Document Type: Progress Reports

During this quarter and across tasks, the project expanded field activities, strengthened collaboration across the STARR partners’ network, and supported joint efforts across offices within theBureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (E3) and with the Bureau for Food Security (BFS).

In the impact evaluation work, we continued to collaborate with the LTRM Office to improve the survey and interview instruments we use and the processes involved in carrying out the six different impact evaluations managed under Tasks 1 and 2 of the ERC Task Order. For example, ERC shared impact evaluation (IE) documents for the Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development II project (PRADD II) and the Ethiopia Land Administration to Nurture Development project (LAND) with STARR partners and worked with the LTRM Office to oversee a significant, substantive review of the Ethiopia Strengthening Land Tenure and Administration Program and Ethiopia Land Administration Program (ELTAP/ELAP) endline survey documents. ERC successfully completed baseline data collection for the Tenure and Global Climate Change project (TGCC) IE in Zambia and worked closely with the LTRM and the Global Climate Change (GCC) Offices to plan for the upcoming IE of the Community-based Forest Management Program (CFP), also in Zambia. Data collection for the Community Land Protection Program (CLPP) in Liberia was completed and we plan to share qualitative data in the upcoming quarter for both CLPP and for TGCC IEs. Sharing this data publicly will help promote a goal of ERC: to address knowledge gaps and support research related to land tenure questions and concerns by providing more information to researchers and other external audiences about the programs and projects that USAID supports.

Efforts under Tasks 3 and 4 raised the profile of the LTRM Office, strengthened information and knowledge exchanges among STARR partners in order to communicate and amplify a shared message, supported the office’s international policy efforts, and enhanced the capabilities of USAID staff to engage on land tenure issues. This quarter, ERC worked with USAID Missions and STARR implementing partners to highlight new research on women’s land rights in Rwanda, the innovative use of technology to map diamond mining sites in Guinea, and USAID’s leadership in developing internationally recognized Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (RAI). A new editorial calendar process developed this quarter helps STARR Partners coordinate media outreach and messaging around land tenure and an increased social media presence helps drive more viewers that are interested in USAID Land Tenure Portal. ERC supported LTRM staff at international negotiations on the RAI in Rome and, in response to new requests, produced a briefer on the linkages between LTPR and Food Security, messaging around implementation resources for a joint E3/BFS Statement on land governance and food security, and drafted and edited practical guidance for responsible investors in agriculture. In addition, ERC filmed the first module of a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on land tenure and property rights, planned a Land Tenure Community of Practice (CoP) for USG staff, and planned a specialized LTPR training for USAID Mission staff in Haiti. These three activities support a key goal of ERC: to build up a cadre of land tenure experts within the USG.

Activities under Task 5 are now in early start-up phase for two pilots. The Mobile Technology Pilot (MTP), will use mobile technology to effectively and efficiently gather and validate information about local land rights. The project completed the collaborative process of developing a flexible User Specifications Report to guide the development of a mobile application and a cloud-based database of land rights information. ERC worked closely with project implementers to design a technology platform for the MTP that might be adaptable for use in the PRADD II and LAND projects. At the same time, the pilot village in Tanzania for the MTP, Ilalasimba, acquired its Certificate of Village Land and started land use planning efforts. When this process is complete the Ilalasimba residents and ERC staff will raise of legal rights to land under Tanzanian law, and then test the technology platform.

The second pilot project, the Land Governance Partnership in Burkina Faso, will strengthen efforts to improve land governance and increase transparency in land transactions, consistent with the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of the Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests (VGGT). This will be accomplished through technical and financial assistance to the new National Land Observatory (NLO). Presently, the NLO with support from ERC is developing its annual work plan, communications strategy, and business plan.

In terms of staffing, Ms. Jessica Nabongo joined Cloudburst Consulting Group as a Senior Analyst and will be support ERC communications efforts under Task 3.

