Measuring gender inequality in land ownership is essential for assessing progress in women’s economic empowerment, tracing the impact of progressive laws on actual practice, and monitoring SDG 5 on gender equality. To effectively assess inter-gender (male-female) gaps in land ownership, however, requires multiple measures. We also need to know which women are more likely to own land by tracing intra-gender differences. To date, no study on India has provided a full range of measures on inter-gender inequality in land ownership or focused on intra-gender variations.

This is the report of a webinar held by Land Portal on 24th March 2021.

In much of West Africa, women are considered breadwinners responsible to provide food for the family. However, women do not only own less land but also face manifold obstacles in accessing land through transfers, inheritance, or lease. The tenure security of this group has been threatened by large-scale land deals, state appropriation in the name of the public interest, and the often-discriminating practices of customary tenure systems.

The new scramble for land in Africa has revived debates on customary land tenure–a phenomenon that has become almost synonymous with the role of traditional chiefs in land politics. At the same time, investors

The articles in this Bulletin are written by the following organizations and individuals: National Coordinator for the Defense of the Mangrove Ecosystem (C-CONDEM), Ecuador; Yayasan Pusaka Bentala Rakya (Bentala Raya Heritage Foundation), Indonesia; Venezuelan Observatory of Political Ecology and members of the WRM international secretariat in close collaboration with several allies who are part of grassroots groups in different countries.

Based on a broad review of the existing documentation, the study describes the diversity of customary tenure systems in various regions of Myanmar; it looks at what they have in common and how they differ. It investigates the processes that affect or weaken the community jurisdiction over their lands and resources. It is intended as a resource for policymakers who are looking at recognizing and protecting the customary rights of rural communities.

Kenya’s constitution of 2010 provides for recognition, protection, and registration of community land. This is significant because it recognizes customary tenure after decades of historical bias towards private property and brings to the fore the uniqueness of the African commons. We revisit the debate on managing communal land by reviewing the process of implementation of the Community Land. The paper is based on a review of the legal framework, discussions on the implementation of the Community Land Act and authors interaction with communities through workshops.

A lack of information about the living customary systems that manage commons in Madagascar hampers efforts to identify the levels at which collectivities charged with allocating land and enforcing land claims should receive legal recognition. To help address this knowledge gap and inform ongoing legal reforms aimed at recognizing collective tenure, we reviewed relevant legal texts and field studies of Malagasy tenure systems.

Peripheral marine ecosystems can harbor endemic diversity and attract tourism attention, yet are generally not included in conservation management plans due to their remoteness or inland positioning. A case study in Raja Ampat of seven landlocked marine lakes containing golden jellyfish (Mastigias spp.) was conducted to address the lack of fundamental insights into evolutionary, ecological and social contexts of these ecosystems.

Increasing understanding of the role that secure water resources tenure plays in ensuring sustainable livelihoods, just resource governance, environmental protection, and sustainable economic development has led FAO to re-kindle the debate that had begun in 2012, when the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) were adopted by FAO, and that had culminated in 2016 with the publication of the FAO seminal study "Exploring the concept of water tenure".

A study commissioned by IIED. With less than 20 percent of landholdings in Uganda currently registered;land governance is at the forefront of a profound change as customary land is demarcated and registered. A key challenge is to ensure the equitability of this process involving gender and social equality;the protection of the poor and vulnerable comprising children and the disabled;and the environment.

Le foncier coutumier du Tchad est appréhendé par les chercheurs comme une réalité statique et n’est pas défini de manière cohérente par le législateur. Ses fondements à savoir la sacralité, le caractère collectif et inaliénable qui ressortent dans les différents travaux, sont restés les mêmes à travers le temps. Partant de ce constat, cet article a pour objet d’analyser les mutations du foncier traditionnel de la période coloniale à nos jours.

Within the framework of implementing the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT), this paper summarizes the empirical findings from three sequentially related phases of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) VGGT programme, implemented as a pilot project in 2018. The methodology used relied first on context analysis of the critical aspects influencing and hindering women´s land rights.