Land: Economic asset and production factor
For most people in the rural areas of the world, land is the basis of their livelihoods. It is a production factor in agriculture and an economic asset. Land is also the source of many conflicts. One thing at least is clear: secure rights of ownership, use and transfer, and equitable access to land are indispensable conditions for sustainable development. In many partner countries, however, these conditions are absent.

Erosion: Losing the ground beneath our feet
As the population grows, so too does the pressure on land. In many places, however, uncertainty regarding property rights and tenure are an obstacle to investment in rural areas. As a result, conflicts arise, land available for agriculture becomes increasingly scarce due to land degradation, and poverty increases. Approaches aimed at resolving these problems need to be multifaceted. On the one hand, there must be the political will to develop programmes for durable land management. On the other, there is often a great deal of catching up to do as regards building the specialist capacities and skills required for predictable land policy.

Transparent structural policy: Land management must have universal support
Broad-based advisory services to policy decision-makers ensure that land policy is debated in a transparent, public process and enshrined in the legislation. This helps to defuse land-related conflicts.

GTZ provides structural policy support to partner countries to improve land management with the aim of helping to combat poverty and prevent conflicts. 

This work focuses on:

• shaping land reform processes
• creating a secure basis for investment and mortgages
• equitable access to land for both men and women
• formalising traditional rules and harmonising legislative provisions
• developing land law in a way that is socially equitable
• making sustainable use of natural resources.

In order to provide advisory services at all levels of decision-making and address the specific needs of our partners, the instruments deployed focus on land policy, land legislation, legal advice, land administration, land development, implementation of agrarian and land reforms, and training and further education.

Not just on paper: Legal security and efficient administration
A practical example: In Cambodia, GTZ has provided advice on how to establish institutions to deal with land-related matters. As part of this, a system for classifying land has been set up and a nationwide register of ownership and disposal rights has been launched alongside cadastres and land registers. The new regulations, which are now being successfully applied by numerous municipalities, ensure legal certainty regarding access to and use of land.