General

Commercial interest and investments in Africa's agricultural lands have intensified in quantity, speed, and size over the past five years, particularly in the wake of the 2008 food crisis. This project will address concerns over the phenomenon. It aims to enhance leadership skills that will help build more equitable policies and practices for communities around large-scale land investments in Africa. Large-scale land acquisitions Foreign and domestic investors, both public and private, are acquiring control of vast stretches of fertile land for agricultural production in developing countries. While agricultural investments can contribute to economic development and reduce poverty, many investments have failed to live up to expectations and are not generating sustainable benefits. In many instances, these land deals are leaving local people worse off than they would have been without the investment. Pressures on agricultural land are expected to continue to meet the needs of growing populations. There is also the issue of diminishing supplies of fertile land caused by pressures on water sources, encroaching urbanization, and changing weather patterns related to climate change. Investments to date have served to highlight existing weaknesses in the management and governance of agricultural lands and on local communities' ability to secure land rights. More accountable, equitable investments This project will advance IDRC's work on this issue in sub-Saharan Africa to make land investment processes more accountable and equitable, and to prevent displacement and conflict. It will build on five action research projects covering 10 countries. Project teams will work with communities to increase their power to negotiate equitable terms and protect their rights and interests. It will fund the following activities: -Land Research Summit in Dakar, Senegal, to share initial research results and lessons learned, as well as foster policy discussions -Blogs and op-eds to raise awareness about research findings -Conference participation to share the research and findings

General

Zimbabwe's economic development blueprint aims to revive the country's economy by attracting greater investment in agriculture, infrastructure, and mining. Development projects in those sectors, however, can carry a risk of displacing community members, particularly where they reside in strategic or resource-rich areas. The construction of hydro-electric dams and other large mining and agricultural projects, for example, have led to negative consequences due to weak land tenure rights and a more general failure to establish or respect needed protections. Community members have not been consulted on development of projects that affect them and, as a result, have not received fair compensation for the loss of use or access to lands or livelihoods. Such threats to communities' land and environmental rights point to larger stresses in the government and in the justice system. Against that backdrop, Zimbabwe's new Constitution (2013) provides important protections such as new property rights guarantees and safeguards against displacement. However, the laws and policies needed to ensure respect for those rights have yet to be put in place. There is currently very limited research on development-induced involuntary displacement and its relation to community land rights in Zimbabwe. This two-year research project with the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association will generate a greater body of knowledge. It will map the extent and nature of development-induced displacement across the country. Then, with active community participation, the project will undertake two detailed case studies in contexts where there are potential risks of displacement. This research aims to strengthen community responses to involuntary displacement and to contribute to improved laws and policies on land rights and displacement that align with the Constitution.

General

This project addresses the ongoing critical development challenge of changes in land use in Indonesia, Burma (Myanmar), and India. It will generate knowledge and an evidence-driven intervention strategy to help people gain more security over the land and natural resources they rely on for their livelihoods and survival. Industrial projects, large-scale agriculture Since the 1990s, successive governments of growing Asian economies have promoted trade and industrial expansion as critical drivers for economic stability and growth. This focus has led to rural and peri-urban landscapes being transformed by industrial projects, infrastructure, and large-scale agriculture. For people who depended on the land, these transformations have resulted in serious social and ecological impacts: -direct physical displacement and dispossession -loss of livelihoods -pollution or land degradation Legal rights remain unprotected There are very few easily accessible remedies to address the impacts of land use change. While regulations to minimize and mitigate damage exist, implementation is poor. There is widespread non-compliance to regulations. Administrative agencies are ineffective at responding to local community needs and integrating them into policy or legal designs. Laws are also ineffective. They serve as a threat, but not something that people can use to exercise their basic rights. Lawyers are costly, and often focused on formal court channels that are impractical for most people The UN Commission on Legal Empowerment estimates that four billion people cannot exercise their legal rights because of costs, dysfunction, corruption, or abuse of power. There is a recognized need for intermediary institutions, such as media, political parties, and unions that help citizens exercise their rights. Community paralegals as a solution Community paralegals also offer an effective solution. They are attracting increasing attention from international organizations, including the UN Commission on Legal Empowerment, for being cost-effective, flexible, and able to manage plural legal systems. They are especially noted for their effectiveness in dealing with land rights disputes in many countries, including several in Africa. This project will map land use changes in Indonesia, Burma, and India. Researchers will study how community paralegals can -collect rigorous data on impacts of land use change -translate impacts into legally actionable evidence -help affected communities seek remedies through formal administrative and legal institutions closest to the point of impact The project team will use conduct locally grounded research that identifies workable solutions to reduce the adverse effects of land use change on communities. The research will advance knowledge, inform evidence-based policy, and build evidence to promote responsible land governance.