La temática relativa a la tenencia y explotación de tierras está de nuevo a la orden del día. Así, son muchos los países que manifiestan un renovado interés por los diferentes modos de acceso a los recursos naturales en un marco de posibles reformas territoriales, ya sea en el contexto de la seguridad alimentaria, de la lucha contra la pobreza en el mundo, de la preservación del ambiente o de la calidad de la vida.

Le présent guide sur Le régime foncier et le développement rural a été préparé pour familiariser les lecteurs avec les questions clés liées au régime foncier, et plus particulièrement celles concernant l’insécurité alimentaire et le développement rural. La négligence dont fait trop souvent l’objet le régime foncier lors des interventions de développement rural a souvent des effets néfastes très durables. Il est essentiel d’analyser les aspects pratiques du régime foncier pour déterminer quelles sont les personnes qui ont accès aux terres et sous quelles conditions.

Readers are invited to submit manuscripts in English, French or Spanish on research and analysis of issues related to land reform, land settlement or cooperatives. Submitted manuscripts are read by members of the Editorial Board and also by outside reviewers. Authors are requested to provide an alphabetical reference list at the end of the article.

The papers contained in this issue have been selected from those presented at a series of workshops, held in 2002 in Hungary, Uganda, Mexico and Cambodia, that were organized by the World Bank jointly with the Department for International Development (DFID), the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and with FAO, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the African development Bank (AfDB), the European Union (EU), the International Land Coalition, Oxfam, and other bilateral an

Esta guía sobre Tenencia de la tierra y desarrollo rural ha sido preparada para que el lector se familiarice con los asuntos claves de la tenencia de la tierra, especialmente cuando dichos asuntos se relacionan con la inseguridad alimentaria y con el desarrollo rural. Muchas veces las cuestiones de tenecia de la tierra son ignoradas en las intervenciones de desarrollo rural, y ello suele tener efectos duraderos muy negativos.

The process of decollectivization in Vietnam, leading up to the 1993 Land Law, ensured farming households the rights to market their own produce and to transfer, exchange, lease, inherit, and mortgage their land-use rights. These changes imply a reworking of relations between state, market, and household, but also within households. Although the allocation of agricultural land in northern Vietnam was relatively equitable, allocation by the state represents only one channel of entitlements to land.

Contains a critical analysis of the Report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Land Law System of Kenya – sampled reactions; land issues at the plenary of the National Constitutional Conference at the Bomas of Kenya; the Njonjo Commission Report at close scrutiny – a pastoralist’s view; co-ownership is passed as family land right in Uganda; the Report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Land Law System of Kenya broadly captures the public views on the much-needed land reform for sustainable development – Kenya Land Alliance’s perspective; Titanium mining in Kwa

In March 2003 a group of land reform practitioners and researchers met informally to discuss the state of land reform in Southern Africa and to explore ideas about constructive ways forward. Following this, in late June 2003 a number of participants from the ‘think-tank’ workshop held discussions with various stakeholders in South Africa to get feedback on the report and to identify their views, with a desire to encourage debate and contribute to the building of greater consensus on the importance of meaningful, sustainable land reform.

Looks at key problems affecting land reform beneficiaries in FARM-Africa projects in the Northern Cape: livelihoods, the right to settle, lack of infrastructure, too poor to farm?, development plans, the management capacity of executive committees, gaining access to technical agricultural support and credit, equitable access and grazing fees, obligations of having water rights, the responsibility for Act 126 projects, government policies and their effects on emerging farmers.

Contains background to DFID Kenya support to the land reform process; problems and constraints; the Njonjo Commission and Report; the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission; the land policy process; the Kenya Land Alliance; possible future KLA activities for DFID support; the role of civil society in the land policy development process in the region; possible future DFID support to the Kenya Government land reform process; overview of the land reform work being undertaken (by government, business, donors); proposed DFID assistance to the Ministry of Lands for a land policy review.

It is often assumed that transferring land to rural households will provide people with valuable assets that can be productively used to enhance their livelihoods. Unfortunately, few rural people or land reform beneficiaries are perceived to be using land productively because they do not engage in significant commercial production for the market. Transferring land to subsistence users is therefore seen as a waste of resources.