This quarterly report covers July 1 – September 30, 2013. During this period, the ERC team focused on planning, developing and implementing activities in support of the project’s goals of generating evidenced-based knowledge through research and evaluations; communicating lessons learned, best practices and USAID thought leadership; training and capacity building among USAID and USG staff and partners to identify and address LTPR-related issues, and piloting innovative approaches to strengthen LTPR.  Highlights of the quarter include:

Task 1: Evaluations

ERC staff – Cloudburst’s Daniel Monchuk and MSI’s David Callihan – conducted a scoping mission to Ethiopia to inform the design and strategy of the impact evaluation (IE) of USAID land certification programs in Ethiopia, which is currently being developed and will be carried out next year. This scoping mission also provided assistance on project design and implementation to the recently launched Land and Rural Development (LAND) program.

Task 2: Research

The research subtasks on large-scale land acquisitions (LSLA) and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) are still in the design phase. Research activities adjusted in focus from desk and literature review activities towards developing a research agenda involving identification of sites of interest and designing and implementing a methodology to collect data in a highly rigorous and structured manner to inform key research questions. We have begun reaching out to Missions and implementing partners to identify sites for implementing the research agenda.

Task 3: Communications

The three major communications activities for the quarter were a month-long Land Matters campaign, the development of the Global Donor Land Governance Program Database and Map, and a beta version of a STARR Document Approval Tracking System (DATS). Through ERC, USAID sponsored Devex’s Land Matters campaign. The campaign provided an opportunity to promote USAID’s research, projects, and thought leadership in land tenure and property rights to a broader audience focused on economic development, gender, governance, and other topics.

This quarter, ERC finalized the development of the new Land Governance Program Database and Map, a USAID-led data collection and visualization project to bring together information on the land and resource governance programs from 12 different donors and development agencies.  Lastly, ERC launched the beta version of DATS, a web-based project management tool.

Task 4: Training

ERC and LTD staff worked to prepare for the LTPR Issues and Best Practices training, which will provide up to 40 USG foreign assistance practitioners training that strengthens their knowledge and skills in addressing LTPR challenges in their portfolios. We developed a training agenda, which includes learning objectives, course structure, and module topics for the training and we selected appropriate technical experts to lead each module.

ERC staff also worked closely with LTD in preparation for USAID’s participation in the 40th session of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) – one of the most important events of the year for USAID to influence ideas and practice in land and resource governance and to share lessons learned and best practices in addressing LTPR issues, particularly in regard to implementing the Voluntary Guidelines (VGs).

Task 5: Pilots

ERC and LTD staff developed a work plan for mobile technology pilot project, which provides a roadmap for initiating an integrated pilot project that tests innovative data collection methods and low-cost, readily available technology to document property rights.

Management

The ERC Year 1 work plan was approved during this quarter. Cloudburst also continued to finalize key personnel and supporting staff. Lauren Kuritz took over as Communications Specialist and assumed leadership of Task 3: Communications. Jeremy Green took over leadership of Task 4: Training. A graduate student, Rahul Menon, was brought on as a consultant to support ERC research activities. Recruitment activities are ongoing for an International Operations and Finance Manager, an Evaluation Specialist, a Task 5 Project Manager, and a Junior Analyst to primarily support Task 3. We hope to fill all of these positions in the next quarter.

January-March 2017 was an active period for ERC, with several project evaluations underway, a robust communications and training effort executed, and the completion of one pilot project and the startup or continuation of two others.

During the quarter ERC also began work planning for the fifth and final year of the contract (May 2017-April 2018).

Under Task 2, ERC launched the midline for the Community Land Protection Program (CLPP) performance evaluation (PE) in Liberia, completed two papers that were presented at the 2017 World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty, and completed the Land Administration to Nurture Development Project (LAND) Afar IE Baseline Report, as well as LAND Afar baseline data package for public posting. Also under Task 2, ERC began exploratory analysis and literature reviews for two Year 4 research products, including a paper focused on women’s empowerment and a collaborative research paper on credit and land rental markets with E3/LU.  Finally, ERC continued a series of preparation steps for the upcoming Tenure and Global Climate Change (TGCC) IE endline, which is scheduled for launch in June 2017.

Under Task 3, ERC communications this quarter focused on two primary events: the second launch of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in January; and the World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty in March. In addition to providing communications support around these activities, ERC also sent out a quarterly newsletter in January and conducted an extensive QA/QC effort for the recently launched LandLinks website.

