The Land Portal Foundation is pleased to announce the publication of thirty-five new country portfolios as part of the Country Insights Initiative, which seeks to expand knowledge about how countries govern their land, the challenges they face, and the innovative solutions they find to manage land tenure issues.
Each country portfolio features a detailed narrative written by Land Portal Foundation researchers and peer-reviewed by leading land experts around the world. Narratives delve into the history of land governance in the country, land laws and legislation, land tenure classifications, land investments and acquisitions, women’s land rights, urban tenure issues, community land rights, relationship with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure (VGGT), and suggestions for further reading. Moreover, the narratives also include a timeline of major developments in land governance over the country’s history.
Portfolios provide access to key socioeconomic and land-related indicators, such as land area, the total population, percentage of women owning land, and perceived tenure security, among other indicators. Readers also get an overview of the latest news, blogs, publications, as well as organizations and development projects acting on land issues in that country. All portfolios are being translated into French, Spanish and Portuguese, and some will also be translated into Arabic.
“By combining detailed narratives highlighting the history and current status of land governance with relevant data and related news and information, we hope to contribute to positive change in addressing continuing challenges,” said Laura Meggiolaro, Land Portal Team Leader. “Our stakeholders have indicated that country portfolios are their number one destination on the Land Portal, and these new portfolios respond to this demand.”
Romy Sato, Coordinator of the Land Portal Foundation’s Network of Researchers, said “We have been working for more than a year on this initiative, and the role of peer-reviewers – our partners – has been fundamental. They enriched the profiles with their local experience and profound knowledge of the land institutions and stakeholders in the countries.”
Click here to read more and for the country portfolios
Posted: 9th December 2021 by Coordinator
Land Portal: Thirty-five New Country Portfolios Feature Breadth of Land Governance Challenges
The Land Portal Foundation is pleased to announce the publication of thirty-five new country portfolios as part of the Country Insights Initiative, which seeks to expand knowledge about how countries govern their land, the challenges they face, and the innovative solutions they find to manage land tenure issues.
Each country portfolio features a detailed narrative written by Land Portal Foundation researchers and peer-reviewed by leading land experts around the world. Narratives delve into the history of land governance in the country, land laws and legislation, land tenure classifications, land investments and acquisitions, women’s land rights, urban tenure issues, community land rights, relationship with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure (VGGT), and suggestions for further reading. Moreover, the narratives also include a timeline of major developments in land governance over the country’s history.
Portfolios provide access to key socioeconomic and land-related indicators, such as land area, the total population, percentage of women owning land, and perceived tenure security, among other indicators. Readers also get an overview of the latest news, blogs, publications, as well as organizations and development projects acting on land issues in that country. All portfolios are being translated into French, Spanish and Portuguese, and some will also be translated into Arabic.
“By combining detailed narratives highlighting the history and current status of land governance with relevant data and related news and information, we hope to contribute to positive change in addressing continuing challenges,” said Laura Meggiolaro, Land Portal Team Leader. “Our stakeholders have indicated that country portfolios are their number one destination on the Land Portal, and these new portfolios respond to this demand.”
Romy Sato, Coordinator of the Land Portal Foundation’s Network of Researchers, said “We have been working for more than a year on this initiative, and the role of peer-reviewers – our partners – has been fundamental. They enriched the profiles with their local experience and profound knowledge of the land institutions and stakeholders in the countries.”
Click here to read more and for the country portfolios
Last Updated: 9th November 2021 by Coordinator
Land rush Working Papers & Notes
The Land Rush Working Paper & Notes is a series of exploratory papers from the ‘Commodity & land rushes and regimes: Reshaping five spheres of global social life’ (RRUSHES-5) research project. The series is being launched with the first paper, ‘Bringing the ‘rush’ to the centre of the land grab debate: Insights from Colombia’ by Lorenza Arango.
In this working paper, Lorenza argues that dominant literature on the ‘global land rush’ does not sufficiently account for the character and implications of the phenomenon. Moreover, and following the assumption of the RRUSHES-5 project, she suggests that the land rush has unfolded in three different ways: i) pursued corporate land deals, ii) unpursued corporate land deals, and iii) every day, below the radar land accumulation. She highlights the role of the ‘spectacle-making’ process in the land rush phenomenon. A more concerted analysis of the three currents of the land rush and their interactions can help to broaden and better understand the contemporary character of the phenomenon and its impacts.
Click here to read the paper by Lorenza Arango Vásquez
Click here to read about Commodity & land rushes and regimes: Reshaping five spheres of global social life
Last Updated: 9th November 2021 by Coordinator
Podcast: Walking the talk of climate ambition – why that walk needs nature too
IIED’s ‘Make Change Happen’ podcast provides an opportunity to hear their researchers and guests discuss key global development challenges and explain what they are doing to support positive change.
In this episode, we hear experts discuss the connections between the climate emergency, loss of biodiversity and rising inequalities, and why it is important to include nature in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to address these crises globally.
Countries that signed the Paris Agreement on climate change are required to outline and communicate their climate actions in NDCs. These are non-binding national plans that form the basis for countries to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement. However, as Nathalie Seddon argues in this episode, we cannot meet our climate goals unless we work with nature. “We need to massively scale up the restoration, connection and protection of our natural and semi-natural ecosystems, not only land but also in the sea,” she explains. And the poorest nations are leading the way in working with nature to tackle climate change.
Hosted by Liz Carlile, this podcast features Nathalie Seddon, IIED associate, professor of biodiversity and director of the Nature Based Solutions initiative at the University of Oxford; Bob Natifu, acting commissioner on climate change in the Ministry of Water and Environment in Uganda; Maria Caballero Espejo, climate adaptation specialist from the Ministry of Environment of Peru; Sarshen Scorgie, director of climate strategy at Conservation South Africa; and Harriet Drani, programme officer at IUCN in Uganda.
In this podcast the guests share why and how developing countries are incorporating nature-based solutions (NbS) in their NDCs to increase and deliver their climate ambitions.
Click here for more information and to listen to the podcast
Posted: 4th November 2021 by Coordinator
Publication: Final PLN Report
One of the final reports from the Professional Learning Network has been published.
Emilinah Namaganda, Teddy Kisembo, Molatelo Mohale, Romy Santpoort and Johanna Waldenberger have been working hard on this research and created this report titled ‘Revisiting the notion of profit-sharing: A bottom-up perspective on resettlement and fair compensation’.
This research focuses on communities’ perspective on fair compensation and/or resettlement in South Africa and Uganda, and how these perspectives can inform more inclusive and fair resettlement processes. More importantly, we would like to emphasize the need for governments and companies to consider alternatives to (forced) displacement, as it is not only stressed in national and international legal frameworks and guidelines, but also by our research respondents.
The findings from this research show that there are diverse opinions from different groups of people about what is considered to be fair compensation. The different groups identified within communities included landowners, infrastructure owners, tenants, men, women, among others, all of whom tended to have slightly diverging priorities and perspectives on investments, and opinions on resettlement, displacement and fair compensation.
Read the full report here!
Last Updated: 28th October 2021 by Coordinator
Publications from our Professional Learning Network
We are happy to announce the publication of two policy briefs from our Professional Learning Network!
These two briefs are situated in Uganda. ‘Planning the city from the bottom up: The case of Kibugambata community in Jinja City Experiences of participatory planning in Uganda‘ is written by Junior Alves Sebbanja and Romy Santpoort. ‘Development-induced displacement The impacts of the Kampala-Jinja Expressway on the women of Kinawataka, Uganda‘ is written by Teddy Kisembo.
The Professional Learning Network brings together professionals working on sustainable and/or inclusive land governance in a community of practice. While working at NGOs, governmental agencies, universities or businesses, these LANDac fellows (based in different African countries) will exchange experiences and best practices. Furthermore, they bring stakeholders together in the field to identify ways to make land-based investments – whether in agriculture, infrastructure, nature conservation or natural resource extraction – more inclusive and sustainable.
