Ask Ag About… Land Tenure and Governance
Effectively addressing issues of land tenure and resource governance can mean the difference between project success and failure. This requires implementers to develop a clear understanding of the social and political structures surrounding access to land and other resources. Implementers must also weigh the interests of various stakeholders in land tenure systems, including smallholder farmers, large agribusiness firms and local governments. Balancing these issues and interests can be challenging, but by integrating considerations of tenure into agriculture projects, practitioners can help ensure that projects contribute to long-term resilience and food security.
This month’s “Ask Ag” discussion will explore the challenges and solutions associated with land tenure at both the project and policy levels. In addition to robust contributions from the Agrilinks community, this chat will feature Mercedes Stickler, Senior Land Tenure and Evaluation Specialist at USAID, Karol Boudreaux, Land Tenure and Natural Resource Management Practice Lead at The Cloudburst Group, Tiernan Mennen, Global Practice Lead on Land and Property Rights at Chemonics, and Kevin Barthel, Practice Manager for Land Administration at Land Alliance, Inc.
Questions for Consideration:
What are some best practices for identifying all of the stakeholders in a plot or area of land and, in turn, identifying the decision makers on that land?
At what points in the design and implementation of a project should land tenure be considered?
How can governments and private firms mitigate any negative effects of large scale land acquisition on small holder farmers?
In what ways can land tenure considerations further social equity while addressing agricultural productivity and sustainability?