How Land Rights Can Help End Hunger
A recent issue of the LandLinks newsletter, published by USAID's E3/Land and Urban Office, focuses on why land rights matter for Feed the Future. Check out these stories and resources for an important look at why land tenure is an essential element of global food security.
GROWING A MOVEMENT: LAND AND FOOD SECURITY
This blog post was written by Beth Dunford, Assistant to the Administrator, USAID's Bureau for Food Security and Deputy Coordinator for Development for Feed the Future. Earlier this year, Dunford traveled to Zambia, where she met a young woman who transformed her life by making informed investments on her farm. But an estimated 70 percent of land in developing countries is unregistered, so for the millions of smallholder farmers who don’t have legal proof that they own their land, these investments can seem impossible.
FACT SHEET: LAND TENURE AND FOOD SECURITY
There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that securing land and resource rights for men and women has a positive impact on food security and broader development outcomes. These outcomes include household investment, agricultural productivity, women’s empowerment, nutrition and more robust rental markets for farmland. This fact sheet highlights evidence of the impact that secure land tenure has on food security.
PHOTO ESSAY: HARVESTING SWEET SUCCESS
How Land Rights are Helping Tajikistan's Apricot Farmers
Tajikistan was once known as a primary producer of apricots in Central Asia. Secure land rights help improve Tajik farmers' ability to make longer term investments in cash crops like apricots, which represent an opportunity for farmers to increase their household incomes and food security.
LAND RIGHTS IN TANZANIA ARE HELPING TO #ENDHUNGER TODAY
Feed the Future is the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. This USAID-implemented initiative is designed to reduce risks related to land tenure and pave the way for future agricultural investment in Tanzania’s rural heartland. “This opportunity is a blessing for me. I now understand my right to access, own, use and transfer land,” local Tanzanian woman Anita Mfilinge said. “This gives me a reason to focus more on agricultural activities because I am a certified owner.” Read the post to find out more.
And, as always, visit LandLinks for more information about why land rights matter for agricultural development!