• SustainUS Briefing on Land for the 16th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development

May 2008

In a recent report by the Secretary-General on the review of implementation on Land for Sustainable Development, several challenges have been highlighted. Those include: secure land rights and access to land, community capacity, land use planning and technology adoption, land degradation and decreased productivity, and holistic land management. This section of SustainUS’ policy background and case study presentation aims at addressing several of these individual (and yet undeniably linked) areas through effective and innovative examples from across the globe. These studies will include four main components: detailed descriptions, lessons learned, obstacles and constraints, and next steps/opportunities for improvement and broader application.

Poverty Alleviation and Land Reform

The Problem: Unequal land distribution has helped disenfranchised communities remain poor by not giving them adequate resources to use. Productive land use is seen as an essential aspect of the rural poor's survival. Rural communities' livelihoods tend to focus on the use of land resources and therefore the allocation of land to communities plays an important role. If communities are left without land and the safeguards needed to protect their land rights many communities will be unable to practice traditional livelihoods and raise themselves out of poverty.

Land Reform and Poverty Alleviation in Mozambique

Paper for the Southern African Regional Poverty Network, Human Sciences Research Council.

Simon Norfolk and Harold Liversage, http://www.sarpn.org.za/CountryPovertyPapers/Mozambique/LandReform/LandReform.pdf

Background: In Mozambique starting in the 1990s land reform has been occurring. There were three main elements in the Mozambican land reform program which were created to contribute to poverty alleviation. The first was strengthening land tenure security for family sector producers. This initiative helped encourage people to invest in their own land and expand their land use and which will better able people to access credit. The second aspect was encouraging investment in the rural economy by granting land concessions. This initiative hoped to increase investment in production and increase employment in rural areas. The third aspect was establish a partnership between rural communities and investors. It was hoped that a mutually beneficial relationship between investors and the community would foster cooperation and a better partnership environment.

Lesson Learned: This program learned that it is essential to have not only NGO and private sector consultations but also to have community consultations and take into consideration the role of the community. Issues such as customary lands became an important aspect while developing the legislative framework for land reform. An assessment of the overall impact on the future and the creation of a list of necessary steps would have helped make the land reform policies stronger and perhaps more affective.

Obstacles and Constraints: In Mozambique at the start of the program there was a lack of capacity in government and regional offices. Years of land concession applications had not been processed and new applications arrived daily as well as the under staffing and lack of infrastructure made it difficult for the program to be fully implemented. Many conflicting interests needed to be taken into account. For example communities who wanted land, and private interests who had the financial means for attaining lands. It also took years for the administrative and legal systems to be put into place therefore delaying the creation of the necessary government regulatory system, which only further delayed the reforms.

Further Implications: By taking the lessons learned into account other countries and regions can implement better land reform policies which can have a larger impact on the communities.

Poverty Alleviation and access to productive resources The Problem: The scarcity and uneven distribution of resources is one of the many components contributing to poverty. Geographic disadvantages play an important role in sustaining the poverty trap, which can be seen in the poorest regions of the world, including Africa. They do not have access to productive resources due to geographic limitations, which inhibits transportation that in turn negatively impacts opportunities to build up infrastructure and maintain trade and communication with other parties. This isolation means no electricity, communication, access to health care and sometimes even adequate water supply.

Access to Service Programme Mobilizing Isolated Communities http://practicalaction.org/?id=access_to_services_case_studies

Background: In order to improve the accessibility of locally managed services and productive resources Practical Action implemented a three fold-plan. First they mobilized isolated communities by supporting a community-based road building scheme. Construction of rural roads made of dirt and gravel connected remote villages to higher status highways. The rural roads were built by inhabitants of the local community with guidance from the overseeing organization.

Lessons Learned: Over 22 kilometres of rural roads were constructed in one year with a total of 400 locals involved. These roads have made trips to markets, hospitals, schools and wells a lot easier.

Obstacles and constraints: The fact that the roads are built by hand with gravel and dirt and rely on volunteers from the villages is limiting factor. Especially in villages in Africa where disease has wiped out entire working age groups.

Further Implications: Training of more communities and organizations in earth-based road building is underway. Other work has included researching and distributing information about rural transport issues and encouraging community suggestions on tackling and reducing travel needs.

Information systems and tools for land use

Geographic Information Engineering and Social Ground Truth in Attappadi, Kerala State, India Wolfgang Hoeschele, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 90, No. 2 (Jun., 2000), pp. 293-321 Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of the Association of American Geographers

Background: Information Technology such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and related technologies are gaining widespread use throughout the world as a means to monitor land use and provide wide-ranging policies for land management. However it can also be used as a tool to marginalize communities with limited access to the technology, by using specific sets of data to misrepresent land tenure for certain groups. In Attapadi, India, state agencies have employed geographic information engineering in such a way as to describe peasant farm land as wasteland, reducing the significance of productive land use in those regions.

