Unit 8: Land Reform PDF

Unit 8: Land reform Unit 8: Land reform land reform, land fragmentation, Land consolidation, Characteristics, purpose and outcomes of reform. Market forces Social, economic, political and institutional influences on reform. What does land reform involve? The term land reform...

Unit 8: Land reform Unit 8: Land reform land reform, land fragmentation, Land consolidation, Characteristics, purpose and outcomes of reform. Market forces Social, economic, political and institutional influences on reform. What does land reform involve? The term land reform has several meanings. It may involve land restitution redistribution of land rights from one sector to another land consolidation changes in the tenure of the land What does land reform involve? Land reform involve the restoration of land rights to previous owners, a process known as land restitution. This occurred in countries in transition when former private rights in land were restored. What does land reform involve? Land reform may involve the redistribution of land rights from one sector to another, for example, by taking land from the State or from individual owners of large estates and giving it to people who have no land. What does land reform involve? Land reform may also involve land consolidation in which all land owners with in an area surrender their land and are allocated new parcels of comparable value but in a pattern which encourages the more efficient and productive use of the land. What does land reform involve? Land reform may also involve changes in the tenure of the land that is in the manner in which rights are held, thus abolishing complex traditional and customary rights and introducing more simple and streamlined mechanisms of land transfer. Land reform affects what? Land reform program normally affect selected areas such as agricultural land or urban centers. In rural areas the program may be designed to facilitate changes in the technology of agriculture the type of crops the manner of husbanding the land the financing of development marketing of products, etc Urban areas land reform program In urban areas land reform program may incorporate major infrastructural development the taxation of buildings as well as land changes to the manner and use of land and properties Therefore land reform covers a multitude of possible activities, not all of which may occur in any given reform program. Activity: What does land reform represent? What is the difference between urban and rural land reform? Land fragmentation Land fragmentation is defined as the situation in which a single farm or ownership consists of numerous spatially separated plots. What causes fragmentation of land? The main factors triggering land fragmentation are inheritance; population growth; land markets; and historical/ cultural background. Land fragmentation What are disadvantages of land fragmentation? The disadvantages of land fragmentation are mostly associated with inefficient allocation of recourses (labour and capital) leading to increased costs of production, and with the hindering of agricultural modernization. The recognized advantages are closely related to the demand-side causes of fragmentation. Land consolidation - general There is a problem of land fragmentation among smallholder farmers in several developing countries due to various reasons. Land consolidation assists farmers to form larger and more rational landholdings. Land consolidation has also been undertaken for achieving a wide range of rural development objectives. Land consolidation Land consolidation is sometimes incorrectly defined as only the simple reallocation of parcels to remove the effects of fragmentation as there is a problem of land fragmentation in most developing countries in the world. Land consolidation has been related to broader social and economic reforms from the time of its earliest applications in Western Europe. Land consolidation has been undertaken for achieving a wide range of rural development objectives, ranging from agricultural improvement to village renewal and landscape development and protection. Land consolidation Land consolidation has always been regarded as an instrument or entry point for rural development. Early concepts of rural development were virtually the same as agricultural development because of the predominant role of agriculture in rural areas at the time. Improving the agrarian structure was considered as being similar for marinating the social viability in rural areas; what was good for the farmers was good for rural areas. Therefore, the overall objective of early projects of land consolidation was to improve the net income of farmers from land holdings through increasing the volume of production and decreasing its costs. Emphasizing on agricultural development Emphasizing on agricultural development, land consolidation projects were used to consolidate parcels and enlarge holdings and provided irrigation and drainage infrastructure to improve water management, construction of rural roads, land leveling, soil improvement measures and changes to land use such as converting agriculturally inferior land into forest land or wetlands Concepts of rural development Concepts of rural development have become much broader and have expanded to include increased environmental awareness and a wide range of nonagricultural applications. Thus, the concern of land consolidation projects has shifted from a focus on restructuring agriculture to one of achieving more efficient multiple use of rural space by balancing the interests of agriculture, landscape, nature conservation, recreation and transportation, especially when land is required for the construction of major roads. Concepts of rural development Environmental conditions are being given increasing priority. Roads are being constructed to suit the landscape. Water bodies are being restored, often with buffer zones. Land consolidations activities are also used for the protection of wetlands and to change land use patterns especially in areas endangered by frequent floods or soil erosion. Concepts of rural development Land consolidation is able to result in improvements in agriculture. Allowing farmers to acquire farms with fewer parcels that are larger and better shaped and to expand the size of their holdings enables them to become more competitive. Improving the tenure structure can facilitate the adoption of new agricultural