In the leadup to upcoming international climate talks, farmers in the coastal regions of Bangladesh are emphasizing the importance of robust and well-documented land rights in the face of the multiple climate change disasters that have adversely impacted their lives and livelihoods. Spearheaded by the Association for Land Reform (ALRD) in Bangladesh, and the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC), with the support of the Land Portal Foundation and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR), a social media and information campaign has been underway to amplify their voices on the issue. This time around, we have taken collective action to ensure that climate policy discourse will not neglect the crucial role land rights play in building climate resilience of one of the most vulnerable populations. You can learn more, and contribute, by using hashtags #IfOnlyTheEarthCouldSpeak #landmatters #land4climate #COP28 and by following us on Twitter. 

Chad is at the verge of an emerging land tenure crisis. As observed in many countries in Africa, formal and customary tenure systems overlap. Customary tenure systems, that generally prevail in rural areas, differ from region to region, with each its own needs and practices. Land conflicts are abundant, caused by degradation and transformation of land surfaces caused by climate change, as well as land investments by domestic investors with disputed legitimacy.

Por Zulema Burneo

Casi tres décadas atrás, el 9 de agosto fue designado como el Día Internacional de los Pueblos Indígenas por la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas. En América Latina, aunque se han logrado avances en el ámbito legal en cuanto a la garantía de sus derechos, basta ver un poco más allá para encontrar serias paradojas que nos obligan a levantar la voz antes que a celebrar el día.

Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IP & LCs) collectively manage a staggering 50% of

This blog post is part of the series What to Read. This issue has been developed in the frame of a project in collaboration with ANGOC, ALRD and funded by the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR).

Good Land Governance is a governance system that aims to protect the property rights of individuals and enterprises based on following good governance principles like accountability, transparency, the rule of law, effectiveness, efficiency, equality and public participation (Espinoza et al, 2016; Zakout et al., 2006). The line of criticism applied to notions of Good Land Administration or Good Land Governance is their vague and rather declarative character.

This session addressed the fact that the rights implications and the social and economic consequences of current climate change and biodiversity strategies in the context of the Rio Conventions for millions of people are not sufficiently acknowledged, researched, and addressed. The presenters and participants discussed the urgent need to have public, academic and policy debates about the impact of land-based climate and biodiversity strategies on poor communities and the development trajectories of rural economies.

This session brought together insights on land governance and climate resilience, with a specific gender focus. Women suffer from lack of access to, decision making over, and use of land. At the same time, climate change disproportionally affects women. Research indicates that ‘gender just land governance’ forms the key to use land in a sustainable, climate-proof way. There are many entry points to make land governance just and inclusive of women.

Communities in developing countries are increasingly exposed to the effects of climate change. Although they contribute little to greenhouse gas emissions, many communities are at the forefront of climate change and the associated extreme events. They are faced with events that undermine their food security, such as droughts and floods, but also increased pressure on land due to climate-induced migration. In this session, we delved into the nexus of climate change and land governance.

In the context of the joint IOS-Fair Transitions-LANDac International Conference, the parallel session on Justice at the heart of land governance: Envisioning the intersections of informal justice with land conflict, climate vulnerability, and food insecurity took place on June 30th, 2023.  

Land tenure security is one of the best incentives for the rural poor to adopt measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change

The event “Mainstreaming the Land Rights of the Rural Poor in the Climate Agenda” took place on June 6th, 2023 and featured three speakers. The event was organized by a consortium of organizations, including the Land Portal Foundation, the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR), the Asian NGO Coalition (ANGOC) and Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD).