News on Land

17 February 2023 — The Land Portal Foundation has been selected by the European Union (EU) for a €1.6 million grant, a decision that underscores the organization’s vital role in the land governance sector. The funds will accelerate the Land Portal’s work to bring the land governance and open data communities together, fueled by its foundational belief that access to information is crucial for achieving good land governance. 

 In the last 13 years, a 47-year-old  Liberian farmer has been embroiled in a battle with the company over his farmland. It has placed him behind bars three times. However, he still owns the land.

Questions mount over the Xayaburi Dam’s changes to water and sediment flows as the river swallows farmers’ land.

‘Arrest Land Degradation, Restore Ecosystem’, was one of the major discussions at the First G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group Meeting (ECSWG), held in Bengaluru.

The onslaught of illegal miners into Indigenous territory in the Brazilian Amazon has destroyed forest, polluted rivers, and brought disease and malnutrition to the Yanomami people. Now, the new Brazilian government is confronting a health crisis and moving to evict the miners.

This call for proposals is aimed to develop and support innovative research and/or data use activities that focus on improving governance, inclusiveness, and the impact of data for development in the Global South based on the work done by, and the data collected by, the Global Data Barometer.

Experts look at water-sensitive urban designs for Bhutan’s Cities

Reforestation using the Miyawaki method seeks to restore nature to its original state with results that can be seen in around six years. Miyawaki works around three concepts: trees should be native, several species should be randomly planted, and the materials for the seedlings and the soil should be organic. The method is suitable for urban areas, which gives it a significant capacity to connect human beings with nature, with benefits for the health and well-being of the population. Different from other reforestation methods that may seek a financial return, like agroforestry, the motivation of the Miyawaki method is purely ecological.

Authorities have apparently confiscated vast swathes of land from the unpopular brother of Kazakhstan’s first president, with the ruling Amanat party keen to take the credit as parliamentary elections loom.

From Zimbabwe, Nhau Mangirazi tells the story of how beekeeping revives forest in the Hurungwe district, published by The Standard. Apiculture not only preserves the forest from tobacco farming – the main cause of deforestation in the area – and serves as a bio-fence acting as a buffer zone between humans and wild animals, it also brings an extra source of income to the locals, many of the beneficiaries women. 

 In his story, Soilless Farming to the Rescue. How to Boost Agriculture Without Hurting Forests, published by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Abdullah Tijani tells how Adebowale Onafowora, a Nigerian agricultural entrepreneur, embraced hydroponics as an alternative to traditional farming.

The PBB 401 rice variety stands out because it has repeatedly shown its resilience to floods, including those induced by extreme weather events.