In 2019 LandLinks had its most successful year yet, including more than 219,000 page views across the site. Check out the top five most popular blogs, pages, and resources below.
1. Responsible Land-Based Investments Case Study Series
One of the top pages in 2019 was this case study series highlighting USAID’s private sector engagement with The Hershey Company/ECOM Agroindustrial Trading in Ghana, Illovo Sugar Africa Ltd. in Mozambique, and the Moringa Partnership in Kenya. The case studies demonstrate that respecting and bolstering local land rights can be good for businesses and local communities. Click to learn more about the innovative partnerships and their impact.
2. Increasing Land Rights through Property Ownership in Kosovo
A blog that drew the attention of many LandLinks visitors was “Increasing Land Rights through Property Ownership in Kosovo.” In Kosovo, the cultural traditions of informality and patriarchy have created multiple challenges for women’s property rights. USAID provided mentoring for judges and training for legal associates to take over more tasks related to processing cases. As a result, the time for the initial preparation of a case before the first court hearing decreased by 72 percent, from 1,058 to 297 days. Read another related blog, “Increasing women’s property ownership,” to learn about the impact of the USAID Property Rights Program.
3. Mobile Applications to Secure Tenure (MAST) Learning Platform
USAID’s Mobile Applications to Secure Tenure (MAST) Learning Platform was the third most popular page in 2019. The learning platform brings together tools, resources, and data from across MAST programs in a growing list of countries, including Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Zambia. MAST is a collaborative, participatory approach that builds sustainable local capacity to efficiently map resource rights and secure land tenure. The approach is inclusive and promotes participation and leadership of women and other marginalized groups in project activities. Check out Asiah Samila’s story from Tanzania about how documented property rights gave her financial stability. Click to learn more about the MAST approach, its field implementation, and technology.
4. Country Profiles
One of the most popular resources on LandLinks was the Country Profiles page. Here you can find in-depth information on land, resource governance, and property rights issues for 69 countries around the world. Check out our most recent additions to the country profile library: India and Madagascar. Click to explore your country of interest.
5. A President’s Promise
One of the most popular blogs of 2019 was about USAID Administrator Green’s trip to Colombia where he and Colombia President Iván Duque signed a joint statement of support for the Massive Land Formalization Pilot, which is nearing completion in the municipality of Ovejas, Sucre. Watch the video to learn more about USAID’s work supporting land rights in Colombia.