In my role as Chair of the Board of the Land Portal Foundation, I recently had the opportunity to take part in two trainings to help me develop my leadership skills. The first was a 2-day Feminist Leadership ReTreat in Mechelen, Belgium, which I took part in alongside our Managing Director, Laura Meggiolaro, our Board Secretary, Laura Cunial, and seven other women leaders from different civil society organisations in Europe.

India has made significant strides in empowering women over the past few decades, starting with self-help groups (SHGs) that became powerful vehicles for social inclusion. Government and NGO efforts later expanded to skilling and livelihood initiatives, helping women increase their income and build small businesses within their communities. Yet, despite this progress, the urgent need remains for a long-term, sustainable solution to women's empowerment.

Inclusive land governance at the local level allows for the community’s broader governance ‘muscle’ to be exercised in a constructive and practical way. This can reduce conflict and spark transformative social change.

Under the umbrella of the Land Dialogues series, the first webinar of this year’s series “Gender and Biodiversity : How Indigenous and Local Community Women Safeguard Nature” took place on June 13th, 2024. The webinar drew in a little over 300 participants and featured Indigenous and local community leaders from around the world. The series is organized by a consortium of organizations, including the Land Portal Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Tenure Facility and this particular webinar was organized in collaboration with the GATC.  

This is an addendum to the What to Read digest on women, land and food security published originally on 8th March 2024.

In honor of International Women’s Day, this What to Read Digest offers a selection of some of the must-read publications for anyone wishing to  understand the link between land, food security and women.

A Recap of the Recent Land Portal-MRLG Webinar on Gender Equitable Land Governance in the Mekong Region

On Thursday 15 February, the Mekong Region Land Governance (MRLG) project and the Land Portal launched the first webinar in the State of Land in the Mekong series. The series, which will consist of three webinars across 2024 and 2025, aims to shine a spotlight on land issues in the Mekong region during a time of immense rural transformation.

The article examines the challenges in Malawi's land governance, tracing issues back to colonial legacies and addressing contemporary problems in customary land practices. Despite amendments to incorporate indigenous people and customary laws, challenges persist, particularly in ownership claims tied to prevailing customary law in which marriage systems play a central role. The journey towards reform began in 1996, resulting in the Malawi National Land Policy in 2002, aiming for tenure security and sustainable land use. The Customary Land Act (amended) of 2022 faces challenges, including potential land grabs by wealthy Malawians. Women and children's rights in land ownership are often overlooked, with discriminatory practices persisting. Striking a balance between decolonisation and cultural preservation is crucial for achieving social justice in land laws.

The Saameynta Joint Programme is a project aimed at achieving durable solutions for internally displaced people in Somalia, which currently hosts 3.8 million IDPs. Land governance is at the center of this effort, understanding that tenure security is a fundamental piece of the puzzle to enable durable solutions.

This webinar took place on February 15th, 2024, under the title “Women’s Participation in Land Governance in the Mekong : Moving Beyond Quotas to Meaningful Inputs and Influence”. The webinar featured panelists from researchers to youth representatives. The webinar was jointly organized by the Land Portal Foundation and Mekong Region Land Governance (MRLG).

What I learned about land rights from people who don't work in land rights