For most of the rural poor in developing countries, land is the primary means for
generating a livelihood and a main vehicle for investing, accumulating wealth and
transferring it between generations. Because land makes up such a large share of the asset
portfolio of the poor, giving secure property rights to land they already possess can greatly
increase the wealth of poor people who, unlike the rich, cannot afford the (official and
unofficial) fees needed to deal with the formal system.Unequal ownership of land is also a critical factor that creates and maintains
differences between women and men, with consequences for the coming generations. In
Kenya, for example, only 5% of the landowners are women, despite the fact that African
women produce 60%-80% of the continent’s food (Kameri-Mbote and Mubuu, 2002). A
World Bank policy research report, “Land Policies for Growth and Poverty Reduction”,
concludes that the increased control by women over land titles could have “a strong and
immediate effect on the welfare of the next generation and on the level and pace at which
human and physical capital are accumulated” (World Bank, 2003). Ensuring that women
have secure rights to land is thus critical in many respects, including the challenges arising
in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, where the absence of secure land tenure for
women who have lost their husbands has been shown to be a key reason for costly conflict
and additional hardship.
Secure title to land not only promotes wealth creation but can also enhance security.
China illustrates that broad-based land access can provide a basic social safety net at a cost
much below alternative government programmes, allowing government to spend scarce
resources on productive infrastructure instead of safety nets. Having their basic
subsistence ensured is likely to have allowed Chinese households to take on greater risks
in non-agricultural businesses. With policies to foster lease markets for land, this also
contributed significantly to a vibrant rural economy.
generating a livelihood and a main vehicle for investing, accumulating wealth and
transferring it between generations. Because land makes up such a large share of the asset
portfolio of the poor, giving secure property rights to land they already possess can greatly
increase the wealth of poor people who, unlike the rich, cannot afford the (official and
unofficial) fees needed to deal with the formal system.Unequal ownership of land is also a critical factor that creates and maintains
differences between women and men, with consequences for the coming generations. In
Kenya, for example, only 5% of the landowners are women, despite the fact that African
women produce 60%-80% of the continent’s food (Kameri-Mbote and Mubuu, 2002). A
World Bank policy research report, “Land Policies for Growth and Poverty Reduction”,
concludes that the increased control by women over land titles could have “a strong and
immediate effect on the welfare of the next generation and on the level and pace at which
human and physical capital are accumulated” (World Bank, 2003). Ensuring that women
have secure rights to land is thus critical in many respects, including the challenges arising
in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, where the absence of secure land tenure for
women who have lost their husbands has been shown to be a key reason for costly conflict
and additional hardship.
Secure title to land not only promotes wealth creation but can also enhance security.
China illustrates that broad-based land access can provide a basic social safety net at a cost
much below alternative government programmes, allowing government to spend scarce
resources on productive infrastructure instead of safety nets. Having their basic
subsistence ensured is likely to have allowed Chinese households to take on greater risks
in non-agricultural businesses. With policies to foster lease markets for land, this also
contributed significantly to a vibrant rural economy.
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