Land tenure plays a vital role in achieving sustainable rural development. This document is designed to support people who are involved in implementing rural development projects and programmes as it is frequently the case that land tenure issues are left out or misunderstood in rural development interventions. It is a practical guide to assist people in seeing where and why land tenure is likely to be an issue in rural development projects and programmes. It brings together lessons learned from an extensive literature review plus experience gained in many years of working with rural development projects. It forms part of the Land Tenure Service's programme designed in response to FAO's overall concern for food security and poverty alleviation.