The workshop participants were clear that now is the time for choices, and that without the will to make those choices, the likelihood of success in boosting agricultural growth on a sustained basis would be small. Without such growth, it will not be possible to improve food security or halt natural resource degradation. It seems unlikely that all countries of Africa will choose to put in place the necessary conditions for growth, which makes it all the more important to decide at the outset which conditions are most likely to beget further success.

This article examines the conflicts arising from the Diamer Bhasha Dam project in northern Pakistan. Conflicts arising from the impacts of the dam on the local population and territory and steps to resolve some of them are identified. These impacts relate to unfair land acquisition, improper displacement, inadequate compen- sation, resettlement and future livelihoods. The completion of the project depends on the arrangement of project finance, resolution of conflicts among different actors and the consent of all stakeholders.

The Portfolio Overview provides a global overview of DFID's programmes working on land issues and highlights lessons and trends emerging from major land programmes over recent years.

This LEGEND bulletin takes stock of some of the recent experience in legal empowerment. The result is a kaleidoscope of approaches operating at different levels, but pursuing broadly converging agendas.

The first observation from this workshop is that everywhere in the world, we are seeing strong growth in the inequalities of the distribution of land, with a growing concentration of land in the hands of a reduced number of players.

This land concentration phenomenon unavoidably leads to the exclusion and marginalization of small production units and their workers. We are dealing with an increasingly bipolar agricultural model which opposes family agriculture and large scale agriculture in an unequal fight.

La primera conclusión nacida de este taller es que, por todo el mundo, se observa una fuerte expansión de las desigualdades en la distribución de las propiedades, con una creciente concentración de tierras en manos de un reducido número de actores.

Este fenómeno de concentración de la propiedad entraña necesariamente la exclusión y la marginalización de las pequeñas unidades de producción y de sus trabajadores. Nos dirigimos cada vez más hacia un modelo agrícola bipolar, donde se enfrentan la agricultura familiar y la agricultura a gran escala, en una lucha desequilibrada.

Le premier constat issu de cet atelier est que, partout dans le monde, on observe une forte expansion des inégalités dans la distribution du foncier, avec une concentration croissante des terres dans les mains d’un nombre réduit d’acteurs.

Ce phénomène de concentration du foncier entraîne nécessairement l’exclusion et la marginalisation des petites unités de production et de leurs travailleurs. On a à faire de plus en plus à un modèle agricole bipolaire, qui voit s’opposer dans une lutte déséquilibrée l’agriculture familiale à l’agriculture à grande échelle.

Source: Rights and ressources.org

Description

ABSTRACTED FROM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Rubber prices in northern Laos have fallen significantly over the last few years, eroding much of the enthusiasm developed by both farmers and government officials in the 1990s and early 2000s about rubber providing a way out of poverty for poor upland farmers.

In a widely read paper, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, World Bank and others propose systematic property rights formalization as a key step in addressing the problems of irresponsible agricultural investment. This paper examines the case of Cambodia, one of a number of countries where systematic land titling and large-scale land concessions have proceeded in parallel in recent years.

ABSTRACTED FROM THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Myanmar’s agricultural sector has for long suffered due to multiplicity of laws and regulations, deficient and degraded infrastructure, poor policies and planning, a chronic lack of credit, and an absence of tenure security for cultivators. These woes negate Myanmar’s bountiful natural endowments and immense agricultural potential, pushing its rural populace towards dire poverty. This review hopes to contribute to the ongoing debate on land issues in Myanmar.

PUBLISHER'S ABSTRACT: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 September 2007. Since then, the importance of the role that indigenous peoples play in economic, social and environmental conservation through traditional sustainable agricultural practices has been gradually recognized.