News on Land

A Constitutional Court ruling on Thursday has fundamentally changed the power balance between mining companies and communities. The court upheld the Lesethleng community’s land tenure rights, meaning companies will no longer simply be able to evict occupants of the land they want to mine. 

Representatives of mining communities believe Thursday’s unanimous Constitutional Court ruling on mining in Lesethleng, North West will fundamentally shift the power dynamics between mining-affected communities and companies.

Under agreement, 3,000 Taungurung people will have access to crown land for hunting, fishing, camping and gathering resources

Victoria has signed the largest native title claim in the state’s history, recognising the Taungurung as traditional owners in central Victoria and awarding a settlement of more than $33m.

Scotland's parliament set land reform as one of its key priorities when it was established in 1997

EDINBURGH, Oct 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When the residents of Garbh Allt in the Scottish Highlands were offered the chance to buy their land from the wealthy family behind the brutal eviction of their ancestors, many were initially hesitant.

Dick Jenkins is a fourth-generation rancher living in Oregon’s most remote county. I wanted to know why he continues living in a rural community, even though life elsewhere might be easier.

“Taking care of [the land] is worth more than all the money in the world,” he told me. “Taking care of the animals, taking care of the environment, it all goes together and we’re very proud of it.”

While Dick’s answer was more evocative than I could’ve hoped for, I can’t say I was surprised by it.

Reasons range from fear of property seizure by governments, owners turning tenants out and lack of money among others

A new study has revealed that 41 million people in 15 countries of four different world regions are living in constant fear of losing their property rights in the next five years.

They live in constant fear that either their owner/renter would ask them to leave or the government would seize their property or disagreement with family and lack of resources would potentially end their rights on the property.

Based in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, Swayam Shikshan Prayog has repositioned rural women as farmers

Agriculture can be a lonely endeavour but in the drought-hit belt of Marathwada, deep in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, women have been the driving force behind a new wave of sustainable farming.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 24 2018 (IPS) - The very people who help put food on our tables often face numerous human rights violations, forcing them go to bed hungry.

As Brazil lives through the last feverish week prior to this Sunday’s second round presidential election, reports have come in indicating an alarming increase in violent threats and attacks since the campaign’s start – occurring in both urban and rural areas.

Little has been done to reverse the damage of gold mining and villagers have little recourse, say experts

NA NONG BONG, Thailand - They came in the night - about 150 men wearing masks and wielding sticks, knives and guns who swarmed the village of Na Nong Bong in Thailand's northeastern province of Loei, firing into the air while threatening and beating residents.

Jose Domingo Ulcue Collazos was on his motorcycle when he was shot.

An indigenous teacher, Jose Domingo Ulcue Collazo was killed Monday night in the town of Santander de Quilichao in the department of Cauca, Colombia. His death makes him the 173rd social leader killed in Latin America in 2018.

Social organizations reported that the killing occurred between 4:30 pm and 8:00 pm local time while Ulcue was commuting on his motorcycle. 

The suspects shot Ulcue in the chest, he was later transported to the Francisco de Paula Santander hospital where he died.

MANILA, Philippines — The deaths of nine sugar workers in Negros Occidental over the weekend is a sign of continuing social injustice, a land rights advocacy group that has been working with farmers on Negros island said Monday.

"The agrarian reform program began 30 years ago and thousands of farm workers remain landless, earning a measly amount of less than P100 a day," KAISAHAN, which has been working with agrarian reform beneficiaries or ARBs since 1990, said in a statement. 

It’s has been six months since more than 30,000 farmers marched from Nashik to Mumbai demanding attention to a series of agrarian and forest rights related issues. The protest march, led by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) was called off only after the state administration promised that it will take steps to address all the demands of the protesters within six months. Some of the demands include: