Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB, Utrecht landac.geo@uu.nl +31 30 253 13 63

Current short-term research of LANDac

Farmers’ organizations and land policies
LANDac partner Agriterra, in cooperation with the East African Farmers Federation (EAFF), has set up a short-term research project on the role of farmers’ organizations in policymaking on land governance in Uganda. The study looks at the existing strategies and institutional arrangements in different regions that have varying underlying causes for increased pressure on land, such as urbanization, oil exploitation etc. The types of actors involved in processes of land transactions, the existing strategies and institutional arrangements are studied. Vertical and horizontal linkages that formal and informal membership organizations make use of, and the way in which these result in organizations’ agency for actually influencing decision making are mapped. The inventory provides an insight into conditions for increased transparency and for effective participation of farmers’ organizations in policymaking on land allocation and land re/allocation processes.
For more information, please contact the LANDac secretariat: landac.geo@uu.nl

Good practices of large-scale investments in land
Much attention has been given to the issue of ‘land grabbing’ in the last decade. Less information is available about good practices of large-scale investments in agricultural land. LANDac partners IDS-Utrecht University and the Royal Tropical Institute in cooperation with AidEnvironment have started a short-term research project that aims to identify good investment practices in terms of land use and land acquisition. The objective is to provide guidance to public and private investors and stimulate responsible investment in farmland. Four critical issues relating to responsible investment have been identified: community engagement, securing legal rights to land, corporate responsibilities in government-led land acquisition, and resolution of land-based conflict. Cases are drawn from (Dutch) public and private investors that are funding large-scale farming. The proposed good practices should be in line with international principles and standards, such as the UN Voluntary Guidelines on Land Tenure and the IFC Performance Standards.
For more information, please contact the LANDac secretariat: landac.geo@uu.nl