Tenure Security Research Articles

Balancing Economic Growth and Social Equity: A Legal and Conceptual Analysis of Indonesian Agrarian Reform in the Agribusiness Sector

Indonesia faces the persistent challenge of balancing economic growth with social equity in its agribusiness sector. This study analyzes how legal and conceptual aspects of agrarian reform policies contribute to this balancing act, particularly in the context of rising agribusiness investment and the persistence of smallholder farming. A normative juridical method was employed, incorporating statute, historical, and conceptual approaches. Legal documents, historical records, and academic literature were analyzed. Simulation data, based on government statistics and existing research, was used to model the potential impact of different policy scenarios on economic growth and social equity. Indonesia's legal framework, while promoting land redistribution and tenure security, exhibits inconsistencies that can favor large-scale agribusiness interests. This can lead to unequal access to land and resources, potentially hindering inclusive growth. Simulation data suggests that strengthening land tenure security, improving access to finance, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices can contribute to both economic growth and social equity. In conclusion, optimizing agrarian reform requires a more nuanced approach that prioritizes social equity alongside economic growth. This includes strengthening land rights for smallholder farmers, improving access to resources, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

The role of community gardens in achieving UNSDG 11, Target 7: safe, inclusive and accessible green and public spaces

ABSTRACT This paper examines the contributions that community gardens can make in achieving Target 7 of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, namely, to ‘provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces’ (UN 2021). The paper focuses on a subset of green and public spaces, namely community gardens, to examine if their features enhance the capacity of public spaces to contribute to achieving target 11.7. In doing so, the paper applies a more expansive definition of ‘inclusive’ than that currently suggested by the target. The paper draws on findings from interviews with participants in several types of community gardens in Australia. The data indicates that community gardens contribute to solving the challenges of UNSDG 11.7, by improving the inclusivity and activation of public spaces through their design features, governance and community involvement. The development of additional target indicators that planners and policy makers can use to measure progress towards meeting the target is an area in need of further research. KEY FINDINGS Community gardens are effective sites for enacting UNSDG 11 Target 7. Community involvement in the design and governance of community gardens contributes to their inclusivity, safety and accessibility as a local public space. Secure tenure, well-chosen locations and sufficient resourcing can improve the ability of community gardens to meet SDG 11 Target 7.

Determinants of household participation in the cassava value-chain in South Africa

Cassava’s adaptability to different agroecological conditions, high yield, as well as its ability to thrive under harsh climatic conditions, makes it an essential food security crop. In South Africa, the cassava value chain is currently uncoordinated and underdeveloped, with a couple of smallholder farmers growing the crop for household consumption and as a source of income. Other farmers regard it as a secondary crop and hardly any producers grow it for industrial purposes. Hence, this study sought to analyze the determinants of household participation in the cassava value chain in South Africa. The study employed the multivariate probit model to analyze the determinants of household participation in the cassava value chain in South Africa, using a primary dataset collected through a simple sample method from smallholder farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo provinces. Results show that livestock ownership has a positive and significant effect on the likelihood of farmers participating in the value chain by growing cassava for household food consumption. Also, findings reveal that hiring labour in cassava production and an increase in the yield during the previous season increases the probability of farmers’ interest in selling cassava tubers along the value chain. Hence, the positive and statistically significant influence of hiring labour during cassava production in driving the farmers’ interest in selling cassava tubers and cuttings implies that the development of the cassava value chain presents great opportunities for creating jobs (employment) in the country. Also, policy interventions that ensure land tenure security and empower farmers to increase their cassava yields are bound to encourage further participation in the value chain with an interest in selling fresh tubers, among other derived products to generate income. Lastly, programmes that empower and encourage youth participation in the cassava value chain can increase the number of farmers interested in selling cassava products.

The Law or the Career? Autocratic Judiciaries, Strategic Sentencing, and Political Repression

Why do judges sometimes act against autocrats’ will, even without judicial independence and tenure security? Contrary to the theory of strategic defection under weak governments, we argue that this behavior can also emerge under strong governments with lax monitoring. When autocrats primarily monitor severe political cases, judges can strategically downplay case severity to avoid oversight, thereby increasing judicial autonomy and the rule of law. Yet, these adjustments will be carefully calibrated–sufficient to evade scrutiny but not too drastic to trigger autocrats’ suspicions and incur sanctions against judges. We test this expectation with new data on Taiwan’s military trials during authoritarian rule, finding that judges tend not to issue sentences above a review threshold after its introduction. Sentence reductions are mostly moderate, affecting cases where sentences can fall slightly above or below the threshold under judges’ discretion. These findings have implications for understanding state repression and judicial agency in nondemocracies.