Under Task 4, training activities this quarter primarily focused on the launch of the second iteration of the USAID Land Tenure and Property Rights Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).  ERC finalized new modules and launched the MOOC over the quarter.

Finally, under Task 5, during the quarter ERC’s support for the core operations of the National Land Observatory of Burkina Faso (ONF) ended, though the ONF subcontract to implement the Mobile Application to Secure Tenure (MAST) pilot project was extended for two additional months.  The highlight of MAST was completion of the validation period for the land rights mapped under the pilot, and the award of the first land certificates at a public ceremony on February 27.  For Pilot 3, ERC launched field activities for the Responsible Land Based Investment pilot project in Mozambique.

Much of ERC’s work during this quarter of Year 3 focused on preparing research and communications materials which were presented at the 2016 Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty (WBC). This included developing and finalizing four papers, supporting three master classes, staffing the main USAID booth and supporting the USAID MAST booth at the Innovation Fair. In addition, ERC began data collection for the Ethiopia Land Administration to Nurture Development project (LAND) IE in the Afar region. A webinar on Land Rights and Technology was held in February with over 300 in-person and on-line participants. Other efforts focused on continuing support to ERC’s two pilot projects: the Mobile Application to Secure Tenure (MAST) project in Tanzania and the National Land Observatory (NLO) in Burkina Faso. During this quarter ERC supported E3/Land as it issued a Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to engage in the co-creation of Public-Private Partnerships to support Responsible Land-Based Investments.

Through these, and other activities, ERC helps E3/Land to achieve the goals identified as important for this Task Order:

• Supporting continued thought leadership;
• Creating new public goods related to the evidence base for land tenure and resource governance programming;
• Expanding and improving communications efforts;
• Expanding training using new platforms and approaches; and
• Scaling pilot activities.

Under Task 1, ERC worked to incorporate comments from external reviewers and completed revisions to the Ethiopia Strengthening Land Tenure and Administration Program (ELTAP) / Ethiopia Land Administration Program (ELAP) IE Endline Report. A final, ready-for-public-consumption version of the report will be submitted early in the next quarter. Endline dataset packages were submitted for DDL clearance and public posting and a 2-page briefer was produced. Task 1 activities will come to a close next quarter.

Under Task 2, ERC made significant progress on baseline report drafting and on developing data packages for DDL clearance and public posting. ERC submitted the Community-based Forest Management Program (CFP) IE Baseline Report and dataset package for review. The Community Land Protection Program (CLPP) Baseline Report was also submitted for review. The LAND/Oromia IE Baseline Report and data package for public posting were finalized. ERC made good progress on finalizing the Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development II (PRADD) IE Baseline Report and data package for public posting; these will be submitted in early Year 4. DDL metadata submissions were prepared for LAND/Oromia and LAND/Afar. In addition, the LAND/Afar IE baseline data collection was successfully launched. Finally, ERC presented four research papers during the 2016 WBC, in addition to developing two Master Classes on IEs.

Under Task 3, ERC efforts focused on three events: the Land Rights and Technology event/webinar which was held in February; the USAID Environment Officers’ Conference in February, and the WBC in March. ERC also began the process of updating the USAID Land Tenure Portal (www.usaidlandtenure.net); continued with updates to 10 country profiles; finalized a new Issue Brief on Energy Infrastructure, and engaged in a social media campaign for International Women’s Day.

Under Task 4, ERC’s training activities focused on evaluating the results of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on LTPR that concluded on January 2 and on supporting E3/Land’s participation in the 2016 WBC.

Finally, during this quarter, ERC continue to support E3/Land’s two on-going pilot projects:  MAST in Tanzania and the NLO. ERC staff traveled to Tanzania to review progress in pilot village 2 (Itagutwa), to support the kick-off meeting of the new Land Tenure Assistance activity (LTA) and to supervise communications efforts that captured photographs and video from Itagutwa. Outreach and training in pilot village 3 (Kitawaya) was also started.

ERC staff and USAID staff both visited the NLO during this quarter. These visits enabled the teams to review NLO accomplishments and progress to date; identify program and technical needs; provide technical training on database management and analysis; identify activities for implementation under the Land Transparency Initiative, and review options to use mobile technology solutions in the country. The NLO also published the fourth edition of its newsletter, Zoom sur le frontier.

