Under the Evaluation, Research and Communication (ERC) project, USAID conducted a pilot project which supported the initial start-up phase of a National Land Observatory (NLO) in Burkina Faso. The goal of the NLO was strengthening Burkina Faso’s land governance and improving transparency in land transactions that promoted greater consistency with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGs). The ultimate objective of this project is to create a sustainable organization that helps enhance the performance of land institutions in the country and to promote adherence to principles outlined in the VGs in the Context of National Food Security.
The National Land Observatory pilot project launched in Burkina Faso with assistance from MCA-Burkina Faso. Support transitioned to USAID on August 1, 2014. The NLO is now responsible for monitoring of, and providing support to the land tenure reform process through research, policy assessment, and dialogue. It covers both rural and urban tenure. The NLO has identified further legal, regulatory, procedural and operational adjustments and also provided a venue for sharing research results, tools developed and lessons learned from pilot land tenure interventions.