Post Type: Videos

The Agriculture and Rural Development Support (ARDS) project supports broad-based, resilient economic growth through a more inclusive, competitive and better governed agriculture sector that provides attractive livelihoods to rural Ukrainians. The project consists of three components:

• Improve enabling environment and governance of the agricultural sector;
• Increase investment, productivity, employment, and incomes in the agricultural sector; and
• Improve welfare of rural communities and marginalized producers.

A result of the Ukrainian Government decentralization program is the establishment of 665 Consolidated Territorial Communities (CTCs), new rural units comprised of small communities, with decision-making powers and budgets transferred from central state authorities.

Land resources are the main source for rural economic development and CTC budget revenues, but 95 percent of CTCs described limited abilities to manage land.

Understanding that effectively managing land is both a challenge and growth opportunity for CTCs nationwide, ARDS designed and supported a pilot project to establish a CTC-level electronic land management system combined with the creation of local economic development strategies. The pilot in the Kipti CTC, a typically-sized CTC comprised of 12 villages, 5,500 people, and 29,5000 hectares, had three goals: obtaining and archiving data on quality and quantity of land resources; creating a plan for efficient land use that addresses CTC needs and is compliant with environmental legislation; and increasing land use efficiency, enabling CTCs to manage community-owned land.

Learn more about USAID’s Agriculture and Rural Development Support project in the Ukraine.

On February 15, 2018, USAID LandLinks and a panel of experts hosted an interactive online discussion on Mangrove Forest Restoration and Management: Social and Governance Dimensions, starting at 9:00 am EST.

Mangrove activities have primarily focused around the biophysical and ecological dimensions of mangrove planting and protection; while the social dimensions of mangrove restoration, including governance and tenure arrangements, have largely been left on the margins. This webinar will open the conversation about the preconditions that are necessary to successful mangrove management, and provide a learning space that encourages broad participation and discussion between USAID missions, implementing partners and the global community of mangrove experts.

The panel of mangrove experts in the field included:

• Global Study of Mangrove Governance: Dr. Esther Mwangi from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR);
• Vietnam Coastal Spatial Planning and Mangrove Management Experiences: Dr. Nayna Jhaveri from USAID-funded Tenure and Global Climate Change project;
• Ghana Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Experiences: Dr. Steve Dennison from United States Forest Service (USFS); and
• Mozambique USAID-funded Coastal City Adaptation Project (CCAP) Experiences: Dr. Salomao Bandeira, Maria Olanda Bata and Casimiro Antonio.

On November 2, 2017, USAID LandLinks, along with Agrilinks, Microlinks, and a panel of experts, hosted an interactive online discussion on the Business Case for Land Rights: Private Sector Perspectives on Responsible Land-Based Investment. Secure, clear land rights are critical for sustainable land-based investments. But in the developing world, where an estimated 70 percent of land is unregistered, it can be challenging to understand who has legitimate land and resource rights, and land grabs and land rights abuses are often associated with commercial investments.

Featured USAID partners, The Hershey Company and ECOM Agroindustrial Corporation, explored how each company thinks about and addresses land tenure risks in their supply chains. The discussion also delved into why and how these two companies are working with USAID to mitigate land tenure risks for their suppliers and increase cocoa yields in Ghana.

In Burma, USAID’s Tenure and Global Climate Change project is working with local villages and authorities to help people map and document their land through the Land Tenure Project (LTP).

Burma is experiencing rapid economic transformation across multiple sectors in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. This transition is creating risks for the environment and economic opportunities for Burma’s diverse population and is placing new importance on responsible governance of land and natural resources, as secure land tenure is a cornerstone for peace and stability. As policies and legislation are developed to better govern these resources, existing communal and customary rights must be incorporated. At the same time, new policies must be piloted in various communities to demonstrate broad applicability before national activities are launched.

Learn more about USAID’s Land Tenure Project in Burma.

In Burma, USAID’s Tenure and Global Climate Change project is working with local villages and authorities to help people map and document their land through the Land Tenure Project (LTP).

Burma is experiencing rapid economic transformation across multiple sectors in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. This transition is creating risks for the environment and economic opportunities for Burma’s diverse population and is placing new importance on responsible governance of land and natural resources, as secure land tenure is a cornerstone for peace and stability. As policies and legislation are developed to better govern these resources, existing communal and customary rights must be incorporated. At the same time, new policies must be piloted in various communities to demonstrate broad applicability before national activities are launched.

Learn more about USAID’s Land Tenure Project in Burma.

In Burma, USAID’s Tenure and Global Climate Change project is working with local villages and authorities to help people map and document their land through the Land Tenure Project (LTP).

Burma is experiencing rapid economic transformation across multiple sectors in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. This transition is creating risks for the environment and economic opportunities for Burma’s diverse population and is placing new importance on responsible governance of land and natural resources, as secure land tenure is a cornerstone for peace and stability. As policies and legislation are developed to better govern these resources, existing communal and customary rights must be incorporated. At the same time, new policies must be piloted in various communities to demonstrate broad applicability before national activities are launched.

Learn more about USAID’s Land Tenure Project in Burma.

The 2016 delivery of a land restitution sentence brought little solace to the residents of Chengue (Northern Colombia), but when government agencies began delivering on orders, despair turned to joy and inspired a party in this forgotten village. In the region of Montes de Maria, violent factions perpetrated more than 50 massacres displacing more than 200,000 people between 2000 and 2008. In June 2017, Colombia’s National Land Agency, as a result of the work done by the local Land Restitution Unit and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), delivered property titles for 27 properties of victims of the massacre in Chengue.

Learn more about USAID’s Land and Rural Development Project in Colombia.

In Burma, USAID’s Tenure and Global Climate Change project is working with local villages and authorities to help people map and document their land through the Land Tenure Project (LTP).

Burma is experiencing rapid economic transformation across multiple sectors in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. This transition is creating risks for the environment and economic opportunities for Burma’s diverse population and is placing new importance on responsible governance of land and natural resources, as secure land tenure is a cornerstone for peace and stability. As policies and legislation are developed to better govern these resources, existing communal and customary rights must be incorporated. At the same time, new policies must be piloted in various communities to demonstrate broad applicability before national activities are launched.

Learn more about USAID’s Land Tenure Project in Burma.

On September 28, 2017, USAID LandLinks hosted an interactive online discussion on land and conflict with a panel of experts for. Around the world, concerns related to access to and development of land and resources, equitable use of valuable resources, and distribution of revenues associated with land and resource use drive disputes and violence. These diverse and widespread conflicts are often tied to weaknesses in the land sector—particularly to problems associated with land governance. Finding practical, actionable strategies to address these land-related conflicts can help to promote greater transparency, accountability, and resilience; and reduce conflict and support for violent extremism.

USAID LandLinks, the Global Donor Working Group on Land, and the FAO hosted an online event exploring land tenure and property rights in Tanzania. This webinar on May 24, 2016, was presented by the primary author of USAID’s updated Tanzania Land Tenure Country Profile, Dr. Maureen Moriarty-Lempke. Stay tuned following the Tanzania discussion for a 15-minute overview of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT), presented by The Cloudburst Group’s Karol Boudreaux.

Check out USAID’s updated Tanzania Land Tenure Country Profile and the Global Donor Working Group on Land’s one-pager on Land Governance in Tanzania.