Document Type: Annual Reports

The purpose of LMA is to facilitate effective and inclusive management of communal land through land tenure processes. Its aim is to support Liberian communities in obtaining deeds to their customary land in accordance with the 2018 Land Rights Act (LRA) and to support the improved use of customary land for sustainable, equitable economic benefit.

Issues of land ownership are central to two Development Objectives of USAID/Liberia’s 2019–2024 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS), which LMA objectives and results will support: (1) market driven, inclusive economic growth supporting increased job creation; and (2) effective and inclusive governance catalyzed through reform and greater accountability.

The LRA presents a natural opportunity to advance these objectives, especially as the Act demonstrates a commitment to invest authority in local communities to govern the use of their own land through Community Land Development and Management Committees (CLDMCs). By focusing on CLDMC development, USAID will be investing in the Liberian government’s vision of local governance while giving communities tools to serve their own interests. LMA presents an opportunity to build on past USAID investments to assist Liberian communities to achieve effective and inclusive governance of their land and resources, with a focus on the following four objectives:

1. Communities obtain deeds to their communal land;
2. Communities plan and manage communal land for productive use;
3. Women, youth, and other marginalized groups participate in and benefit from communal land management; and
4. Communities utilize Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to resolve land disputes and grievances.

The LRA outlines a six-step process for formalizing community land rights (Figure 1), resulting in a deed being issued to the communities, who have gained a better understanding of their land rights, how they are shared among all community members, and who in the community works to effectively and equitably govern and manage their land. The LRA also includes provisions for establishing CLDMCs, inclusive governance bodies charged with making communal land decisions and developing sustainable Land Use Plans (LUPs).

1. Community Self-Identification
2. Governance By-laws and Structures
3. Community Land Identification and Mapping
4. Boundary Harmonization
5. LLA Confirmatory Survey
6. Deed Issuance and Registration

The CLRF process is lengthy and complex, and few communities can navigate it alone. With the support of international donors, Liberian civil society organizations (CSOs) have worked to help communities through the process and meet requirements associated with each step to ultimately secure land deeds.

The Feed the Future Ethiopia Land Governance Activity (LGA) is a five-year, $10.9 million Task Order under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights II Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract implemented by Tetra Tech. This fourth annual report summarizes implementation progress and results achieved during Fiscal Year 2023 (October 1, 2022– September 30, 2023). LGA’s purpose is to provide support to the Government of Ethiopia (GOE), its regions, and citizens to strengthen land governance, increase incomes, reduce conflict, and support well- planned urbanization, thereby contributing to the country’s socio-economic development plans.

In November 2020 violent conflict erupted in the Tigray National Regional State (NRS) resulting in fighting and creating security “hotspots” throughout the country, including the pastoral areas in Oromia and Afar NRS, where LGA planned to support interventions to register pastoral communities’ land rights. The conflict ceased in October 2022 and a peace agreement to cease hostilities permanently was signed at the beginning of November 2022. It took nearly one year before the security situation stabilized and reconstruction advanced sufficiently for LGA to re-establish collaboration with government stakeholders.

In May 2023, LGA and officials from the Afar regional Land Bureau agreed a plan to resume support for pastoralists’ rights registration, beginning with a field assessment in August 2023. Although Oromia NRS was not as directly impacted by the conflict, inter-community boundary conflicts prevented LGA from supporting registration of pastoralists’ rights in the Borana Zone. LGA moved its operations to East Bale Zone where communal land rights of 24 pastoral communities were certified in November 2022 and work is on-going to register rights of an additional six pastoral communities. Beginning in June 2023, LGA supported preparation of Tigray NRS’s Expropriation, Valuation, and Compensation Directive and discussions about additional support LGA could provide is ongoing.

Recent armed conflict in Amhara NRS has delayed field work under LGA’s research grants scheme and legislative support. It has also prevented LGA from scaling-up its pilot to improve urban land rights registration processes in Debre Berhan Town.

The Feed the Future Ethiopia Land Governance Activity (LGA) is a five-year, $10.9 million Task Order under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights II Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract implemented by Tetra Tech. This Third Annual Report summarizes progress made to implement the Activity and the results achieved during the 2022 Fiscal Year (October 1, 2021– September 30, 2022). LGA’s purpose is to provide support to the Government of Ethiopia (GOE), its regions, and citizens to strengthen land governance, increase incomes, reduce conflict, and support well- planned urbanization, thereby contributing to the country’s socio-economic development plans.