Overview of Governance and Rampant Corruption in Land Administration in Bangladesh

This study focuses on the governance and corruption in the land management system of Bangladesh and the effect of these factors on the tenure security of land and the country’s economic growth. This study used a quantitative research design. The research outcomes show that corruption is systematic in all levels of land management, thus eroding the security of tenure, and worsening social inequalities. The new governance reforms have also been implemented to curb corruption; however, these changes’ impact has been rather poor. In light of the findings of the study, there is a well-established need for systematic reform to improve the situation in Bangladesh through digitization of land records, better transparency, and higher accountability in the land administration sector. The investigation presented in this research adds to the discussion of governance and development and offers practical policy suggestions that relate to fighting corruption and enhancing the efficient utilization of Bangladeshi land.

Kenya: Socio-Demographic Determinants of Intractable Communal Land Use Conflicts in the Squatter Enclaves of Mount Elgon Region

In the post-Cold War world order, the African Continent has been a stage for some of the most violent intra-state conflicts arising from natural resources and land distribution. These contes tations have often been inter-communal and take the violent extremism route. The consequences of these devastating contestations have been apocalyptic in most of these conflicts. In Kenya’s Mount Elgon Region, the emergence of extremism Sabaot Land Defence Forces and counter-extremist groups is rooted in a long historical struggle for equitable distribution of land rights. Despite efforts by state and non-state actors, sustainable peace remains a distant mirage. Socio-economic deter minants have emerged as fundamental determinants in these extremist contestations, yet, extant literature has been silent on this subject matter. This paper sought to interrogate socio-demographic determinants as pathways for homegrown extremism in the Mount Elgon Region. Study findings revealed strong support for the interplay between ownership of land, source of income, level of education, and sustenance of homegrown extremism over land-use conflicts in the study area. The paper recommends the need for the Ministry of Lands to expedite the management of the historical land question to contain the socio-demographic determinants as pathways for homegrown ex tremism in the study area. The findings under score the importance of land tenure security in pursuit of peaceful, just, and inclusive societies as advocated for in the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. Keywords: Demographic, extremism, home grown, land-use, Mt. Elgon.

Land Access Modes and Agricultural Productivity in Benin

Improving productivity is an important channel for satisfying household food needs through food availability. Increasing the productivity of small-scale farmers is linked to a number of factors, including land access, labor, chemicals, fertilizers and so on. Most farmers resort to expanding their cultivated areas to increase production because of insufficient financial resources available for purchasing inputs during agricultural seasons. This situation, combined with increasing pressure on land, does not favor agricultural production and, by extension, food security. This study therefore assesses the impact of different modes of access to land on agricultural productivity. Regime-switching multinomial regression techniques were used to account for endogeneity bias due to observed and unobserved factors. The results of the study show that access through free loans, tenancy and sharecropping negatively affect agricultural yields. The counterfactual analysis reveals a positive gain estimated at 509.9 kg/ha from land access by landowners. If the lenders were landowners, their gain would be 396.6 kg/ha, whereas the farmers would gain 485.1 kg/ha if they were landowners, and similarly the sharecroppers would gain 389.8 kg/ha if they were landowners. It is clear from these results that improving agricultural yields depends on securing land and requires the establishment of an effective land ownership system. This research impacts land ownership policies, which need to be revised to address customary rights and reduce inequalities in access to secure land. It highlights the way land tenure security drives agricultural advancements and offers actionable recommendations for policy improvements on food security.

