After a controversial land-reform program transferred many commercial farms from white to black ownership, some of the new farmers have struggled to prove that they own the land. But since the government has replaced title deeds with 99-year leases, uncertainty remains about what “ownership” really means.

BINDURA, ZIMBABWE — On the outskirts of town, Blazio Dengu grows maize, soybeans and wheat on more than 60 hectares (148 acres) of land.

Dengu expects high yields this year, but he worries that he might not be able to profit from them.

The Caracol Industrial Park forced 4,000 Haitians from their land using earthquake reconstruction money. Nine years after the earthquake, farmers organised and negotiated a package of land and jobs.

The ninth anniversary of Haiti’s devastating earthquake in 2010 holds new meaning for the nearly 4,000 people forced from their land to make way for the Caracol Industrial Park.

Throughout human history, private property has been a subject of debates. In some societies and communities, private property has become a foundation of democracy and freedom. In some others, strict control over property and severe limitations imposed on property ownership and rights created a framework for reducing inequality and eliminating socio-economic disparities. In either case, private property and the right to own property raise not only economic but also moral dilemmas.

Ramón Bedoya says his father, a land activist, was shot by local paramilitaries in league with agribusiness and narcos who fill the void left by Farc rebels

Last year, Tharigopula Sambasiva Rao entered into a deal with the state government of Andhra Pradesh. He gave up six acres of his agricultural land in his village, Sakhamuru, in exchange for 7,250 square yards—6,000 square yards of residential plots and 1,250 square yards of commercial ones.

It has been six decades since communities in the Malenadu region were uprooted in the name of progress and development. They are still fighting for basic amenities in the villages where they have been resettled.

It was in 1905 when renowned engineer Sir M. Vishveshwaraya saw the roaring torrents of Jog, the second highest plunge waterfalls in India, and exclaimed: “What a waste!” It was his visionary imagination which first seeded the idea of harnessing hydel power from River Sharavathi, considered a lifeline by many in the Malenadu region of Karnataka.  

Fertile land is dwindling due to climate change combined with a population boom and is fueling conflicts across the continent

NAIROBI - The violent conflicts between farmers and semi-nomadic herders in Nigeria that left dozens of people dead over the weekend illustrate the intensifying pressure and competition for arable land in Africa, experts said on Monday.

Fertile land that is dwindling due to climate change combined with a population boom are fueling conflicts across the continent, they said.

By the Program on Forests (PROFOR) team at the World Bank.

Sangrur: Nikki Kaur from Kular village in Sangrur district of Punjab wakes up at 5 am and walks briskly to the cowshed. Her agile hands quickly milk her cow and in a few minutes, she will be frying paranthas in piping hot oil for her children, who now go to school.

BANGKOK - Deadly clashes this week in southern India, and farmers' protests in the west against a refinery and a bullet train, highlight the increasingly fraught disputes over land and environment in the country's most industrialised states.

Police opened fire Tuesday on protesters seeking to shut down a copper smelter run by Vedanta Resources in the southern port city of , killing 10. Three more persons have since died.

Successful agricultural development initiatives associated with poverty reduction have seldom included large-scale land-based investment. Feed the Future focuses on smallholder-led agricultural growth as the principal engine of poverty reduction and food security. Investment in agriculture of all sizes, however, can be constructive and is encouraged by the U.S. Government, but investments must take into account specific country contexts and circumstances and respect the rights of local populations.

Land and water-related conflicts are flaring up across Kenya, amid drought, population growth and high unemployment

By Kagondu Njagi

CHUKA, Kenya - Phyllis Mugeni was watering her greens when she spotted a dozen armed men advancing from the lowlands to attack farmers working on the banks of the River Naka in the foothills of Mount Kenya.