Land is the only thing in the world that amounts to anything, for it’s the only thing in this world that lasts. It’s the only thing worth working for, worth fighting for. ---Margaret Mitchell
Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime. --- Aristotle
Reducing poverty is a difficult and complex challenge for many developing countries. It is clear that the rural poor must have secure access to land, water and related productive assets to overcome their poverty.
Recognizing that effective land use is an integral part of any effort to overcome poverty, international and national agencies have invested large sums of money into land-related projects. In far too many cases, these projects have not produced the desired outcome and the indigenous population continues to be on the margins of poverty. The lessons learned from these projects can serve as an invaluable guide when completing future projects.
The reasons for these failures can be traced to a small number of recurring factors, some of which are listed below.
Absence of clear and secure property rights.
Inconsistent and incomplete land policy and legislation.
Lack of accountability in public institutions caused by poorly defined responsibilities.
Inadequate recognition of socio-economic priorities and cultural affinities.
Insufficient state of development of the concerned country.
Inadequate training of public officials and community leaders in land management.
Lack of a free market in the sale and exchange of public and private land.
High transaction costs and delays related to the transfer of land ownership.
Lack of high-level political commitment for equitable land policy reform.
The Global Land Coalition has assembled a team of experts with sufficient experience to deal with each of these deficiencies in an holistic manner. Click here to access abstracts of selected papers and reports of our prior work.
