During the last decade, the growing number and scale of investments in land in developing countries have often had negative impacts on the livelihoods of the affected local population and more specifically on local food security. Governments in developing countries, the private sector and civil society need to set, implement and monitor regulatory frameworks for agricultural investments. which ensure transparency, accountability, sustainability, equity, and participation.

To create an enabling environment for responsible investment in agriculture that improves the livelihood of local communities and smallholders, safeguards local food security, and respects land tenure and resource rights. Subgoal TA 2: The goal of the programme of the Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) is to improve the policy and regulatory framework for sustainable biofuels production in targeted countries and to improve socio-economic conditions of smallholders through the production of RSB certified biofuels Subgoal TA 3: The goal of the programme of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is to promote sustainable development and poverty reduction by fostering transparent, fair and balanced international and domestic investment frameworks as they relate to agricultural land and water.

1. Increased access of smallholders to RSB certification system 2. Implementation and enforcement of policy reforms towards more sustainable biofuel production 3. Improved quality and capacity of developing country participation in international processes on agricultural investment 4. Improved quality of parliamentarian involvement in domestic and regional deliberations relating to agricultural investments 5. Incorporation of sustainable development dimensions in key international processes relating to agricultural investment

Energy Science Center of EPFL International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

The target group of TA 2 is smallholder farmers that want to improve their livelihoods by engaging in RSB certified biofuel production and developing country government administration that want to make biofuel production more sustainable and avoid negative implications on land tenure and food security. The target groups of TA 3 are developing country investment negotiators and members of the Pan-African Parliament.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) has developed implementing guidelines for making their principles on land rights, food security and local development operational, and to make them an effective tool to provide safeguards for the sustainability of biofuels projects. The draft guidelines have been successfully pilot tested in 6 projects on 3 continents and will become official standard documents in 2012.