This paper is a summary of a case study on gender, land and decentralisation. It addresses how women in rural areas of Niger deal with pressure on land within changing agricultural production systems. A separate focus is on women’s land rights, and the strategies they use to capitalise on these rights.
The second issue of Land Reform, Land Settlement and Cooperatives for 2006 covers a wide range of technical areas, reflecting in many ways the diversity of activity under the broad heading of land tenure.
The study aims to clarify the various issues regarding land security of poor and other marginalized groups in Malian rural areas. It looks into questions relating to how poor and vulnerable groups obtain access to land and natural resources, and what factors cause their exclusion. It analyzes existing methods for formalizing land rights and land transactions and their impacts on the poor. Specific attention is given to the practical organization of the procedures for formalization and recording land rights.
Meeting Name: Regional Conference for Africa (ARC) (22nd Session)
Meeting symbol/code: ARC 02 INF/7
Most of the world’s poor work in the “informal economy” – outside of recognized and enforceable rules. Thus, even though most have assets of some kind, they have no way to document their possessions because they lack formal access to legally recognized tools such as deeds, contracts and permits.
Water for agriculture draws on a range of sources - from naturally available water bodies to water supply infrastructure. In sub-Saharan Africa, only a very small percentage of arable land is irrigated. Most farmers produce food under rainfed conditions. In 1995, for instance, 89 percent of cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa was delivered from rainfed agriculture, compared to 58 percent in the West Asia and Northern Africa region (InterAcademy Council, 2004). The situation in the Sahel is very much in line with this trend.
Across rural Africa, land legislation struggles to be properly implemented, and most resource users gain access to land on the basis of local land tenure systems.
During the past two decades or so, rural population in Africa has increased slowly while urban population has grown dramatically. The hugely increased urban demand for cereals and pulses (which produce crop residues for livestock) and for livestock products is now the main force stimulating mixed farming systems in the semiarid and subhumid areas of subSaharan Africa. Grazing land has diminished, crop residues are becoming a more important element in raising livestock and fattening penned livestock has become profitable.
At this point – just under half way (two years and six months) in the implementation of the first CPWF phase (and three years and eight months since inception began) governance and management processes are running smoothly, it is in reasonable financial health and technical processes – such as issuing new calls and obtaining reviews by our Expert Panel on Scientific Quality – are familiar, although they must be adjusted to each specific instance.
This introductory section covers the period since the submission of the last Mid-Term
Plan until present, and concentrates on the following areas:
> Principal areas of progress.
> Developments in 2005 and early 2006.
> Changes to the CPMT strategic plan.
> Research achievement highlights.
> Program progress.
At this point – just under half way (two years and six months) in the implementation
of the first CPWF phase (and three-and-a-half years since inception began)
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