LGA faced several external challenges that impacted and delayed program implementation. Although the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflicts in different parts of the country that began in 2020 continued into this year, they primarily affected LGA operations in Afar National Regional State (NRS) where it was not possible to resume field activities. LGA focused its support to strengthen communal land tenure in pastoral areas in the East Bale Zone of Oromia NRS. Drought conditions experienced in the east of Ethiopia delayed implementation of this support during the beginning of this year. Fuel shortages also delayed LGA’s assessment of customary land governance in four zones of Somali NRS. The GOE has yet to issue its National Integrated Land Use Policy that has delayed LGA’s support for its roll out. Draft amendments to the federal Land Administration and Use Proclamation No. 456/2005 have yet to be approved by the Council of Ministers. Although there has been some movement in revising the amendments to accommodate recent developments on the ground, including land consolidation and cluster farming, final passage of the amendments in the Ethiopian Parliament will be a slow process and will delay LGA’s support to NRSs to amend their respective proclamations in compliance with the federal proclamation during the coming year. Despite these challenges, LGA supported 22 pastoral communities in East Bale Zone to register rights to their landholdings, form their Customary Land Governance Entities (CLGEs) and adopt by-laws to govern their functions. LGA’s support for GOE land bureau staff to earn M.Sc. degrees at Ethiopian universities and build their capacity to implement policy, legal and institutional reforms and deliver improved land administration services was conducted on schedule. LGA also supported internship opportunities at zonal and woreda land bureau offices for 38 first degree and 89 Technical Vocational Education and Training students studying land administration and land use to gain practical work experience. LGA’s assistance to pilot and test appropriate, “fit-for-purpose” technologies and streamline and improve urban land rights adjudication and registration processes progressed well, with field implementation in Dukem town, Oromia NRS scheduled to commence in November 2022.

Executive Summary

The USAID Resilience ANCHORS Activity continued to strengthen the resilience of communities around protected landscapes in the Southeast Lowveld (SEL) and set the stage for full-scale implementation in the Mid-Zambezi Valley (MZV) landscape. Resilience ANCHORS made significant progress in the training of smallholder farmers in climate-smart agriculture (CSA), supported by the completion of demonstration gardens and water sources for multipurpose use in Mahenye and Maparadze. The Activity also made positive strides towards strengthening private sector engagement (PSE) and ensuring more sustainable impact via locally led development for improved natural resource management and greater resilience.

Resilience ANCHORS conducted a seminal Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) Conference in September 2022, see Annex 1, that attracted a wide spectrum of conservation and economic growth stakeholders. HWC remains Zimbabwe’s highest profile challenge around protected areas. The Activity presented key findings from a national HWC assessment and mapped strategies for expanded HWC mitigation interventions in FY23.

“USAID will support holistic community-led approaches that will sustainably address HWC for those living nearby diverse landscapes,” stated the USAID/Zimbabwe Acting Mission Director, Mr. Ramses Gauthier.

Under Objective 1, which covers community-level governance and economic benefits, Resilience ANCHORS trained 561 smallholder farmers, including 421 women, in CSA principles. The Activity also organized a “Look and Learn Tour” for farmers, providing a hands-on experience. The Activity conducted a Horticultural Value Chain–Market Mapping exercise to assess the demand of farmers’ products and the strength of potential value chains to improve their decision-making ability to adapt to climate and market trends. Resilience ANCHORS conducted consultations and trainings on Local Environmental Action Plans (LEAPs) throughout Bikita District to improve and strengthen environmental monitoring and communities’ abilities to manage their own natural resources.

The Activity established cash crop gardens with the aim of building resilience to climatic shocks and stresses. The Activity provided training on market assessment, marketing, book-keeping, and carried out a market mapping exercise. After receiving these trainings and the feedback from the market mapping exercise, the farmers decided which crops to plant to receive the maximum profits from their inputs. Using acquired marketing skills, the cash crop garden committees secured a partnership and market via Flamboyant Hotel, a private sector player. The cash crop gardens are now realizing meaningful income, and the beneficiaries have moved away from subsistence farming to farming as a business.

