Development projects bring tremendous changes in patterns of use of land, water, and other natural resources which leads to a range of resettlement effects. This process of economic and social dislocation most often exacerbates existing gender disparities and inequalities in affected areas. When gender differences are overlooked in project planning phase, projects are unlikely to respond to women’s need and may even have negative consequences.

Seeks to answer the question, where collective tenure arrangements are either being formalized or supported for the sake of securing the community’s rights to land, what steps are required to strengthen women’s land rights in the process? Synthesizes findings from case studies in China, Ghana, India, the Kyrgyz Republic, Namibia, and Peru that assess interventions to strengthen collective tenure and ensure that both women and men benefit from improved land tenure security.

Numerosos estudios han documentado la importancia de la propiedad de la tierra para la seguridad económica de las mujeres rurales y el mejoramiento de la posición de ellas dentro de sus hogares. Esta expectativa se basa en el supuesto de que la propiedad de la tierra incrementa la capacidad de negociación de las mujeres.

ABSTRACTED FROM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Land rights systems in Southeast Asia are in constant flux; they respond to various socioeconomic and political pressures and to changes in statutory and customary law. Over the last decade, Southeast Asia has become one of the hotspots of the global land grab phenomenon, accounting for about 30 percent of transnational land grabs globally. Land grabs by domestic urban elites, the military or government actors are also common in many Southeast Asian countries.

There has been progress in terms of legislation of land ownership and women rights on the same subject in Kenya and a number of Non-Governmental Organizations and Civil Society Organizations are in the fore front promoting women land ownership. It is noted that women play an integral part in food production for their families however, land tenure system in the rural areas discriminates against women hence very few women own land.

Namati offers this brief in the hope that Myanmar’s national reforms and the implementation of the country’s new National Land Use Policy can grow from the lived experience of ordinary Myanmar citizens. Namati and our partners assist farmers in Myanmar to claim their land rights through a community paralegal approach. Community paralegals are trained in relevant laws, community education, negotiation, and mediation skills to work with farmers to resolve a variety of land rights issues.

This 2016 Africa Human Development Report on gender equality follows the 2012 Africa Human Development Report, which looked at the importance of assuring food security for all Africans. Both reports share a common objective of addressing what might be considered two unfinished agenda items on Africa’s development trajectory.