when developing an indicator system for land management it is important to note that different factors have varying effects. For instance the rate of unemployment and the quality of the local economy will have a significant bearing on the efficiency of a management system. Also the availability and price of essential resources will also have a great impact on sustainable agriculture.