Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2001

This paper discusses the role of FAO support to the Government of Mozambiques Land Commission since 1995, through three consecutive projects. While each has had a relatively short duration, all have been planned and implemented within a single conceptual framework with a much longer time horizon. This has allowed a difficult and complex issue to be progressively developed and nurtured within a realistic time scale, while building up a strong sense of national ownership of the process.

In West Africa, land questions are rising in importance. As pressures on resources increase, farmers need sufficient tenure security to encourage production and investment in land. The procedures governing access to and control over land are of vital importance in promoting intensification and commercialisation of agriculture, combating poverty, and reducing risks of conflict. At the same time, the process of decentralisation and establishment of new local government structures raise the question of which institutions should be responsible for land management.

The aim of this paper is to analyse the institutional arrangements for gaining access to land and natural resources in southern Benin. This study analyses these practices in two zones, the Allada region and the coastal zone around the city of Ouidah, each of which has particular conditions of access to land.

O MOVIMENTO DOS Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, também conhecido como Movimento dos Sem Terra ou MST, é fruto de uma questão agrária que é estrutural e histórica no Brasil. Nasceu da articulação das lutas pela terra, que foram retomadas a partir do final da década de 70, especialmente na região Centro-Sul do país e, aos poucos, expandiu-se pelo Brasil inteiro. O MST teve sua gestação no período de 1979 a 1984, e foi criado formalmente no Primeiro Encontro Nacional de Trabalhadores Sem Terra, que se realizou de 21 a 24 de janeiro de 1984, em Cascavel, no estado do Paraná.

Situation to end 2001