Limited access to land is one of the main causes of poverty in Cambodia. However, a number of major challenges stand in the way of the development and implementation of comprehensive land reform: lack of clarity and poor enforcement of legislation, an increase in the number of disputes over land ownership and uncertainty about the preconditions for and possible consequences of allocating land to the poor.

The PSIA was implemented as a joint project of the Cambodian Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC), the World Bank, Oxfam and GIZ. It was supported and coordinated by an international expert. The PSIA concluded that land reform is achievable and recommendable, especially from the point of view of poverty reduction and rural development. However, reform depends on certain conditions being fulfilled and certain measures being taken. For example, the size and quality of the allocated land must be sufficient to provide food for the farming families; and the reform should be backed up by measures to improve the health situation of the population and to strengthen community-level institutions.

Various stakeholders were involved in the design and evaluation of the PSIA through discussion forums and thematic workshops. This participatory approach was crucial to ensuring that the Government accepted and supported the findings and that the dialogue between the Government and civil society on land reform and associated issues was continued.

Link

• Potential Poverty and Social Impacts of Cambodia's Proposed Social Land Concession Program
  web.worldbank.org/...