Focus on East and Southern Africa

The issue of poor rural people securing tenure over their land and natural resources has important implications for economic development and poverty reduction. For instance, land tenure security affects smallholder farmers’ decisions about which crops to grow, how much to invest in the land and whether to adopt new technologies. Yet for many poor households, access to land and natural resources is increasingly undermined. In particular, controversies involving large-scale land acquisitions by foreign investors have placed land rights issues and responsible agricultural investment firmly on the global development agenda.

In support of efforts by poor rural women and men to secure land tenure, IFAD and UN-Habitat – through the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) – have partnered to implement the Land and Natural Resources Learning Initiative for East and Southern Africa. As part of the initiative, IFAD and GLTN have prepared a series of publications on land issues in the region. Summaries follow below; the accompanying links open PDFs of the complete text.

Overview

Land Tenure Learning Initiative in East and Southern Africa
The GLTN-IFAD learning initiative aims to contribute to developing pro-poor approaches to securing land and natural resource rights, and to the integration of these approaches into development programmes in East and Southern Africa. Its activities are organized around sharing lessons learned and raising awareness, as well as developing capacity and tools for implementation. Download

Regional learning workshop on land and natural resource tenure security
A regional workshop on land and natural resource tenure security took place in May 2012 at the United Nations complex in Nairobi, Kenya, to mark the beginning of the GLTN-IFAD learning initiative. Attended by 78 people from 20 countries and global organizations, the workshop was designed to deepen participants’ understanding of tenure security issues. Download | Français

Thematic information

Mapping land and natural resource rights, use and management
IFAD-supported projects are increasingly making use of technologies such as global positioning systems, remote-sensing and geographical information systems in participatory mapping initiatives. Such initiatives are often useful for mapping the rights to land and natural resources, as well as their use and management. To date, mapping technologies have proven useful for IFAD-supported projects in Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Swaziland and Uganda. Download

Securing smallholder farmers’ land and water rights in irrigation schemes in Malawi, Rwanda and Swaziland
Irrigation schemes have major implications for water and land rights. Regarding water rights, these schemes raise questions about farmers’ security of access, fees, accountability for timely and effective water delivery, and the responsibilities of water users’ associations. Regarding land rights, the very creation of the schemes can have a significant effect on existing land users, with repercussions on the tenure security of farmers cultivating irrigated plots. At the same time, the impact of the increased value of irrigated land must be assessed. Download

Recognizing and documenting group rights to land and other natural resources
In many rural contexts, poor people’s livelihoods rely on secure collective rights to land and resources in addition to their individual rights to farm plots. Although customary systems of collective rights tend to be context-specific, they exist in many societies where access to land and natural resources is shared on a communal basis. IFAD has supported the recognition and documentation of group rights in countries such as Eritrea, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania, focusing mostly on grazing, forestry and artisanal fishing. Download

Women’s access to land in sub-Saharan Africa
Because they are often denied access to land or have weaker land rights than men, rural women are among the most vulnerable people in many nations. Though women usually have some rights under customary law, these rights can be quick to erode in rapidly changing societies. To improve women’s economic status, it is necessary to defend and expand their land rights, and IFAD is supporting efforts to do so in various countries. This challenge requires comprehensive action at different levels, including information and capacity building, organizational and empowerment measures, and legal assistance and advocacy. Download

Country-level information on strengthening women’s access to land is available as follows:

• Burundi | Français
• Rwanda
• Tanzania | Français

Securing land and natural resource rights through business partnerships between small-scale farmers and investors
Inclusive business models, which involve mutually beneficial partnerships between smallholder farmers and private-sector investors, can offer alternatives to large-scale land acquisitions. As such, they are one approach to increasing sustainable private-sector investment in agriculture. Shared ownership between partners, as well as shared risks and benefits, are important determinants of success in such models. It is crucial, therefore, that smallholder farmers and rural communities be empowered to engage with potential investors on equal terms. Download

Country information

Land and natural resources in Kenya
Tenure security and equitable access to land and natural resources are central to poverty reduction in rural Kenya, where poor people and marginalized groups generally have weak land rights and limited land access. IFAD’s work on tenure security in Kenya has focused on issues such as the impact of water infrastructure development on land rights, the co-management of land and natural resources, and women’s access to land. Download

Land and natural resources in Mozambique
Mozambique’s constitution and land law contain innovative approaches to securing property rights, including a participatory ‘land delimitation’ process that allows communities to define the areas over which they claim rights. IFAD is supporting land delimitation as a preliminary step towards sustainable community-investor partnerships in which rural communities contribute unused land, acting as legally constituted groups with the use rights to that land. Furthermore, the IFAD-supported Securing Artisanal Fishers’ Resource Rights Project will help to map the use of marine and land natural resources in Mozambique’s Nampula, Zambezia and Sofala provinces. Such mapping will allow for the production of community-based natural resource management plans. Download

Land and natural resources in Swaziland
Land availability for smallholder farmers in Swaziland is rapidly diminishing as a result of population growth, forcing farmers to produce on increasingly fragile lands. The IFAD-supported Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project has used remote sensing and geographical information systems to inform farmers about how to make the best use of newly irrigated land. The project also deals with complex land and water issues, including the resettlement of people displaced as a result of infrastructure development. Download