Responsible Land Policy

For large parts of the rural population, food security depends directly on access to and the use of land. If access is denied or is unsustainable, hunger and poverty frequently result. However, land as a resource has become both an agricultural good as well as a lucrative investment opportunity. The result is competition and conflicts over land. Groups that only have informal land rights suffer particularly from this. As part of the SPECIAL INITIATIVE ONE WORLD – NO HUNGER, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is promoting the recognition of traditional land rights and improved land rights for marginalized groups, such as women and indigenous communities.

Insecure land rights – what are the causes and what are the consequences?

• Insecure land rights arise when traditional land rights and formal rights clash. Marginalised groups and women are often affected most by a lack of tenure security.
• Wars and conflicts force many people to leave their home and seek refuge in other regions or countries. Often legal claims are lost, and land use conflicts arise in host communities.
• The consequences of insecure land rights are the displacement of the weakest, conflicts between user groups and lower land productivity.
• Poverty, hunger and overexploitation of resources are the most visible consequences of insecure land rights.

The three fields of action

1. Securing land use and land ownership rights for the rural population through improved procedures
2. Promoting the participation of civil society in the formulation and implementation of responsible land policy
3. Improving the framework conditions for responsible private agricultural investment

At political level, the project team is working to improve the framework conditions for land policy. In collaboration with its partners, the project sets out to introduce transparent procedures and mechanisms in land administration, thereby improving the population’s situation with respect to land rights.

Conflict management and securing land rights in Uganda

Milly Namyenya's family has owned land for generations. When she inherited land from her father, she wanted to register the land in equal parts with other heirs from the family. But violent conflicts arose with the tenants who live on and cultivate the land. The tenants threatened Milly Namyenya and her family - the legitimate landowners – which resulted in the abortion of the registration process.

Milly Namyenya tried again and again in vain to find a peaceful conversation with her tenants. A training course in her village finally brought about the turnaround: The tenants contacted her and made peace with her.

The relationship with my tenants is good now!

"I am now a proud landowner," says the 65-year-old happily, praising the good relationship with her tenants. Today, Milly Namyenya is in close contact with her tenants and knows the dimensions of her plot of land. She used her lease income to finance the construction of her own house.

Link to the video displaying the story of Milly Namyenya : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baD4FWIQOAQ