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.

An 11 minute film illustrating how rural villagers in Sierra Leone are seeking to ensure justice. When a Chinese rubber company seized their forest and land they came together;used the law and won. Since then they have taken part in a fight to transform Sierra Leone’s systems for land and environmental governance.

In Uganda land remains the most sought–after natural resource;but legal and structural mechanisms have not been effective in addressing illegal land evictions faced by vulnerable communities. Most local investors have taken advantage of the structural gaps in land administration which have exacerbated the issuance of multiple titles. This has been compounded by Uganda’s weak justice system and excesses perpetrated by some police officers and the military. In recent times Uganda has witnessed catastrophic forced evictions across the country.

The Ninth of March 2021 will go down in history for the residents of Mambasa Territory in Ituri Province as the day the government laid the foundation stone for the Mambasa Land Administration building.

On 27 April 2021 President Kenyatta launched the National Land Information Management System (NLIMS);the culmination of years of digitisation of chaotic land records. It is expected to ease title transfers and safeguard public land from grabbers. It coincided with the opening of a National Geospatial Data Centre;an online depository that will contain all the land records in the country.

For many decades communities in West and Central Africa have been facing industrial oil palm plantations encroaching onto their community land. With the false promise of bringing ‘developmentand jobs;corporations;backed up by the support of the governments;have been granted millions of hectares of land under concessions for industrial oil palm plantations. The results of this expansion have been disastrous for communities living in and around these industrial plantations and in particular for women.

Secure land tenure is key to eradicating poverty;increasing agricultural investment and ensuring food security;and is an essential element of climate action and climate resilience. Yet women have far weaker rights to land than men. These disadvantages exist broadly and with few exceptions globally and are especially limiting to the well-being of women and their families in rural areas;where land is the basis for livelihood;identity;social standing and social security.

An educational resource that debunks myths used for privatizing land around the world while providing facts on how customary tenure systems are critical to protecting livelihoods and ensuring sustainable development for the people and the planet.

Describes how community-level dialogues uprooted harmful gender norms that hinder women’s rights to land. Showed that shifting harmful gender norms at the community level is crucial in supporting women to access land rights. Customary leaders like indunas and village headpersons are a key entry point for that shift. Change can be slow. But spaces for dialogue;critical reflection and support for action-planning enabled the indunas to not only change their own beliefs;but also begin to see their role and their communities in a different light.

Despite a recent transparency law and participation in transparency initiatives;Cameroon’s investment environment remains plagued by poor transparency.

With the pandemic striking higher in Uganda;poor families continue to be forced off their land by their government and investors despite several directives halting evictions during the COVID period. Cites a number of examples. In the latest looming evictions;the Uganda government is evicting more than 35,000 artisanal miners in the Kisita mines in Kassanda district.

Presents a framework for tackling urban-rural land challenges. Designed to help a range of stakeholders in developing countries understand how to adopt an inclusive approach to land management and administration initiatives to produce a balance in urban and rural development. Provides structured guidance for addressing land-specific problems within the intersection of urban and rural development. Presents action-oriented steps and recommendations that should be pursued in urban-rural interdependent development.