Sierra Leone’s new National Land Policy, recently approved by the cabinet, presents a progressive and ambitious plan for protecting land rights that will strengthen women’s access to land, give communities a bigger say over land management and create a better framework for major land investments. All of which is urgently in need if Sierra Leone’s future development is to benefit the entire nation.

Members of rural communities in Namibia often lack a basic understanding of what their user rights and responsibilities are under the Communal Land Reform Act and are also unaware of their rights to object to a proposed land allocation or to appeal a decision once made. The large-scale acquisition of land for agriculture and conservation projects often displace local communities or reduce their access to control and ownership of key resources due to the gaps between good legislation and inadequate implementation and enforcement.

The Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (or VGGT) is the first global document that addresses policy, legal and organizational frameworks that regulate tenure rights. Adopted by the Committee on World Food Security1 (CFS) last May 2012, the VGGT provide guidance on responsible governance of tenure on land, fisheries and forests as a means to alleviate hunger and poverty, enhance the environment, support national and local development and reform public administration.

Between 2005 and 2009 the emergence of large-scale acquisitions of land or ‘land grabbing’ for production of food and energy feedstocks, and private forest plantations in developing countries, triggered various responses from global actors.

ABSTRACTED FROM INTRODUCTION: This brief has been developed by incorporating farmers’ perspective in relation to the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance Tenure (VGGT) of Land, Fisheries and Forest Tenure in the National Food Security Context of Bangladesh. The brief also recommends some immediate action points from farmers' perspectives, relies deeply on policy documents and exemplify some activities in relation to the national policies and strategic documents.

In 2014-2015, the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) implemented a project entitled “Popularizing the VGGT Among Small Scale Farmers Organizations, Relevant National Government and Inter-governmental Organizations” with the support of the International Land Coalition (ILC).

This assessment is in response to the 6th draft of the NLUP, released in May
2015, following months of public and expert consultations. It outlines some
of the key positive and negative points of the new draft. The new draft NLUP
has taken on board many of the concerns and recommendations raised by
the public during the consultation process, and includes several key issues
that would greatly improve Myanmar’s land governance arrangements.
However, some serious concerns remain. As in our past responses to the

The importance of land governance in the socio-economic development of a nation cannot be overemphasized, as the allocation of land across competing uses can determine the type and level of economic activities that can be carried out by individuals, groups, and businesses. The need for a systematic assessment of land governance arises from three factors: policy importance, institutional fragmentation, and technical complexity.

The Tenure Guidelines aim to serve as a reference, providing guidance to improve the governance of land, fisheries and forests so that it can contribute effectively to securing the right to adequate food. The Guidelines thus constitute an internationally agreed upon normative standard that assesses the actions and omissions of states, UN agencies as well as international organisations with respect to the way they regulate land, fisheries and forests in specific situations. See box 1 below.

This guide has been produced by the Interlaken Group, with steering support from the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). The Interlaken Group is a multi-stakeholder forum composed of representatives from companies, investors, international organizations, and civil society groups.

DFID is delighted to launch the first Land Policy Bulletin, which introduces a new land and responsible investment programme - Land: Enhancing Governance for Economic Development (LEGEND).