Report divided into 5 themes: legal issuers of women’s rights to land and property in Namibia; traditional institutions on women’s land and property rights; HIV/AIDS, land and property rights, and livelihood strategies; Namibian experiences; regional experiences (Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe).

Includes the legal and policy situation relating to women’s land rights in Southern Africa; women farmers speak out on which land rights are being enjoyed, or not; potential springboards to the realisation of women’s land rights; baseline trends and key conclusions; recommended action points.

Contains relationship between land rights, poverty and food security; political support for women’s land rights?; change through education and empowerment; in whose interest?; law and enforcement; part of wider changes.

Globalisation impacts on local land markets and land-use, land transaction costs affect food prices, and the combined effect is particularly damaging to women who produce food and put food on the table for their families. Article examines what is attracting investors and market speculators into the farm and land sectors; what is at stake for small farmers – especially women farmers – and long-term impacts for food production and food security; and what action is needed to enable women to secure access to natural resource and land assets for current and future generations?

Examines 8 reasons why addressing housing, land and property issues is important in humanitarian response, including: addressing loss of land or inability to return to land and homes after disasters, and protecting women and supporting their recovery.

Key findings: Customary tenure remains strong with only 1.2% of plots held under statutory tenure. Over 86% of women reported they have access to land under customary tenure and c.63% of women reported they “own” land under customary tenure. Tenure security is not dependent on formal documentation as proof of ownership. Men play a dominant role in land management. General knowledge of statutory and customary land law and management systems is poor. c.50% of the population have experienced land conflicts, 72% are within household, family or clan.

Includes the predicaments, concerns and challenges faced by rural women – commercialization of natural resources, how rural women value land, from ‘women’s crops’ to ‘men’s crops’, plantation economies and rural women, the water factor, women are not parties to the deal. Towards solutions for rural women, invest in local food systems, women’s rights to land, build toward collective action. Conclusions and recommendations.

Examines changes in management of customary tenure and how these have made women’s access to land more vulnerable. Recommends strategies for empowering women to have secure access rights and increase their tenure security. Seeks a compromise between policy makers and women activists on the current co-ownership debate. Argues that the family unit should become the unit of ownership under customary tenure and that all those who derive livelihoods should be registered on the title of ownership.

Land in Uganda is the core factor of production and one of the three basic resources, next to people and time. Women’s struggle for gender balance with particular regard to land is a direct result of the fact that their central role in economic development has not been recognised; tradition and customs (such as polygamy, bride wealth and succession) have deprived them of actual ownership of land.

Analysis of women’s access to land in West Africa shows that they are central to agricultural development as land users, but rarely have the same access as men. They mainly have limited and temporary rights, although situations do vary. Increasing efforts are being made to remedy this through legislative texts and various bodies and NGOs, but it is particularly difficult in a context of social change and when other social categories, including men, may be in precarious land situations. How can we hope to secure women’s rights if those of men are not secure?

Contains background, policy responses (PRSP, LSSP, national gender policy), legal responses (Constitution, co-ownership, Land Bill 1997 and Matembe Clause, Land Act 1998 and Consent Clause, Land Amendment Bill 2003), challenges, way forward, annexes.

Paper written in response to 5 questions asked by the Forum organisers. Under what circumstances can land tenure reform contribute to rural poverty reduction and sustainable natural resources management? How can land tenure reform be carried out in a manner that is pro-poor? What types of actions should donors support in order to promote pro-poor land tenure reform? What actions should be taken to address the particular problems faced by women, indigenous groups and pastoralists in gaining secure access to land?