Click on the titles to read the articles and stay tuned because there is more to come!
Last Updated: 28th September 2021 by Coordinator
Release – Land Matrix Analytical Report III: Taking Stock of the Global Land Rush
The Land Matrix has just published a report ‘Land Matrix Analytical Report III: Taking Stock of the Global Land Rush’.
Click here for the announcement including links to the full report and executive summary.
“More than 10 years since the surge in large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in developing countries which followed the spike in agricultural commodity prices in the late 2000s, the Land Matrix Initiative has taken stock of the “global land rush” and its socio-economic and environmental impacts. Our findings are sobering, in part alarming. Compliance with the principles of responsible business conduct is rare, and scant consultation with the affected communities is common. The non-consensual and uncompensated loss of land often comes with only little socio-economic benefits – be they employment, positive productivity spillovers, or infrastructure. “Business as usual” continues to destroy rainforests, natural habitats, and biodiversity on the agricultural frontiers of the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and the Congo Basin. Although progress has been made with regard to land governance, a lack of policy implementation in this area is evident. This is particularly apparent from our assessment of the application of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGTs) and the transparency of land acquisitions.
Overall, our report clearly shows the urgent need to rethink LSLAs and transform current practices into responsible and sustainable contributions to economic and social development. Specifically, to effectively ensure that land rights are protected, social development in target regions is enhanced, and the environment is respected, we see five priority areas for policy change: 1) Land governance reforms and their effective implementation, based on the VGGTs, should be pursued and fast-tracked by governments; 2) Local development should take centre stage, with a focus on spillovers to and the inclusion of smallholder farmers; 3) International investment treaties must integrate human rights and environmental provisions, and human rights due diligence should be mandatory; 4) LSLAs that lead to deforestation, the conversion of other valuable natural habitats, or damage important carbon stores such as peatlands need to be stopped; and 5) Binding commitments to increase transparency are needed, for all stakeholders.”
Last Updated: 27th September 2021 by Coordinator
Vacancy: Gender and Land Specialist (Social Policy)
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 29th of September.
The FAO is looking for a Gender and Land Specialist.
Organizational Setting
The Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP) coordinates FAO’s work on gender equality and women’s empowerment, social protection, decent rural employment, rural institutions and people’s empowerment, and the right to food. Among others, this division is responsible for working with members and other partners to foster gender equality land related matters, including the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) and the SDG Indicator 5.a.2 on women’s land rights.
FAO International Consultants and Call purpose
The Organization frequently engages experts to work on short-term projects as international consultants. An international consultant is engaged by the Organization to provide expertise, skills or knowledge for the performance of a specific task or piece of work, which would be short-term by nature. The assignment may involve full-time or part-time functions similar to those of staff members. The assignment can be from 1 month up to 11 months. The possibility of extension is subject to satisfactory performance and depending on the resources and needs of the Organization.
The objective of the Call is to attract suitable individuals to undertake B or C level consultancies in the area of gender equality and land. Individuals meeting or exceeding the requirements of the Call will be included in the Divisional Roster. Experts who are registered in the Roster are available for consideration whenever relevant opportunities arise related to gender equality and women’s empowerment and gender mainstreaming.
The purpose of this call is to attract talents with relevant experience and background to populate the rosters.
Technical Focus
The incumbent(s) will contribute to the implementation of FAO’s Strategic Framework and the Gender Equality Policy which aims to achieve equality between women and men in sustainable agricultural production and rural development for the elimination of hunger and poverty. Specifically, the incumbent(s) will address aspects such as: gender equitable governance of land tenure, and women’s land rights, collection, analysis and use of land related gender-statistics including sex-disaggregated data; support to countries to report on the SDG Indicator 5.a.2 on women’s land rights.
Click here for more information about the vacancy and application instructions.
