News on Land

As Africa faces the threat of climate change, and as population growth increases demand for food, smallholder farmers, who form the bulk of the continent's food producers, are turning to innovative irrigation systems to secure year-round food production.

Mokoro are delighted to publish a new blog from WOLTS Mongolia team member, B. Munkhtuvshin. “Protesting herders to get government support to stop harmful mining operations” is the story of recent demonstrations by nomadic pastoralists opposed to investments in the mining sector that have infringed on their community’s land rights.

A top official in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has declared illegal all leases where land is being used by bibanja holders.

Mr Sam Mayanja, the junior Lands minister, says evictions of lessees (tenants) by district land boards should stop forthwith.
The minister particularly called out the Buganda Land Board (BLB), accusing it of mixing up and managing all land in Buganda yet some of it is owned by individuals.  

On Tuesday, 13 September 2022, H.E. Dr William Ruto took his oath of office and began his term as the fifth president of the Republic of Kenya. In his inauguration speech, the president purposed to hit the ground running and lead Kenyans on a path of economic transformation and in the days following he confirmed his intention with action. The new administration introduced policy changes that gave us an idea of how the next five years will be.

The South African government is considering various options regarding the contentious matter of land under traditional leadership and part of the land tenure system including Ingonyama Trust, said Deputy President David Mabuza.

• Lakes in Phnom Penh are fast being filled in and parceled off as prime real estate to wealthy and politically connected individuals.
• Families who have for generations fished and practiced aquaculture on the lakes and surrounding wetlands face eviction and the loss of livelihoods.
• At the same time, experts warn that filling in these natural rainwater reservoirs risks exacerbating flood intensity and damage in the Cambodian capital.
• This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network where Gerald Fl

• The Harita Group holds a nickel mining concession covering about 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) on Wawonii Island.
• The arrival of the mine has divided the community between those who support the development and farmers hoping to retain their fruit and nut trees.
• One man described his grief as the grave of his son was exhumed and moved as a result of the mine.

WAWONII ISLAND, Indonesia — The coconut palm has been a source of food and identity for centuries among the people of Wawonii Island.

The 'Jogi', the Gypsies of Afghanistan, have launched a struggle with the State to access identification papers and defend their rights. Marginalised and plunged into poverty, they want to integrate into Afghan society.

In the northwestern suburbs of Mazar-e-Sharif, on the border with the rural world, small shacks made with beige bricks are developing one after the other.