The Activity improved the capacity of the Nyangambe Wildlife Management Committee in governance, conservation, community engagement, environmental, and natural resource institutional and legal frameworks. The Activity also produced a new constitution for the Nyangambe Wildlife Conservancy and supported the convening of a national dialogue session on HWC, community livelihoods, and food security at the Zimbabwe Alternative Mining Indaba. The Activity developed one land use plan (LUP) for Ward 23 in Chiredzi (Nyangambe). It was adopted by the Chiredzi RDC as a statutory document for rural development and planning for the ward and presented by the community to multiple government stakeholders. The LUP will serve as the blueprint for other LUPs to be developed in the district.

Under Objective 2, involving better access to and management of water, the Activity completed the development of seven water sources for multipurpose use in Chipinge District, each equipped with a borehole, solarized pumping system, livestock water trough, 10,000-liter storage tank and water access points for domestic use and human consumption. These improved water systems will support the CSA conducted in landscapes and act as a multiplier effect on the activities. Resilience ANCHORS leveraged USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program to train 45 farmers, who form part of the Nyangambe Irrigation Scheme, on crop water demands, irrigation scheduling, and general water management. Resilience ANCHORS conducted a key stakeholder workshop and dialogue meeting on water governance and integrated water resources management (IWRM).

Under Objective 3, focused on PSE and locally led development, the Activity engaged several private sector actors to develop and strengthen value chains for community-based agriculture and products. The Activity facilitated a partnership between The Chili Pepper Company (TCPC) and the Vimbanayi Irrigation Scheme management committee in Chipinge District. Approximately 134 members of the scheme registered to join the contract. The partnership will provide farmers with a minimum gross profit margin of [REDACTED] USD per household each harvesting season and will ensure improved sustainability beyond the Activity.

To further strengthen locally led development, Resilience ANCHORS continued to build the capacity of local implementing partners through a series of finance, compliance, and contracts management workshops, led by ECODIT’s Finance Director, as well as Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) trainings to all partners on developing process monitoring tools and updating existing performance monitoring tools. To support the MEL process, Resilience ANCHORS developed an online MEL database to enhance data quality standards. The Activity successfully facilitated a data quality assessment (DQA) and monitoring exercise with USAID/Zimbabwe.

Resilience ANCHORS produced a draft Community Environmental Governance (CEG) Manual to improve the ability of communities and Ward Development Committees (WADCOs) to overcome environmental governance challenges. The Activity trained community members, focusing on women and youth, from Chiredzi and Bikita Districts, in the use of Envirobot, a digital platform where communities can access environmental information and report on environmental concerns. Resilience ANCHORS also produced and launched the Human-Wildlife Conflict Trend Analysis (2016-2021) to understand the nature and extent of HWC in Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the Activity developed an Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework and Grievance Redress Mechanism.

Resilience ANCHORS carried out a Baobab Resource Mapping exercise (see Annex 2) to accurately assess the state of baobab resources nationwide. The Resource Mapping looked at distribution, density, and dynamics of baobab populations, identified concentrations of baobab trees under threat, as a priority for conservation action, developed protection and restoration measures aimed at mitigating and preventing any urgent threats to baobabs within the areas. It also identified a long-term monitoring program enabling the adoption of rapid corrective measures in the event of negative impacts on the baobab population and explored opportunities for income-generating activities for communities.

As noted, the Activity also created a HWC policy brief (Annex 3) that highlighted policy recommendations, such as the development of an HWC policy or national strategy, a proposed ex-gratis scheme for HWC victims, the establishment of a national inter-agency and ministerial coordination body on HWC, and a national reporting and monitoring system on HWC. An NTFP policy brief (see Annex 4) was created with the aim of understanding the conditions under which NTFP commercialization can make a positive contribution to the livelihoods of the poor, to help build the resilience of communities in anticipation of shocks and stresses, and to help to fulfil the potential contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. It provided policy recommendations related to policy and governance, NTFP production, NTFP sustainability, and those related to value chains and markets.

The Resilience ANCHORS Activity also conducted one last scoping field visit to the Mid-Zambezi Valley landscape. This visit will further inform strategies and activities to be incorporated into the Activity’s Annual Work Plan (AWP) for FY23. After undergoing extended co-creation and exercising significant adaptive management, Resilience ANCHORS positioned itself, through new locally led partnerships, data-driven strategies, and expansions into new landscapes, for its most impactful year to date in FY23.

