Theme 2: Policies and practices for securing and improving access to land by the poor and promoting agrarian reform to alleviate poverty and hunger
(7-11 Dec)

Dear ICARRD e-conference Participants,

The ICARRD Secretariat is introducing this week Theme 2 on Policies and practices for securing and improving access to land by the poor and promoting agrarian reform to alleviate poverty and hunger by a Draft Issue Paper that has been drafted as one of the background in preparation for ICARRD. This paper is being circulated for comments and inputs and we hope it will help stimulate the debate on this topic.

ICARRD Issue Paper 1. Draft for discussion

For this theme discussion, I am pleased that we have the technical support of Mr. Paul Munro-Faure, Chief of Land Tenure Service, and Mr. Paul Mathieu, Senior Technical Officer, of the FAO Rural Development Division, Sustainable Development Department.

Introduction

Land tenure regimes are complex and context specific. It is important to analyze their evolution and functioning in the context of concrete history and socio-economic relationships, considering the relations of specific tenure regimes with the agrarian structures and with the concrete institutional arrangements agreed by the actors. Such a systemic and concrete approach is necessary to prevent excessive generalization.

The importance of good policies and practices for securing and improving access to land by the poor (this should rely on concrete information and empirical evidence about the relationships between improved access to land and poverty alleviation).
We suggest to focus the comments and contributions on the following questions:

1)  Access for whom? (I.e. landless labourers, vulnerable groups, such as women and elderly, indigenous peoples, pastoralists, small and marginal farmers, etc).

2) Access to what type of resources does matter in different socio-economic and agro-ecological contexts ? (i.e. physical resources, financial resources, education/training, social resources; the social and cultural meanings of land as a multidimensional asset; the qualities of land and attached natural resources such as trees, water, pasture, watersheds, infrastructure; contexts of land scarcity/abundance, political insecurity/conflict/post-conflict,  socio-economic inequalities; etc.)

3) The nature of access ? (i.e. how to improve the security of tenure rights; how to develop flexible, self-maintaining systems; how to support mutually supportive relationships between formal and informal property rights systems; how to foster socially, economically, and environmentally appropriate territorial development; the role of governments, communities, markets, and others in these processes, etc.)

4) What are the main lessons learned ? from policies and practices to secure and improve access to land by the poor. This should include a discussion of characteristics and enabling conditions of effective land access systems, particularly with regards to the following issues: gender equity and inclusiveness, the rights of indigenous and vulnerable groups, the participation of civil society, linkages between the decentralization of land institutions and territorial development, as well as between land access, tenure security and environmental management

5) What are the main priority areas for the future?
It will be extremely valuable to substantiate your comments with concrete examples. 

We look forward to hearing from you and having this reality-based discussion! 
Sincerely, Rosalud de la Rosa
Moderator
ICARRD Secretariat
Email: rosalud.delarosa@fao.org