The current relationship between Syria and the West cripples any real prospect for reconstruction. Western sanctions on reconstruction as a political tool aimed at the regime, have wide-ranging negative impacts on the civilian population – while having little hope of political success. For agriculture the repercussions of sanctions on reconstruction are severe, affecting refugee returns, livelihood recovery, food security and stabilization.

 Le droit des peuples autochtones à leurs terres traditionnelles et/ou ancestrales est solennellement consacré par plusieurs textes internationaux. Les enjeux de ce droit sont aujourd'hui cruciaux, allant de l'effectivité de la protection des droits de l'homme à la lutte en faveur de la biodiversité, en passant par la relecture plus théorique de la notion fondamentale de propriété.

In May 2012, the Committee on World Food Security approved the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (the “Guidelines”). The Guidelines have been described as a catalysing instrument that improves the conditions of land and natural resources, in the agricultural, fishery and forestry sectors. They address problems related to poor governance of land tenure and the growing pressure exerted on natural resources, thereby helping countries to achieve food security for all.

Cette publication de la série « Success Stories » présente les bonnes pratiques en matière foncière en Colombie à travers l'application des VGGT par certains projets de la FAO entre 2014 et 2021, notamment dans le cadre de l'amélioration de la gouvernance et de la réduction des conflits dans les aires protégées, du renforcement des communautés en termes de leurs droits fonciers, et la restauration des droits territoriaux des communautés autochtones et/ou afro-descendantes.

Esta publicación de la serie “Historias de éxito (Success Stories)” presenta las buenas prácticas en materia de tenencia de la tierra realizadas en Colombia a través de la aplicación de las VGGT por algunos proyectos de la FAO entre el 2014 y el 2021, especialmente en el contexto de mejora de la gobernanza y reducción de conflictos en áreas protegidas, fortalecimiento de las comunidades en tema de sus derechos de tenencia de la tierra y restitución de derechos territoriales de las comunidades indígenas y/o afrodescendientes. 

The impending close to the war in Syria brings to the fore the prospect of approximately 13 million forcibly displaced people considering returns to places of origin in the country. However the reattachment of people to their housing, land and property (HLP) faces a daunting set of challenges—the prospect of demographic change, the application of expropriation laws, confiscations and political agendas.

This article argues that while we know that the demand for land and natural resources has significantly accelerated in the last decade;it remains very difficult to gauge the exact size of the land rush. Many studies that look into how much land is affected give vastly diverging numbers. Local elites and diaspora investors are known for controlling large areas in their home countries and their activities tend to be even less transparent than those of international investors. Many studies choose not to include domestic investors.

Africa’s Catholic bishops have criticized the appropriation of land;natural resources and other economic assets by private companies and called on national governments to show greater concern for local community rights and needs. They said: ‘The impunity of corporate and elite capture of African land and natural resources and the damage this is doing to Africa’s food systems;to our environment;our soils;lands and water;our biodiversity;our nutrition and health is a major concern.

L’importance de l’accès à la terre aux femmes n’est plus à démontrer, eu égard aux impératifs liés à la réalisation des objectifs de développement durable. En dépit de leur rôle essentiel et de leur contribution à l’agriculture et à la sécurité alimentaire, elles sont victimes de discriminations en termes d’accès et de contrôle sur les terres, ainsi que de la distribution des revenus tirés de l’exploitation.

Post-Soviet reforms in Kyrgyzstan during the 1990s and early 2000s included the allocation of land for long time use and eventual ownership to residents. 75% of arable land, including over 1 million hectares of agriculture land was distributed during this period. Land certificates named all family members, including minor children, and over half of all shares were distributed to women. However, census data and survey reports since initial distributions reveal that land ownership by women, and especially rural women, has significantly declined.

In Ethiopia, expropriation and compensation measures have become a great concern due to horizontal urban expansion and development induced projects. Especially in peri-urban areas, the livelihood of farmers is affected by expropriation without fair and comparable compensation. This paper investigates the impacts of expropriation and compensation activities on livelihood of peri-urban smallholders taking Debre Markos Town as a case study area. Mixed research methods were employed. Quantitative data were gathered using a structured questionnaire and by interviewing about 100 smallholders.

Understanding the formation mechanism of farmers’ farmland value expectations not only helps to evaluate farmers’ land resource allocation behaviors, but also enables the government to create better policies that can effectively guide and manage farmers’ land value expectations. Based on cross-sectional data from the 2015 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) of rural residents, we used quantitative analysis models to identify the effect of farmers’ land expropriation experiences on their farmland value expectations, and the mechanisms of this effect.