News on Land

Five village-level organizations working on water management, social issues and strengthening agriculture have been awarded the Anil Shah Gram Sangathan award. The award is given by the Development Support Centre in honour of its founder Anil Shah, who was also a former bureaucrat who worked for the upliftment of village.

The acquisition of agricultural land is growing at an unprecedented rate in Africa, as global demand for food and resources grows. Research shows that land disputes are also on the rise, exposing businesses to severe risks at the project level. The problem is endemic and growing – companies want evidence-based approaches to address this new reality and understand their exposure to risk. The Quantifying Tenure Risk (QTR) financial model blends verified company data with detailed case research to accurately assess tenure risk and provide tailored support to investors and businesses.

Ironically, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s rejection of the 2017 Statement from the Heart, proposing more meaningful national engagement with Indigenous peoples, has accelerated demands for a treaty process across the country. Victoria and the 

"The film carries people's voice - that land is their right"

MUMBAI, June 13 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Residents of Mumbai's sprawling Dharavi slum face down a powerful politician eying their community for a real estate development in an Indian blockbuster, which puts a rare spotlight on land rights of the urban poor.

Audiences have been applauding when the character played by Tamil-cinema superstar Rajinikanth tells the politician: "To you land is power, to us it means life."

"Walls have never solved problems, whether that's in terms of immigration, in terms of militarization"

EL PASO, Texas - To the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Indians, the water of the Rio Grande that divides the United States and Mexico sanctifies religious rites and purifies their hunts.

Indian communities living miles away use the river to send messages to fellow tribes downstream, tribal chief Jose Sierra told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

BONN, Germany (Landscape News) — A new partnership urging businesses, citizens and governments to take action in the field of forest conservation, land use, food production and consumption aims to take action on climate change.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent unprecedented and increasing global recognition of land rights—especially women’s land rights. Leaders across the globe have included three land-specific sex-disaggregated indicators:

• Under Goal 1 (No Poverty), indicator 1.4.2 measures legally recognized documentation of rights to land and perceptions of secure tenure;

Partnering towards access to land and secure land rights for inclusive development

Natives of Akamkpa community in Cross River, hosting the Singaporean multinational company, Wilmar International, have accused the company of destroying their sources of livelihood by channeling chemical infested erosion water into their streams and farmlands.
According to the community, the company has also refused to pay compensation for the destruction of crops and fountains of drinking water.
Speaking, 88-year-old Madam Veronica Asuquo, said Wilmar’s activities had impoverished her entire family as their farmland and palm plantation had been completely destroyed.

By the end of winter, nomadic tribes of J&K, the Bakerwals and the Gujjars, will for the first time be counted in a state-level census. The 2011 census did survey J&K’s nomadic population but a large number were left out because they were camping in remote high-altitude areas during the survey.

"We are the original inhabitants of this island...this regulation denies us what is rightfully ours"

TAIPEI - Taipei's Peace Memorial Park is an oasis of calm in the bustling city, home to morning walkers and lunchtime strollers - along with a camp of indigenous protesters demanding justice.

For several months, the small group has lived in tents in a corner of the park, with a makeshift kitchen and a cluster of painted rocks, photographs and posters tracing Taiwan's indigenous history and their fight for land rights.

Maasai from four villages on the outskirts of the Serengeti sued Tanzania for the right to return to their villages which have become part of a park

NAIROBI - Maasai herders near Tanzania's famous Serengeti wildlife park have asked a regional court to stop the government intimidating witnesses supporting their legal bid to return to their ancestral land, a lawyer for the community said on Thursday.