Oxfam is running a series of blogs on the Future of Agriculture. Day 6’s discussion includes a post by Madiodio Niasse, Secretariat Director of the ILC. Mr. Niasse focuses on the importance of securing women’s rights to land tenure as a strategy to improve agricultural productivity and food security.
In early December 2012, the Government of the Central African Republic officially launched a land tenure reform process. This process commenced with a multi-stakeholder workshop where two inter-ministerial committees were launched by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister indicated the government’s intent to lead a public consultation process that results in the formulation of a consolidated vision for land governance, taking into consideration international principals such as the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests.
Recent stories in the Globe and Mail, the Telegraph, BBC and the International Herald Tribune all highlight the significant tensions in Burma between various stakeholders over land, mineral, and other resource rights as the country undergoes significant political reforms. Though the reported details vary, communities in the Sagaing region are resisting attempts by the government to relocate them to allow expansion of mining operations by Wanbao Mining, a Chinese company. An estimated 7,800 acres of land were due to be expropriated for the expansion, requiring extensive forced evictions.
On December 11-14, The United States Institute of Peace – in collaboration with USAID, the World Bank, and the International Organization for Migration – will host a Land, Property and Conflict training course. Tenure insecurity and disputes over land and property often play a major role in conflicts, both internally and intra-state. The international donor community recognizes the importance of addressing complex issues related to land tenure and property rights in order to mitigate conflict, promote stability, and foster peace and economic growth.
According to AllAfrica.com, farmers in Liberia are blaming perceived climatic changes on the government’s policy of allocating large-scale concessions for mining, logging, and agriculture. A Liberian non-governmental organization, Green Advocates, organized a workshop in southeast Liberia during which farmers and other participants cited deforestation and forest degradation from large-scale concessions as a major factor in the changing climate in Liberia.
Earlier this month, tens of thousands of people in India were marching for land rights. The marchers wanted the government to assure them that they will be given secure rights to agricultural land, homestead rights for landless people, tribunals to resolve land-related cases, and that the National Land Reforms Policy would be presented for public debate within six months. The government agreed to these and other provisions, including implementing the Forest Rights Act and setting up a Task Force on Land Reform – this brought the march to a halt. Here is the agreement.
Many stakeholders are concerned about large-scale land acquisitions. Communities, civil society organizations, and donors are worried, but so too is the private sector. Here is a story from the CSR Asia website which notes the risks investors may face when they negotiate rights to use or purchase land.
According to a recent NPR article, lead poisoning from illegal gold mining has killed more than 400 children in northern Nigeria. Thousands more children have been left sick and mentally stunted.
On October 17th in Oslo, Norway, historic peace talks will begin between the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Details on the negotiations are available in a recent article in the New York Times. This is a promising initiative with the potential to end the conflict and bring lasting peace and stability to Colombia. To illustrate the importance of land to the conflict, both parties have agreed that land and rural development will be the first issues to be addressed in the agenda proposed for negotiations.
Afghanistan has significant amounts of mineral resources according to an assessment completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2007. However, according to a recent article by the New York Times “the potential resource boom seems increasingly imperiled by corruption, violence and intrigue.” Control over land and resource rights are increasingly becoming a source of contention, especially as the government begins to make land concessions.
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