The Land Portal Foundation and the Open Data Charter have released the report State of Land Information in Madagascar: An Open Data Action Framework for Madagascar, shedding light on the state of the land data ecosystem in Madagascar. The report serves as a comprehensive diagnostic tool and guide, aiming to catalyze change and foster conversations about data transparency and land governance in Madagascar.
Newsroom
Announcements
This report on the land data ecosystem in Madagascar is the first step towards providing a baseline and diagnostic tool to inform conversations around land and data governance. It aims to complement existing initiatives to improve the accuracy and extent of land data in Madagascar and identify opportunities to improve public access to all forms of land information.
This report on the land data ecosystem in Madagascar is the first step towards providing a baseline and diagnostic tool to inform conversations around land and data governance. It aims to complement existing initiatives to improve the accuracy and extent of land data in Madagascar and identify opportunities to improve public access to all forms of land information.
A new publication titled "The Role of Metadata and Open Data in the Innovation Cycle of Land Administration" puts the spotlight on this dynamic domain. This publication offers valuable insights into the significance of open data and structured metadata, and how they can revolutionize land administration processes worldwide. By delving into the core principles of open data and metadata, this publication offers a comprehensive understanding of how these tools can be leveraged to foster innovation and drive positive change in the land governance sector.
Land Portal Events
Join us for a thought-provoking webinar that explores the challenges and future directions to scale Fit-For-Purpose Land Administration (FFPLA) based on on-the-ground experiences. FFPLA approaches are broadly recognized and applauded for being more affordable, faster and flexible (in terms of spatial identification) than conventional land administration methods.
While talk of carbon markets has been prominent of late, offsetting using forest carbon has long been controversial. Carbon markets are trading systems through which countries, businesses, individuals or other entities buy or sell units of greenhouse gas emissions. A newly launched report by the Rainforest Foundation UK, looks at both sides of the coin.
This webinar aimed to build the capacity of researchers and practitioners across Africa to better understand sustainable approaches to land data governance. The webinar highlighted the importance of good land data governance for improving property rights and enabling more efficient government services.
The aim of this event is increasing public understanding of the links between climate change, disasters, and land tenure rights, and bringing land tenure issues in the climate change discourse, listening particularly to the voices of civil society and youth. The discussion is also expected to bring forth some ideas for action both for the new GFAR Collective Action on land tenure and climate change, and for policy makers.
Insights
In this interview, Prof. Felix Ngana talks about the creation of the Training and Research Unit (UFR) on Land Governance and Local Development (GFDL) at the University of Bangui in the Central African Republic (CAR). Following the establishment of a Bachelor's degree program, plans to extend this training to the Master's and PhD levels are already underway. These efforts are timely, as the country has embarked on a decentralization process to elect mayors and governors to head municipal and regional councils, respectively.
This data story reflects on the complexities of measuring the impact of land governance projects and summarize some of the best practices on impact evaluation from the well-known guidelines on the topic.
In this What to Read digest, we review four recent articles that focus on how rural communities in the Global South are dealing with climate disasters, including cases from Bangladesh, Colombia, and India.
This What to Read digest examines livestock keeping in pastoral systems and features recent research that reviews the relationship between pastoral livelihoods and global climate change.
The newsroom is designed to help visitors get the latest news from the Land Portal. We regularly release announcements and blogs with original insights into land governance, open data, and related issues. To discuss any news release below please contact hello@landportal.info and subscribe to our mailing list here.
New Work
As an advocate for open land data, the Land Portal Foundation aims to improve access to land data, engage stakeholders, and support actions that promote data openness. I recently had the opportunity to introduce the State of Land Information Index (SOLIndex) and talk about the Open Up Guide at the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) Partners’ Meeting in Nairobi and show how these tools play a vital role in improving access to land information.
This What to Read digest examines livestock keeping in pastoral systems and features recent research that reviews the relationship between pastoral livelihoods and global climate change.
Land Portal Publishes New State of Land Information Report for Malawi
During the colonial era, data and information was largely treated as confidential in Malawi. According to Mambulasa (2016), many statutes in Malawi dating back to colonial times promote government secrecy and the withholding of public information. This has resulted in lingering land administration and management challenges. Land-related problems have been a constant feature of Malawian society, including the pre-colonial, colonial and post independence period starting in 1964.
Celebrating Women's International Day, we take a tour to Sierra Leone and put our lens on specific factors that affect women's perception of being insecured in their lands. This data story is based on fresh data from partner organisations Green Scenery, Resource Equity and the University of Groningen.