Finally, ERC provided support to E3/Land as it released a Call for Expression of Interest (EOI) for a Public-Private Partnership to support Responsible Land-Based Investment. Responses were collected and materials prepared for Contracting Officer (CO) approval of the proposed approach.

Activities this quarter focused on analyzing and presenting the growing body of data that the ERC project is collecting, refining messages and improving the communications products that the LTRM Office uses to highlight its diverse work.  ERC also continued to emphasize collaboration and communication across the STARR partner network.

Under Task 1, ERC worked with the LTRM Office and with USAID/Ethiopia to launch endline data collection for the Ethiopia Land Administration Program (ELAP) and Ethiopia Strengthening Land Tenure and Administration Program (ELTAP).  We trained a local data collection firm and developed a set of survey instruments that effectively align with the original baseline instruments. We supplemented module material to the endline instruments in order to gather additional information about the impacts of second-level land certification in Ethiopia.

Our research, under Task 2 culminated in presenting four papers for the 2015 Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty (hereafter World Bank Land Conference) in collaboration with the LTRM Office.  These four papers covered work conducted in Liberia, Ethiopia, and Zambia. We also contributed to the development of a survey paper that looked across projects to identify and discuss issues of interest. During this quarter survey instruments for the Community Forest Project in Zambia were finalized and data collectors were trained.  In addition, we began research for two additional IEs: Ethiopia Land Administration to Nurture Development project (LAND) in the Afar region and Tenure and Global Climate Change project (TGCC) in Burma.

This quarter, activities under Task 3 focused on refining messaging related to what the LTRM Office does and communicating that message in a more targeted manner for increased impact. We also assisted with efforts to improve Office branding.  ERC supported two events this quarter:  a webinar on Land Tenure and Disasters and the World Bank Land Conference. To highlight the LTRM Office’s work at the latter event ERC produced a series of new products that included: a short animated video, an infographic, a photo gallery, a brochure for the Mobile Application to Strengthen Tenure (MAST) project, an informational postcard, and materials for two master classes on IE. We also began planning to make the growing body of materials associated with LTRM Office IEs accessible to researchers, students and others around the world through a data hub on the Portal.

Under Task 4, ERC continued to film modules for a new Massive Open Online Course on Land Tenure and Property Rights. ERC also continued to support the land tenure Community of Practice (which discussed the USAID programming in Rwanda). We developed a concept note for an Evidence Summit to share results of research on USAID-funded land programs in Ethiopia and supported the LTRM Office at the World Bank Land Conference.

Activities under Task 5 continue to move forward. The MAST project field tested technology in Pilot Village #1, began the process of building legal awareness of land rights, provided training to local leaders, and collaborated with evaluation firm Management Systems International (MSI) to prepare for the performance and IE of this pilot activity. This project continues to generate interest from the Government of Tanzania (GoT) and may help the Government achieve ambitious goals related to mapping and registering rural land rights under its Big Results Now program.

The second pilot project, the Land Governance Partnership in Burkina Faso, presents a number of challenges.  ERC consultants and staff continue to provide remote support to the National Land Observatory (NLO) staff. During this quarter, the NLO completed recruitment of its staff.  Most significantly, the NLO convened a workshop with key NLO stakeholders to define its’ five-year work plan.

ERC completed its Work Plan for Year 4 during the past quarter.  The Work Plan outlines activities to be completed during the period and presented two funding options:  Plan A (which had more limited activities and funding) and Plan B (which included additional activities and funding). During the course of the quarter, ERC was informed that USAID would fund all activities under Plan B. The ERC contract will be modified as needed to accommodate this change and new funds will be obligated.

The ERC Task Order covers a variety of tasks and activities operating at different stages. This quarter several activities were completed. This includes an endline impact evaluation (IE) of two USAID programs:  the Ethiopia Strengthening Land Tenure and Administration Program (ELTAP) and the Ethiopia Land Administration Program (ELAP) under Task 1. This work represents the first completed endline impact evaluation under ERC and it also closed out Task 1. Under Task 2, ERC closed out activities for the Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development (PRADD II) impact evaluation. Several academic journal articles, which are based on impact evaluation work of USAID’s land programming, were finalized and submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Finally, during this quarter the Mobile Application to Secure Tenure (MAST) pilot project closed out.