Effects of extension service on the uptake of climate-smart sorghum production practices: Insights from drylands of Ethiopia

The promotion of climate-resilient practices (CRPs) requires the development of the capacity of farmers to adopt these practices owing to the knowledge-intensive nature of technologies. Extension services serve as a conduit for facilitating the conceptualization of CRPs and are instrumental in improving the resiliency and mitigation of climate change. We used a social-ecological framework and a multivariate probit model to analyze the drivers of the CRP uptake in moisture-stressed areas in Ethiopia, with a particular focus on extension services. Unlike previous studies that investigated a single technology, we considered a bundle of technologies. We focused on the use of two capital-intensive CRPs (drought-resistant seed and inorganic fertilizer) and four knowledge-intensive CRPs (minimum tillage, farmyard manure, water-saving technology, and crop residue retention). The role of extension services in promoting other CRPs beyond input and capital-intensive technologies was insignificant. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that the correlation between extension services and the adoption of other knowledge-intensive natural resource management practices holds irrespective of the proximity to the extension service providers. This finding highlights the need for targeted and tailored interventions that support farmers to address the challenges faced by them in moisture-stressed areas. Accordingly, we propose continuously improving the ability of the extension service providers to promote climate-change adaptation knowledge and practices. This should be accompanied by efforts to strengthen a pluralistic extension system, improve land tenure security, and decrease transaction costs for farmers through output market linkages.

The Role of Procedural Fairness: Land Titling Programs and Agricultural Investment in China

This study examines the moderating role of procedural fairness between land titling programs and agricultural investment. We constructed a theoretical model that introduces perceived security of land tenure and procedural fairness into the traditional “property rights-investment incentives” analytical framework. Moreover, we empirically analyze the impact of land titling and its procedural fairness on agricultural investment using data from the “Thousands of People, Hundreds of Villages” survey held in 2018 among 9596 households in China. The empirical analyses were conducted by using the ordinary least squares (OLS), probit, and instrumental variable methods. Our analysis showed that land titling in China significantly promotes agricultural investment by farm households and that procedural fairness has a significant positive moderating role in the investment incentive effect of land titling as well as significantly improving the institutional credibility of land titling and enhancing farmers’ perceived land tenure security.

Land certification, tenure security and off-farm employment: Evidence from China

China’s new round of nationwide land certification program (LCP) provides a good natural experiment to investigate whether land certification can promote rural labor off-farm employment. However, existing research overlooks that the new round of LCP is a re-certification program based on the previous round. This paper proposes that incorporating the ex-ante property rights of households is crucial. Using micro survey data from China, this paper empirically examined the impact of the new round of LCP on off-farm employment for households with different ex-ante property rights through a multi-period DID model. The results indicate that the new round of LCP significantly increased the off-farm employment size for households without old land certificates. However, there was no significant impact on households with old land certificates. The ambitious new round of land tenure reform can only enhance the tenure stability for those households that previously lacked land certificates.

A sustainability analysis of community‐conserved areas in Sabah, Malaysia using Ostrom’s design principles

Community‐conserved areas (CCA) have the potential to improve local ecological knowledge, ecosystem services, livelihoods, and biodiversity conservation. This study examined the sustainability and community management structure of two recently established CCAs in Sabah, Malaysia. Data were gathered using Ostrom’s design principles (ODP), content analysis, and focus group discussions. Both CCAs met all eight ODPs and were sustainably maintained by their communities through the evolution of several endogenous CCA management structures. Land tenure security for CCA sustainability may be enhanced through formal recognition (ODP‐7), nested enterprises (ODP‐8), and conflict resolution (ODP‐6). The findings reveal that indigenous communities can sustainably manage their natural resources and suggest ways to improve CCA management. Inclusion of indigenous communities in legal frameworks and CCA management should be fostered in the National Forestry Policy. The concept of CCA can be promoted elsewhere towards conserving natural resources and empowering communities for their wellbeing.

Potential risks to women’s land rights from climate actions: Exploring matrilineal communities in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama

This paper explores ways in which global actions to tackle climate change can potentially undermine women’s land tenure security. While there is greater cognizance of the role of secure land tenure as a critical enabler of global climate goals, climate actions that fail to account for differential tenure systems and gender dynamics risk eroding women’s customary land rights and associated social support systems. The paper recommends ways to balance climate goals with land rights protection.

Potential risks to women’s land rights from climate actions: Exploring matrilineal communities in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama

This paper explores ways in which global actions to tackle climate change can potentially undermine women’s land tenure security. While there is greater cognizance of the role of secure land tenure as a critical enabler of global climate goals, climate actions that fail to account for differential tenure systems and gender dynamics risk eroding women’s customary land rights and associated social support systems. The paper recommends ways to balance climate goals with land rights protection.

