Better land access for the rural poor Lessons from experience and challenges ahead

This paper was prepared under contract with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The positions and opinions presented are those of the authors alone and are not intended to represent the views of FAO. This study highlights lessons from recent policy, law and practice to improve and secure access to rural land for poorer groups. It focuses on Africa, Latin America and Asia, while also referring to experience from Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The study examines the links between land access and poverty reduction, shifting approaches to land reform, different means to secure land rights and to achieve more equitable land distribution, the particular vulnerability of certain groups to losing their land rights, and the role of addressing land rights within conflict resolution and peace building. It concludes with broad recommendations for protecting land rights of poorer and more vulnerable groups. Land is an asset of enormous importance for billions of rural dwellers in the developing world. The nature of property rights and their degree of security vary greatly, depending on competition for land, the degree of market penetration and the broader institutional and political context. The picture is hugely diverse and complex within and between countries and regions. Nevertheless, some general trends and common challenges can be identified. Although there are significant differences between and within countries, pressure on land is set to increase over future decades, given the impacts of continued population growth, urbanisation, globalisation of markets and activities, international investment flows, trade negotiations and climate change. As a resource becomes scarcer and more valuable, those with weak rights to this resource will tend to lose out. In the case of land, particular groups tend to be more vulnerable to such dispossession, including the 2 poor, those in peri-urban areas, indigenous people, women, those relying on common property resources, and those in areas of conflict. Addressing the land access and tenure security needs of these groups is crucial for social justice, political stability and peaceful coexistence. Attention to securing land rights is also important for promoting rural development, as it helps create conditions that encourage local and foreign investment. Policy dialogue at all levels should recognise the importance of secure land rights for sustained development, growth and peace. There is a need to identify ways to mainstream more systematically land access in PRSPs and in agricultural and economic …