Other activities under Task 2 are progressing well. In Zambia, ERC presented results from baseline reports for the Community-based Forest Management Program (CFP) and for the Tenure and Global Climate Change (TGCC) program to the USAID Mission and other stakeholders. Baseline data collection for the Ethiopia Land Administration to Nurture Development (LAND) impact evaluation in the Afar region is completed and data is being reviewed. ERC also completed revisions for the baseline report and prepared for mid-line evaluation of the Community Land Protection Program in Liberia and worked with the NGO Namati to incorporate Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) findings into the impact evaluation.  Finally, pre-analysis planning for several IEs got underway this quarter.

Under Task 3, ERC worked closely with sub-contractor Bixal and USAID to identify needs, improve functionality and revise the design of the E3/Land offices’ website:  www.usaidlandtenure.net. The redesign will continue throughout the summer and the new site should be ready to be launched in the early autumn of 2016. New communications products were developed this quarter including brief Factsheets that communicate critical information about the effectiveness of land tenure intervention. ERC also produced first draft of updates for 11 Country Profiles and worked with authors to revise a number of these based on comments from USAID and other reviewers. ERC also continued to produce social media materials to communicate key messages related to USAID’s impact in the land sector and to place a human face on this work.

Activities under Task 4 were limited this quarter. Given that Plan B activities were approved, ERC began planning for the next iteration of the Massive Open On-line Course (MOOC) on Land Tenure and Property Rights, working with E3/Land Office staff to conceptualize a new module on geospatial information and land tenure programming. ERC will work with presenters to develop new modules on common property and the USAID programming cycle in the coming quarter.

Under Task 5, as noted above, the MAST pilot project closed out. The pilot worked in three rural villages in Tanzania to map and record land rights and to deliver formal land rights documents to villagers. During the next quarter ERC will coordinate activities with USAID/Tanzania’s Land Tenure Assistance (LTA) Activity to ensure that formal documents are finalized for delivery to villagers in Kitayawa, the third pilot village and to ensure that MAST’s government partner, the District Land Office, has the data (and access) it requires to continue to manage this land rights information.

In Burkina Faso, ERC conducted a Needs Assessment to identify what would be required to adopt the MAST technology for use in the country. The Assessment identified the National Land Observatory as a strategic organization to deploy MAST in Boudry Commune.  ERC is supporting the NLO as it transitions from start-up phase to its projected role as an important member of the land sector in Burkina. This quarter, the NLO produced initial research papers that represent early efforts to develop and share land information.

Finally, ERC worked with USAID to implement a final pilot that is focused on Responsible Land-Based Investment. During this quarter ERC selected a set of eight participants who will co-create approaches to “road test” the New Alliance’s Analytical Framework for Responsible Land-Based Investments in African Agriculture. This group was selected from the 41 respondents to a Call for Expression of Interest that was issued earlier in 2016. During the quarter ERC also worked with USAID to arrange for a co-creation workshop that will be held simultaneously in Landover, MD and in Pretoria, South Africa early next quarter.

This quarter ERC also wishes to share the following learnings from work under Tasks 1 and 2.  We will plan to share learnings for Tasks 3-5 in the next quarterly report:

• The rigor and validity of our impact evaluations is greatly improved through the development of M&E data collection tools and collection of qualitative and quantitative M&E information regarding program implementation. This process was used for the TGCC IE and is being replicated for CLPP. The M&E data is used to improve the endline instruments and analysis plan and can also be integrated into the IE datasets.
• In sensitive study settings it is particularly important to have stakeholder buy-in across multiple groups. ERC is, for example, working closely with E3/Land and program designer Namati on a collaborative multi-stage instrument development process with key in-country stakeholders. This instrument design process is consensus-based in order to foster support for the study and investment in its success across actors.
• As evidenced by ERC’s experience with the CLPP evaluation, in cases where it becomes infeasible to continue an impact evaluation, the evaluation can be adapted into a rigorous performance evaluation and this can provide critical information and feedback for policy makers about the program.
• Community listing in advance of the baseline survey is very valuable for both sampling and design purposes and to discover logistical challenges that a survey firm may face in advance of the full baseline survey. ERC recommends that USAID continue to plan the time and budget for this process in future baseline surveys.
• Switching to SurveyCTO provide significant cost savings in terms of time for data checking, coding and cleaning. ERC recommends using SurveyCTO for all future surveys: the monthly cost is easily offset by labor cost savings.
• ERC will, in future contracts with survey firms, require the firm to submit the names of those persons who will do qualitative translation work at the same time that a firm submits the names of the enumeration team. ERC will also clearly identify any qualitative materials that need to be submitted along with the final transcripts in the deliverables section.

The Evaluation, Research and Communication (ERC) project is a five-year Task Order under the USAID Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights (STARR) Indefinite Quantity Contract implemented by Cloudburst Consulting Group, Inc. (Cloudburst). The purpose of ERC is to create, expand, and communicate the results of evidence-based knowledge around best land tenure and property rights (LTPR) practices in order to enhance internal USAID and external U.S. government (USG) learning, guide program design and implementation, and make the most effective use of limited development resources to accomplish key USG development objectives, including expanding economic growth, improving food security and agricultural productivity, limiting conflict, empowering women, addressing global climate change and improving natural resource management.

ERC supports achievement of USAID’s Climate Change and Development Strategy under Strategic Objective 1 Intermediate Result 1.2 that includes “ensuring the rights and engagement of local and indigenous communities” in conjunction with a focus on improving tools and capacity for land-use planning to reduce deforestation. ERC also supports biodiversity conservation through collection and dissemination of evidence-based knowledge on how secure land tenure and property rights can incentivize sustainable land use and protection of valuable ecosystems including the forest, water, and wildlife within them. ERC employs a multidisciplinary approach that aligns with USAID Forward principles of learning and evidence-based programming as well as gender equality and female empowerment.

ERC includes five task areas:

• Impact evaluation, including conducting evaluation of Land Tenure and Property Rights (LTPR) activities and components and supporting enhanced impact evaluation capacity of USAID staff;
• Research, focusing on providing rigorous evidence for LTPR theory of change and testing development hypotheses as well as innovative approaches;
• Communication of LTPR-related messages, information, and knowledge to raise awareness and advance cost-effective LTPR programming in USAID and other implementing organizations;
• Training of USAID staff and partners in LTPR principles and programming approaches; and
• Conducting pilot activities of promising innovative approaches in LTPR.

During this quarter ERC activities focused on three main areas: planning and preparation for Year 3 activities; leveraging the analysis and reporting related to the growing evidence base resulting from ERC IE work, and expansion of activities under the two ERC pilot activities.

The Tenure and Global Climate Change (TGCC) program provides USAID with the opportunity to explore the relationship between the governance of agriculture, forests, and fisheries landscapes and achieving sustainable land use and resilient communities through technical analysis, field work, and policy engagement. During this quarter, major activities included:

Zambia: The Petauke District Land Alliance (PDLA) undertook training on household land demarcation and launched efforts to systematically document household rights across Sandwe Chiefdom. The Chipata District Land Alliance (CDLA) continued supporting chiefs to sign and distribute customary land certificates and supported communities through the process of requesting changes to certificates, including division of parcels and documenting new parcels. TGCC completed research with four Zambian civil society organizations (CSOs) and researchers on customary land issues. TGCC started preparations for long-term sustainability of the program through increased coordination with the Ministry of Lands and the anticipated World Bank Integrated Sustainable Forest Landscape (IFSL) program, as well as through convening workshops with other customary land documentation organizations. TGCC also continued coordination with the government on national land governance priorities, including national land-titling program, community forestry statutory instruments and the draft national land policy.

