Sustainable land governance requires that all members of a community have equal rights and say in decisions that affect their collectively held lands. Unfortunately women around the world have less land ownership and weaker land rights than men – but this can change and the WRI report shows ways how that can be done. It details case studies from communities in Cameroon;Mexico;Nepal;Indonesia and Jordan.

The article reviews the latest available statistical information on gender inequalities in labor markets and in access to financial institutions, social services, and education.

Report;through a cross-sectoral analysis of three recent case studies from sub-Saharan Africa;maps out the most effective tools and approaches for strengthening rural women’s voices in decision-making processes. The authors examine which are the key factors enabling or constraining rural women’s voices;what the main challenges are that practitioners should be aware of;and how projects can ensure rural women are able to participate in and influence decision making affecting their livelihoods.

Includes an interview with Amanda Massaquoi;member of the Informal Alliance Against Industrial Oil Palm Plantations in West and Central Africa;who is supporting women in Sierra Leone who are opposing the oil palm plantations model. In practice women are not included in decision-making on land and there is a prevalent violence towards women from within communities. Attempts to synchronize all land laws have not been successful.

The paper aims to understand what land rights women have under formal and customary legal systems in pastoral areas in Ethiopia;how these are implemented and what their impact is;and to make recommendations for their convergence. It focuses on two pastoral regions: Afar and Oromia national regional states. The research revealed that there is a high disparity between what the law says and what is being practiced on the ground as far as women’s land rights in pastoral areas are concerned.

This commentary highlights the importance of land tenure security for women and indigenous peoples. Land titles are often used as a proxy for women’s land security;but focusing on titling alone does not lead to greater tenure security for women. To ensure tenure security;the development community;policymakers and practitioners must expand the range of interventions that address constraints women face when exercising their land rights.

Introduces a new IIED blog series looking at principles to strengthen women’s land rights. Over the past 15 years pressures on land across sub-Saharan Africa have increased and these have tended to affect women more severely as they have little control over the land they traditionally use. Awareness of the importance of women’s land rights is higher than ever and global commitments to women’s land rights have never been stronger;yet there is no consensus on which strategies most effectively strengthen women’s land rights in practice.

This document presents results from the 8 April 2020 on-line conference on the impact of COVID-19 on small-scale farming;food security and sovereignty in the East African Community. There were 53 participants from 16 countries. The conference strongly acknowledged the contribution of small-scale farmers towards feeding the population during the time of COVID-19. Governments have tightened borders and restricted gatherings;but small-scale farmers often operate in groups. There is a lot of fear and uncertainty and most are staying away from their gardens in the planting season.

The author has now run this site as an absolute dictator for 20 years;first in Oxfam space (2000-12) and since 2012 in Mokoro space. The article covers the origins of the site;the various motivations and the important role of changing technologies. The site is essentially a place to disseminate arguments in favour of pro-poor land reform and against simple solutions to complex issues. After the 2008 global financial crisis it included work on the impact of the global land grab on Africa.

A nationwide awareness campaign on the dissemination of information on the Land Rights Act (LRA) and the Liberia Land Authority Act (LLAA) has begun across Liberia with a focus on communication;the laws;women’s rights and community engagements.