Lastly, the Annual Performance Report for the Resilience ANCHORS Activity (RAA) clearly demonstrates that the ECODIT Team and Partners excelled in FY22, the first year of actual program implementation for the Resilience ANCHORS Activity (RAA). (NB: RAA’s Year 1 was focused on managing USAID’s Co-Design Process.) Such notable progress was realized despite ECODIT’s Project Coordination Unit (PCU) needing to manage for several major challenges, including but not limited to – working under limiting COVID-19 restrictions for most of years 1 and 2, managing for the withdrawal of two original landscape partners, replacing an underperforming partner – and notwithstanding, the delays encountered in obtaining key USAID approvals for contract modifications, etc. These challenges aside, ECODIT’s PCU and the RAA Partners showed admirable productivity and resilience in FY22, and we’re sure they’ll continue to exceed expectations and ultimately, improve upon their program performance in FY23.

The Integrated Land and Resource Governance (ILRG) task order under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights II (STARR II) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract provides support to the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Land and Resource Governance Team under the Development, Democracy, and Innovation Bureau’s Environment, Energy, and Infrastructure Center. ILRG implements interventions in USAID countries, providing technical assistance to improve land and resource governance, strengthen property rights, and build resilient livelihoods as the foundation for stability, resilience, and economic growth. The task order has four primary objectives: 1) to increase inclusive economic growth, resilience, and food security; 2) to provide a foundation for sustainable natural resource management and biodiversity conservation; 3) to promote good governance, conflict mitigation, and disaster mitigation and relief; and 4) to empower women and other vulnerable populations.

To achieve this, the task order works through four interrelated components with diverse stakeholders:

• Component 1: Support the development of inclusive land and property rights laws and policies;
• Component 2: Assist law and policy implementation, including clarifying, documenting, registering, and administering rights to land and resources;
• Component 3: Support the capacity of local institutions to administer and secure equitable land and resource governance; and
• Component 4: Facilitate responsible land-based investment that creates optimized outcomes for communities, investors, and the public.

The ILRG contract has two mechanisms for providing support on land and natural resource governance: term activities and completion activities. Activities pursued include: 1) support around USAID’s Policy on Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; 2) support to deforestation-free cocoa in Ghana through the creation of a sustainably financed farm rehabilitation and land tenure strengthening model; 3) collaboration with PepsiCo on gender and women’s empowerment within the potato value chain in West Bengal, India; 4) a land tenure and property rights assessment in Indonesia; 5) a deep dive in Colombia with the Global Property Rights Index (Prindex); 6) support for completion of community land protection program activities in Liberia; 7) activities related to the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Fund in Ghana, India, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia; 8) support to the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals (PPA); 9) engagement in Madagascar with the Climate Resilient Cocoa Landscape Program; 10) investigation of conflict financing, due diligence and socioeconomic dynamics in the artisanal mining supply chains in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); 11) multiple activities in Mozambique including clarification of rights to land and resources related to
responsible land-based investment, as well as disaster response work in Sofala Province; 12) in Zambia support to land policy, customary land administration, and service delivery, as well as community-based natural resource governance around protected areas; and 13) various research and analysis in support of sustainable landscapes.

ILRG was awarded on July 27, 2018 with a three-year base period (through July 2021) and two one-year option periods that were exercised in August 2020. A no-cost extension was awarded to ILRG for five months through December 2023. The project will conclude on December 31, 2023.

The Artisanal Mining and Property Rights (AMPR) project supports the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve land and resource governance and strengthen property rights for all members of society, especially women. It serves as USAID’s vehicle for addressing complex land and resource issues around artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in the Central African Republic (CAR) using a multidisciplinary approach. The project focuses primarily on diamond—and to a lesser extent, gold—production as well as targeted technical assistance to other USAID Missions and Operating Units (OUs) in addressing land and resource governance issues within the ASM sector. AMPR builds upon activities and lessons from the Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development (PRADD I and II) projects. The AMPR contract was signed on September 28, 2018, for an initial base period of three years with two option years, which were granted last year. The present report summarizes progress during AMPR’s quarter 1 of the fifth year of project implementation.