Burma: TGCC mobilized a new country coordinator in this quarter, following the unexpected passing of Nick Thomas in late 2016. With USAID/Washington’s visit to Burma, TGCC established new relations and a work plan with the new Economic Growth team at USAID/Burma. The Resource Law Specialist (RLS) continued work with the Agricultural Policy Unit and supported analysis of revisions to a range of land-related laws. TGCC launched efforts with four new CSO partners to pilot participatory mapping approaches and undertook new analysis to identify appropriate partners for an additional pilot site in the dry zone of Sagaing Region. The program launched efforts to establish a work plan for continued support to use participatory maps in the first and second pilot sites, and also began to consolidate communication and outreach materials for use over the coming year and post-program implementation.

Vietnam, Mangroves, and Marine Tenure: Activities started in full in Tien Lang District during this quarter through a partnership with the Winrock International-implemented Vietnam Forests and Deltas (VFD) program. A launching ceremony and initial participatory coastal resources assessment were undertaken in the district. Modalities for collaboration with district government were further clarified. The global and Tanzania mangrove reports (full report and briefs) produced with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) were finalized; TGCC is awaiting responses from USAID on the Indonesia report. TGCC completed an Indonesia marine tenure assessment and received positive feedback on previous assessments alongside a Global Oceans Summit in February. The results are being consolidated into a public summary.

TFA 2020: This quarter saw the completion of the Ghana implementation plan and the launching of activities with ECOM and Hershey’s on land tenure strengthening and financing models for cocoa rehabilitation. USAID also gave TGCC a green light to support development of a civil society platform for geospatial documentation of community land claims in Paraguay as part of an engagement with the beef sector.

World Bank Conference: TGCC played a prominent role at the Annual World Bank Land and Poverty Conference in March 2017 with eight presentations, including four from Burma, three from Zambia, and one on mangroves. Additionally, TGCC made two presentations to USAID on TFA 2020 and Zambia. For the conference, TGCC developed a series of infographics and a video on the land documentation process in Burma. The participation of Chieftainess Mkanda from Zambia also demonstrated USAID’s commitment to ensuring that voices of beneficiaries are heard at the global level.

Challenges: TGCC worked through the mobilization of the new Country Coordinator in Burma, Emiko Guthe, during this quarter, as well as revisions to the Year 5 work plan for all countries. TGCC is in the position of both scaling up activities (particularly in Ghana, Paraguay, and Vietnam), while also keeping an eye on project close-out, with in-country activities ending in December 2017.

Priorities: In the coming quarter, TGCC will finalize the Year 5 work plan, inclusive of sustainability plans for key activities. The program will further consolidate project communications and outreach activities, particularly around reporting impacts and lessons learned. Key written deliverables will be produced and shared with USAID, particularly around field methods and assessments.

The Land Governance Support Activity (LGSA) Task Order under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights (STARR) Indefinite Quantity Contract. LGSA supports the establishment of more effective land governance systems, ready to implement comprehensive reforms to improve equitable access to land and security of tenure, so as to facilitate inclusive sustained growth and development, ensure peace and security, and provide sustainable management of the environment. Tetra Tech and partners Landesa, World Resources Institute (WRI), Namati, Collaborative Decision Resources Associates (CDR), Sustainable Development Institute (SDI), and Parley form a collaborative team providing technical and organizational assistance to the Government of Liberia (GOL), civil society, and communities in their land rights reform process.

Within 30 days of contract award, a two day work planning and partnering meeting was held in Monrovia, Liberia to review project objectives, clarify roles and relationships to meet project goals and to focus on the development of partnering relationships to ensure successful project implementation. During the second day of meetings, the LGSA team met to discuss finalization of the work plan, focusing on Year 1 activities, but also looking ahead to Year 2 and subsequent years’ activities. An inception plan including both the year one work plan and the Monitoring and Evaluation plan was prepared and submitted to USAID for approval.

Throughout the Year 1 work plan, LGSA makes the assumption that the Land Rights Bill and Land Authority Bill would be passed in a timely fashion. Nonetheless a risk analysis and mitigation measures were prepared to highlight possible project implementation constraints.

LGSA embedded the COP within the LC/LA where he spends half of his time providing day-to-day advice and mentorship on direction of the legal framework and general technical assistance. The COP worked with the Land Commission to prepare submissions and to review the content of the discussion on two pieces of legislation (the Land Rights Bill and the Land Authority Bill) currently under consideration by the Legislature. Various other technical specialists from LGSA are partially embedded within the LC/LA.