Posted: 20th September 2021 by Coordinator
Job Opportunity at The Land Portal Foundation
Vacancy: Budget, Administration & MEL Support
Application deadline is 30th of September
The Land Portal Foundation is a non-for-profit organization based in the Netherlands dedicated to supporting the efforts of the rural poor to gain equitable access to land by addressing the fragmentation of information resources on land. We believe access to information is crucial to achieve good land governance and to secure land rights for vulnerable people. Our mission is to build an information ecosystem for land governance that supports better informed decision and policy making at national and international levels. Our belief is that within a functioning and inclusive information ecosystem data, both information and the diversity of perspectives become more visible and accessible to a much larger audience. Ultimately, this significantly increases the chances that the information reaches target audiences in a way that contributes to securing people’s land rights.
The Land Portal website brings together content from over 1,000 partner organizations all over the world.
General responsibilities
She/he/they will support all administration and budget functions of the Land Portal Foundation, including recording, classifying, examining and analysing data and records of financial transactions. This person will also support M&E activities for the Foundation.
For more information about the details of the position, the required qualifications and application process, check the Land Portal website here.
Last Updated: 16th September 2021 by Coordinator
Mayke Kaag professor by special appointment of the Anthropology of Islam in Africa and its Diaspora at the University of Amsterdam
We congratulate Dr. Mayke Kaag with her new position as professor. She has been named professor by special appointment of the Anthropology of Islam in Africa and its Diaspora at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The chair has been established on behalf of the African Studies Centre Leiden.
As a political anthropologist, Mayke Kaag conducts research on contemporary Islam in Africa and the African diaspora from the perspective of Africa’s global connections. Islam – in Africa and elsewhere – is both a product of global connections and a co-constructor of them. Kaag focuses primarily on connections achieved through mobility and migration and through Islamic charities and educational institutions.
It has become particularly important to consider the dynamics of Islam and its global connections in these times of intensive globalisation, in which increasing global interdependence is developing hand in hand with major uncertainty, distrust and inequality, as well as an intensified search for connection, morality and meaning.
Muslims from sub-Saharan Africa have often been underrepresented in research on (global) Islam. With this in mind, Kaag will use her special appointment to research how West African Muslims interpret, use and help determine these connections. Local cultural and political contexts will be important in her analysis, as will the experiences that (categories of) African Muslims have of inclusion or exclusion, influenced by local, national and global power dynamics. Kaag will examine the impact that these experiences have on processes of religious meaning-making, forms of political Islam, and connections that Muslims in Africa and the Diaspora establish.
At the UvA, Kaag will participate in the ‘Exploring Diversity: Critical ethnographies of belonging and exclusion’ research programme set up by the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR).
Posted: 9th September 2021 by Coordinator
Book chapter “Alli Kawsay: Epistemology and Political Practice in the Territories, a Possibility from the Andean Pluriverse for Ecological Justice and the Care of Mother Nature”
Eduardo Erazo Acosta is a Sociologist at the Researcher Group Curriculum and University, University Nariño, Pasto, Colombia. Eduardo has written a chapter for the book The Palgrave Handbook of Climate Resilient Societies, called “Alli Kawsay: Epistemology and Political Practice in the Territories, a Possibility from the Andean Pluriverse for Ecological Justice and the Care of Mother Nature”.
Abstract:
Indigenous communities are noted for being resilient. The following presentation is an epistemological-political action from the world of possibilities in the pluriverse of indigenous knowledge. The Alli Kawsay (Buen Vivir) and its political, cultural, and epistemic options offer the possibility to work collectively in favor of our ‘Mother Nature.’ From the urgent options to be heard in the current climate crisis and even more in the sociopolitical crisis, it is essential to strengthen respect for Mother Nature. This document arises from learning in indigenous communities in walking and listening to indigenous talk in the Andean region in high Andean and Amazonian communities. Presented here are elements of the rights of nature. The Alli Kawsay is an option to be lived urgently now, as a serious and fundamental option that originates from ancestral knowledge, is lived by millions in the global south, and that today is taken up again at the global level by activists and people aware of the care of nature as a subject of rights in the international political framework.
Click here to go to the chapter on Spring Link