Lessons Learned: The lack of participatory process in information technology uses can exacerbate unfair power dynamics, especially when used to analyze communities unfamiliar with this technology. In order to ensure analysis of land use that includes a human rights perspective of land tenure, ideally a multi-layer approach to government analysis would be taken.

Obstacles and Constraints: A participatory approach to information technology is particularly difficult because of the educational component inherent in the system. Groups who are untrained with computers and other information technology are consistently at a disadvantage, and the resources to provide this training are prohibitively high. In addition, government systems that are already in place to marginalize certain communities make it unlikely that these communities will have access to training or equipment for community information analysis.

Next Steps: Where information training and technology accessibility on the part of local groups is not prohibitively expensive, all efforts should be made to include the local communities in the land-use analysis to ensure correct identification of land use. In other situations, multiple layers of data should be used in order to determine the type of land use and provide adequate analysis that is inclusive and recognizes land tenure and productive land use.

Integrated land use planning and management

Problem: [In many countries, there is a tendency to separate land tenure rights from land use rights. There is then no effective institutional mechanism for linking planning and land use controls with land values and the operation of the land market.] Overuse of land from increased population and livestock grazing can cause soil erosion, water problems, and other resource scarcity. While a conservation approach to land is often taken to protect at-risk areas, the disenfranchisement and increased resource scarcity (from unavailable protected resources) that follows can create societal tension as well as increased degradation of available land. An integrated approach to land use can instead provide resources and tenure rights while moving towards a vision of sustainability.

It is also important to note that to reach the most effective land use strategy, a bottom-up approach must be taken in order to ensure security for those most likely to implement the program on a daily basis. The following case Study addresses integrated land management by way of sub-community developed livelihood strategies.

land tenure

The Problem: The Secretary-General states that the lack of clearly defined tenure and access rights to land and other natural resources is problematic for poor rural land users, and it prevents them from undertaking the necessary investments in sustainable natural resource management. Ownership of land or long-term land use rights is one of the most critical steps in reducing poverty—the ability to use land at your own will truly empowers individuals and groups to determine their own way of making a living.

But as the report also states, in many regions of the world women and indigenous groups are not entitled to have access to land. This presents a worldwide systematic crisis that must be addressed. For Sustainable Development to be achieved across the globe, all classes, genders, races, and ethnicities must be not only allowed access to universal opportunities for economic growth, but also supported within these frameworks as well. The following two case studies address women’s access to land as well as indigenous land rights management.

The Negotiation and Formalization of Collective Rights for Vulnerable Groups Malian Association for Promotion of the Sahel (AMAPROS) support to the Women of N’dogosso.

Background: N’dogosso is a small village in the Ségou Region of Mali with over 1,100 residents. Common economic commodities include agriculture, fishing, and livestock. In 1998, the villagers submitted—and were granted—a request to support the village by improving income and capacity of the residents. One aspect of this support included training for women in order to form groups and work on marketable garden plots. One particular group negotiated with the village chief who agreed to allocate land collectively. A deed of transfer was signed into effect, while AMAPROS assisted in the drilling of a well for irrigation, conducted training in horticultural techniques, and provided farming equipment. The group is open to any woman who wishes to join. In practice, each of the 95 members works individually on their plots, while these plots are part of the collectively-owned parcel. Currently crops of bananas, papaws, and citrus fruits are being cultivated and sold, and personal savings and investments have been made possible as a result.

Lessons Learned: The negotiation of collective rights has led to the security of land tenure for women. This security is reinforced by the existence of a document showing the transfer of the land. The success of this project is due to two huge factors, one being the village chief agreeing to allocate land collectively and free of charge, and the other being the work of AMAPROS. Without the equipment, education, and water resource the cultivation of these plots of land would be much more difficult.

Obstacles and Constraints include the availability of water in such a relatively harsh and drought-prone region of Africa. Since the only access to water was through a well that AMAPROS drilled, the well was the limiting resource of the project.

One critical aspect that should be discussed further is how this can serve as a model for further projects. In no way can we expect each group of future collective-property holders to be granted in-kind land on which to operate. Villages should look forward to see the benefits that reduced or in-kind tenure transfer, coupled with collective operation and management, has on their community. With individuals earning an income and bringing business and commerce to a region, opportunities for further economic growth and regional improvements will present themselves. In keeping with the tradition of the dichotomy of collectively-owned and managed, with the personal responsibility of a portion of a resource, communities can see this model as a way to encourage cooperation and equipment-sharing, while also discouraging resource abuse and personal greed.