SAS reports are made available in order to provide timely access to the information by interested researchers. This report has been subject to an internal review process to ensure accuracy and quality.

Undemocratic politics, policy making and law making interpretation and implementation, prove to be drivers of land grabbing in the four country studies presented here. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (CFS/FAO) Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (Tenure Guidelines or TGs), albeit “soft” law, are being used by local communities for bottom-up accountability against land grabbing. Land deals are marked by highly contested political processes – usually between the central state, local communities and the corporate sector.

SAS reports are made available in order to provide timely access to the information by interested researchers. This report has been subject to an internal review process to ensure accuracy and quality.

Posted in: African farm news in review, issue #133

Library has French version: Egalité pour les femmes et les filles

Across the developing world the way in which land is controlled and managed has been steadily changing. In the past fifty years, community ownership has increasingly given way to privatization. The impact of this change on social equity and on the environment is a key issue that interests conservationists and politicians alike.

The review reveals watershed management research as an interdisciplinary effort at multiple scales within a long-term movement towards informed participatory decision-making. Watersheds, together with aquifers, are the most important units for data collection and modeling in water management. Common property resources (CPRs) are of central importance, especially for low-income inhabitants. The exclusion of women from decision-making is a barrier to proper management as women often have the best understanding of CPR interrelations and management practices.

In fishing communities the contentious acquisition of land close to water bodies is especially relevant. Water grabbing has serious implications for basic human rights including the right to water, food, health, livelihood, and self-determination. Land grabbing is driven by the desire to control and use water and fisheries resources. Globally, Uganda is among the 25 countries most affected by water grabbing.

Community forestry (CF) and Community Protected Areas (CPA) have been established for well over a decade in Siem Reap province. The study investigates the socioeconomic benefits gained by CPA and CF members from their participation in Community-Based Resources Management CBNRM. In CBNRM, local communities are responsible for the management of local resources. However, many CBNRM initiatives in Cambodia are more controlled by government than by communities. The report analyzes and compares two communities and the results of their CBNRM practices.