technologies leading to a more prosperous and efficient agricultural sector. Concepts of rural development Land consolidation is a constantly evolving tool, which must be respectful of human rights, tenure rights, and the environment. It may also contribute to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, in particular, rural land-related targets, including (i) target 2.3 of doubling “the agricultural productivity and the incomes of small-scale food producers”; (ii) target 1.4 to ensure that all men and women have equal rights to “ownership and control over land”; (iii) target 5.a to undertake reforms giving women “access to ownership and control over land”; (iv) target 15.1 of ensuring the “conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems”; and (v) target 15.3 to “combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil”. Principles of Land Consolidation The objective should be to improve rural livelihoods rather than to improve only the primary production of agricultural products. The end result should be community renewal through sustainable economic and political development of the whole community, and the protection and sustainable management of natural resources. The process should be participatory, democratic and community-driven in practice and not only in concept. The intervention should be to assist the community to define new uses for its resources and then in reorganizing the spatial components accordingly. Preconditions for land consolidation There are a number of conditions that should be satisfied so as to undertake land consolidation activities. Stakeholders should be willing to participate actively in the decision-making process of a project. The process should be demand-driven and a land consolidation site must be identified where local citizens and community authorities are interested in land consolidation. Reallocation of land parcels ought to be carried out in line with the rural development and agricultural sector strategy, and the protection of natural resources so that the land consolidation project will be implemented effectively. A land bank is very important in a comprehensive land consolidation programme even if it is not being considered as a prerequisite for a pilot project. The site selected for the pilot project should have adequate supplies of land owned by the state or local government that can be used for exchanges, to enlarge holdings and to locate public facilities. Approaches to land consolidation There are different approaches to land consolidation. These are: Comprehensive land consolidation Simplified land consolidation Voluntary group land consolidation Individual land consolidation Comprehensive land consolidation In this approach land consolidation is emphasized on the re-allocation of parcels together with a wide range of other activities that support rural development. Examples of such activities include village renewal, support to community-based agro-processing, construction of rural roads, construction and rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage systems, erosion control measures, environmental protection and improvements including the designation of nature reserves, and the creation of social infrastructure including sports grounds and other public facilities. Simplified land consolidation: Certain nations have implemented a simplified way of land consolidation. Simplified land consolidation optimizes conditions in the agricultural sector through the re-allocation or exchange of parcels, and the provision of additional lands from land banks. They are usually combined with the rehabilitation of infrastructure and sometimes the provision of minor facilities. However, they do not include the construction of major public works. Rather they can provide the framework for their construction at a later stage. Procedures for simplified land consolidation projects tend to follow those of comprehensive projects but some of the requirements may be relaxed. Voluntary group land consolidation: Some countries have implemented voluntary land consolidation. In this approach all participants have to accept the proposed project since land consolidation is completely voluntary. As a result, voluntary projects tend to be small, and voluntary consolidation tends to be best suited to address small and localized problems. In some countries, voluntary projects usually have fewer than ten participants. Individual land consolidation In this approach consolidation of land holdings can be carried out informally and on sporadic basis. The state is not directly involved and so these initiatives do not include the provision of public facilities. However, the state can play a significant role in encouraging consolidations that improve agriculture by promoting instruments such as joint land use agreements, leasing and retirement schemes. The role of land consolidation for rural development The primary role of land consolidation has been to bring fragmented parcels of land together to create economic units of parcels so as to increase productivity of rural land. A well-planned and implemented consolidation scheme can greatly improve the yields and economics of agriculture in an area, in addition to providing the major new plot structure and new infrastructure. During the process of land consolidation, particularly when it occurs over a large area, it is usual to undertake major infrastructure development side by side, which would otherwise have been uneconomic if the purpose is only assembling many parcels into few parcels. Purpose Land consolidation is a very successful instrument so as to attain an overall and integrated rural development: Improvement of rural living conditions and not only the improvement of primary agricultural production; Renewal of villages by permanent economic and political development of the community and the protection and management of natural resources; Active and democratic participation; Assistance to villages in order to define the new use of community resources and appropriate spatial rearrangement; Connection between the elements of rural development and the elements of wider regional development including connections between rural and urban area Summary Activity How do you define the term Land consolidation? Describe the guiding principles of land consolidation. What are the approaches of land consolidation? Discuss the role of land consolidation for rural development.