Land policies are of fundamental importance to sustainable growth, good governance, and the well-being of, and the economic opportunities open to, both rural and urban dwellers - particularly the poor. To this end, research on land policy, and analysis of interventions related to the subject, have long been of interest to the Bank's Research Department, and other academic, and civil society institutions.

TAKEN FROM WEBSITE INTRODUCTION: This study by GTZ on behalf of BMZ about FDI in land highlights dramatic increase in land concessions, based on data collected in two provinces for an inventory, which GTZ conducted as no official data on land concessions is available. The Lao PDR is a small land-locked country in South-East Asia with a total area of 236,800 m2 with over 80% mountainous surface. It is estimated that all together concessoins for 2-3 million hectar land were granted, representing 13% of Lao PDR's total land area.

This BMZ comissioned report by GTZ highlights the dramatic increase of land concessions and rising inequality in land distribution in Cambodia. Parts of the study refer to an earlier report by Uch Sophas “Foreign Direct Investment in Land for Biomass Production in Cambodia”. The South-East Asian country Cambodia has an area of 181,035 km2. The Government of Cambodia is adapting its activities to attract FDI, which has lead to a steady increase especially since 2007.

Durante 2012, se hizo más evidente que nunca que los países en vías de desarrollo afrontarían una de las decisiones más críticas que se les ha presentado. ¿Tomarían el camino hacia un desarrollo fundamentado en la inclusión, el respeto de los derechos de sus ciudadanos y el estado de derecho? ¿O buscarían un atajo para alcanzar el desarrollo, que conllevara la entrega de las tierras comunitarias y los recursos naturales a inversionistas internacionales y élites nacionales?

Nel 2012 la tempesta tropicale Isaac e l’uragano Sandy hanno martoriato Haiti, danneggiando i raccolti, facendo straripare i fiumi, alla­gando le strade e bloccando l’accesso alle comunità. Mentre i prezzi ali­mentari aumentavano e i debiti crescevano, gli haitiani poveri hanno adot­tato misure estreme. Alcuni sono emigrati. Altri hanno resistito riducendo il numero di pasti al giorno e svendendo le proprie terre o il bestiame. Ogni estate, gli haitiani temono lo scatenarsi della furia degli elementi.

The 2013 Global Hunger Index (GHI), which reflects data from the period 2008-2012, shows that global hunger has improved since 1990, falling by one-third. Despite the progress made, the level of hunger in the world remains “serious,” with 870 million people going hungry, according to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organiza­tion of the United Nations.Across regions and countries, GHI scores vary considerably. South Asia and Africa south of the Sahara are home to the highest GHI scores.

L’Indice de la faim dans le monde 2013 (GHI), élaboré à partir de données couvrant la période 2008-2012, montre que le niveau de la faim dans le monde s’est amélioré depuis 1990, diminuant d’un tiers. En dépit des progrès réalisés, le niveau de la faim demeure « grave », avec 870 millions de personnes souffrant de la faim selon des estimations de l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO). Les scores GHI varient considérablement en fonction des régions et des pays. L’Asie du Sud et l’Afrique subsaharienne concentrent les scores GHI les plus élevés.

Die globale Hungersituation hat sich seit 1990 verbessert, wie der Welthunger-Index 2013 anhand von Daten aus dem Zeitraum 2008-2012 zeigt. Der WHI ist um ein Drittel gesunken. Dennoch ist die weltweite Hungersituation nach wie vor „ernst“. 870 Millionen Men­schen hatten laut Schätzungen der Ernährungs- und Landwirtschafts­organisation der Vereinten Nationen (FAO) im Mittel der Jahre 2010-2012 nicht genug zu essen. Südasien und Afrika südlich der Sahara haben die höchsten WHI-Werte.

ABSTRACTED FROM THE OBJECTIVES SECTION: These Voluntary Guidelines seek to improve governance of tenure of land*, fisheries and forests. They seek to do so for the benefit of all, with an emphasis on vulnerable and marginalized people, with the goals of food security and progressive realization of the right to adequate food, poverty eradication, sustainable livelihoods, social stability, housing security, rural development, environmental protection and sustainable social and economic development.

This paper starts from the assumption that the process of reform is as important as the content of the reform. Many excellent land policies, laws and technical reforms have been developed, yet, in many cases, implementation has slipped, stalled or has even been reversed. The paper argues that an understanding of land issues and the reform process from a governance and political economy perspective offers insights that can not only improve the design of reforms, but can also offer tools to support implementation.