The third bi-annual National Land Care conference kicks-off in Mpumalanga on Tuesday, with a stronger focus on community involvement.

According to the Agriculture and Land Affairs Department, the conference will focus on the government's land care programme in terms of how it had contributed to development in the country.

The programme aims to have communities and individuals adopting an ecologically sustainable approach to the management of the country's environment and natural resources, while improving their livelihoods.

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For this reason, delegates will discuss issues such as how the programme had improved users' livelihoods; the level of ownership in terms of land care projects and the level of community knowledge in sustainable land use practices, among others.

This stronger focus on community participation is one of the resolutions made at the last conference in the Western Cape in 2004.

The first conference focused mainly on orientating farmers about the programme while the second event was focused on international developments.

Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana is expected to address about 700 delegates who will be attending, including government officials, farmers and individuals from East Africa.

The event will serve as a build-up towards the International Land Care conference, which will be held in Australia next month.

The Land Care programme aims to have communities and individuals adopting an ecologically sustainable approach to the management of the country's environment and natural resources, while improving their livelihoods

It involves proper management of land and pastures, among others, such that degradation including soil erosion, nutrient loss and increased run off of water is curbed.