In December LGSA Consultant John Bruce reviewed the regulatory framework for future work in this area focusing on updating his 2010 study on land reform, completing a review of the processes undertaken by the Land Commission in the development of the current draft legislation, providing an analysis of the status of legal and regulatory review process, suggesting a prioritization of laws and regulatory reforms needed in the future, and identifying possible constraints to this process.

Also in December of 2015, the LGSA in coordination with the Land Commission began the first of a series of public awareness campaigns designed to provide information to the public on the proposed Land Rights Bill and Land Authority Bill. This is discussed at length under Component 4 activities below.

In December, LGSA’s organizational development specialists, Ivan Ford (Land Governance Advisor) and Archie Bawo (Land Administration Specialist) began work on the Institutional Reform process. This included a review of recent policies, laws and regulations; development of an institutional map of land governance institutions in Liberia at the national, county, and community levels; a review of the World Bank’s draft Assessment of Land Sector Training Needs and Training Plan; consultation with government entities on a transition plan; meetings with legal experts and civil society for input; and began preparation for organizational audits to occur in early 2016.

Namati is currently reviewing literature and project implementation experience in community land rights to inform the process for the development of an action research agenda. Namati has also begun work on the creation of a Civil Society Organizations (CSO)/Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) inventory to determine who has been working on land issues at the national, county, and sub-county levels. It is expected that some of these organizations will be able to assist in the community self-identification and mapping exercise in the 45 pilot communities.

In the first quarter, the LGSA team undertook a preliminary publicity campaign to increase public information about the Land Rights Bill and Land Authority Bill and the progress towards getting the legislation passed, giving citizens and community members talking points to meet and discuss with their national and community leaders, and engaging local media institutions to encourage the dissemination of land governance-related information into the public domain.

Administratively, all senior and administrative project staff have been hired. Two technical staff positions remain unfilled (Grants and Subcontracts Specialist and the Community Engagement Specialist (which will be under Namati)). Office space and housing have been secured for COP and DCOP. Financial management and procurement procedures have been established and are functioning. Personnel, vehicle, and security handbooks have been finalized.

The Land Governance Support Activity (LGSA) supports the establishment of more effective land governance systems, ready to implement comprehensive reforms to improve equitable access to land and security of tenure, so as to facilitate inclusive sustained growth and development, ensure peace and security, and provide sustainable management of the environment. Tetra Tech and partners Landesa, World Resources Institute (WRI), Namati, Collaborative Decision Resources Associates (CDR), Sustainable Development Institute (SDI), and Parley form a collaborative team providing technical and organizational assistance to the Government of Liberia (GOL), civil society, and communities in their land rights reform process.

Throughout our Year 1 work plan LGSA makes the assumption that the Land Rights Bill and Liberia Land Authority Bill would be passed in a timely fashion. At present neither bill has moved through the legislature. An Interim Land Task Force has been appointed to institutionally bridge the gap between the Land Commission and the Liberia Land Authority. LGSA has updated the risk analysis and mitigation table to reflect the current situation.

Delays in the legislative agenda have not had a significant impact on LGSA’s ability to continue project activities. Second quarter activities have focused on: the completion of an institutional audit of the Center for National Documents and Records Agency (CNDRA) and the development of a draft transition plan for the Liberia Land Authority; the completion of work plans of institutional partners, including a workshop which lead to consensus for the action research agenda to inform the customary land rights recognition process, and the development of concept notes to implement that research agenda; the finalization of the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (MEP); the development of a gender strategy, completion of a gender assessment, and provision of a gender training for LGSA staff; continuation of the public awareness campaign on the Liberia Land Authority and Land Rights Bills; and work with the Professional Surveyors Association to revitalize that association.

Administratively, all senior, administrative, and technical project staff have been hired. Weekly general staff meetings are held to keep all project staff abreast of project activities. Weekly technical staff meetings are also held to ensure coordination of field activities both technically as well as logistically. Office space and housing have been secured for the Chief of Party (COP), Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP), and Land Governance Adviser. Financial management and procurement procedures have been established and are functioning. Personnel, vehicle, and security handbooks have been updated where appropriate.