Explores some dimensions of an international NGO seeking to work globally on land rights. Draws upon the author’s own work as well as Oxfam’s historical experiences. The first part looks at some of Oxfam’s recent work on land rights, at the involvement of DFID on land rights in Africa, at Oxfam’s engagement with the World Bank, and a brief word on USAID. The second part examines some of Oxfam’s work on land rights over the past two decades in Southern Africa – in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Angola. There are concluding thoughts at the end of each section.

An exciting new collection inspired by a 2003 Oxfam/FAO workshop in Pretoria. Foreword briefly looks at the struggle for women’s land rights across the globe and the lack of concrete gains. Women have been confronted by resistance and patriarchy. Many land reform programmes over the past 60 years were falsely premised on notions of a unitary household. Women were disadvantaged by the codification of customary law in colonial Africa and are now by privatization in a context exacerbated by the coming of HIV and AIDS, which is breaking down notions of reciprocity.

Contains summaries of presentations by Birgit Englert and Elizabeth Daley, co-editors of a new book, Women’s Land Rights and Privatization in Eastern Africa, and by Sibongile Ndashe on South Africa’s Communal Land Rights Act, and of the subsequent discussion, comments and questions, and a short video presentation by ActionAid.

An attempt briefly to describe key components on land as a global issue today, giving some examples of Oxfam International’s involvement in land issues in different parts of the world. Divided into land in a globalised world; some struggles over land; different kinds of Oxfam International support; some general trends – lack of information; some concluding thoughts.

Focuses on struggles to secure and defend the land rights of the poor in Africa. A very brief introduction sketches the impact of liberalisation on land in Africa, then looks at the deeper context of land reform, and at the current role of donors. Goes on to look at detailed case studies of Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa and examines reasons for successes and failures of pro-poor land struggles in those countries. Concludes by focusing on the issue of redistribution in Southern Africa.

Highly condensed paper on gendered land rights, written principally for Oxfam staff and partners, and summarising some of the literature on Africa and elsewhere.

Presentation to an international workshop on Making Land Rights More Secure held in Ouagadougou.

The report discusses the approach and methods underlying the study and offers conceptual clarifications. It presents the legal framework and historical context in relation to political economy and identity politics. The bulk of the report is devoted to the analysis of significant case studies: on boundary conflicts linked to decentralisation and development programmes, the conservation issue, autochthons/migrants relations, the ‘youth factor’. A final section outlines policy orientations.

Investigates the processes and impact of commercialisation of land in Malawi – specifically the acquisition of huge tracts of communal lands by foreign companies and local elites for sugarcane production in Nkhotakota and Chikwawa districts. The main finding was that ‘land grabbing’ for large-scale commercial agriculture in these two districts negatively affected the livelihoods of the poor communal farmers. The costs to the affected communities outweighed the benefits

Includes learning from the commercial sector – freehold title deeds, pre-1980-2010; learning from Zimbabwean customary tenure systems; learning from the state resettlement programme – permit tenure, 1980-2010; fast track land reform, 2000-2010, policy implications and recommendations.

Official report of the East African LANDNET Africa meeting held in Kenya in August 2000. Summarises welcoming remarks, the keynote address by H.W.O. Okoth-Ogendo, and thematic presentations on women’s land rights in eastern Africa, common property networking at the global level, and land tenure networking issues in Rwanda. Also sub-regional LANDNET Africa updates, and country land tenure networking updates from Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, plus identification of priority issues and future plans. Lists addresses of participants and the workshop programme.

An introduction, overview and historical section is followed by sections on Rwanda’s Land Policy and law, outlining main problems identified and policy objectives. Includes the nature of land rights, registration, consolidation, establishment of commissions, villagisation and urbanisation, key challenges for implementation, impact of AIDS, role of political representatives, civil society and NGOs, and sensitisation and consultation on the implementation of the Policy and the law.