How is urban agriculture practiced, institutionalized, implemented, and sustained? A literature review

Urban agriculture (UA) has emerged as a crucial strategy for ensuring sustainable food access in both developing and developed nations. However, the interplay between planning regulations and land availability significantly influences farmed land's scope and location, directly impacting UA activities' scale and intensity. The spatial mechanisms governing land use for UA stem from planning regulations, which may or may not align with food policies shaped by municipal actors—whose objectives often differ from those of civil actors. This review analyzes current urban agriculture practices in cities to explore how UA is practiced, institutionalized, implemented, and sustained, considering the influence of governance mechanisms and focusing on land-based forms of UA. By reviewing 51 peer-reviewed articles, consistent challenges impeding UA across various contexts were identified. Key factors include discord between civil and municipal actors, contextual elements affecting the enactment of supportive UA policies, and urban densification encroaching upon UA land. While these issues vary between developed and developing cities, they are primary drivers of informal or constrained UA practices and tenure insecurity. The review concludes that policies aimed at regulating UA to enhance food security should prioritize scaling up farming practices by ensuring access to larger plots with more secure tenure durations. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for flexible land-use and zoning ordinances that accommodate dual land uses, the establishment of UA protection zones to counter urban densification, and the active participation of civil actors in the process.

Land use and environmental degradation in the island state of Mauritius: Governance and problem conceptions

Biodiversity and natural ecosystems underpin human life and wellbeing, yet they are systematically degraded by anthropic activity, with land use change being the direct driver most impacting terrestrial ecosystems. Since scholars argue that solving the biodiversity crisis hinges on the problem conceptions that steer governance, and since land use is governed predominantly at the national level, we seek to identify the problem conceptions expressed through the governance of the land use – environment nexus in a country where ecosystem degradation persists despite tenure security: Mauritius. Through interviews with key informants, corroborated by documentation review, we investigate the current governance systems across legislative, policy, and institutional frameworks to elicit the main governance issues that may reveal underlying problem conceptions. Our results point to weak commons and compromise approaches, which systematically enable land use changes for financial maximization at the expense of natural ecosystems. Economic optimization and ecosystem prioritization approaches were not observed despite recognition of nature’s role in the wellbeing of citizens. In this context, which may be similar in many developing countries, the introduction of biophysical and monetary natural capital accounting is recommended to provide commensurate data on the benefits derived from ecosystems and those derived from economic activities, in order to better inform compromise and prioritization.

Forging Pathways to Equity: The Nexus between Land Redistribution, Health, and Healthcare Access

This article explores the nexus between land redistribution policies and healthcare accessibility to mitigate social and economic disparities arising from inequitable land distribution. Historically, concentrated land ownership has marginalised rural communities, limiting their access to healthcare services. Land reform initiatives focusing on redistribution and secure tenure have the potential to empower marginalised groups economically and enhance their health outcomes through improved access to healthcare facilities. The study fills Gaps in existing research by investigating the interconnectedness of land tenure security, health outcomes and healthcare access, drawing insights from global contexts, including successful cases in Denmark, New Zealand, and South Korea, alongside challenges in Russia, India, and South Africa. Through a comprehensive literature review and analysis of data from the Global Health Security Index, the study highlights the critical role of equitable land distribution in fostering health equity and sustainable development. Findings suggest that countries with inclusive land policies demonstrate improved public health indicators, highlighting the importance of integrating land reform into broader health and development agendas. In conclusion, land redistribution holds promise for enhancing healthcare access and achieving health equity. Ultimately, this research advocates for strategic interventions that prioritise fair land distribution as a cornerstone for achieving universal health coverage and addressing persistent health disparities worldwide.

The Impact of Forestland Tenure Security on Rural Household Income: Analysis of Mediating Effects Based on Labor Migration

The Impact of Forestland Tenure Security on Rural Household Income: Analysis of Mediating Effects Based on Labor Migration

The Nature, Function, and Independence of the National Bank of Ethiopia: A Comparative Analysis in Light of International Practices

A central bank is an autonomous institution that is mainly bestowed with the mandate to ensure the maintenance of price stability by formulating and implementing monetary policy. To fulfill its purposes, the law should make sure that the CB is independent of external influence. Accordingly, the NBE is established to act as the central bank of Ethiopia, empowered to deliver on multiple objectives, including price and exchange stability. Nonetheless, it is evident under its legal framework that the requirements for institutional, functional, and personal independence of the NBE are disregarded. Hence, having this problem in mind and considering the research gap in the particular area, the study attempted to review relevant legal instruments of the NBE, assessing them against parameters of institutional, functional, and personal independence; selected countries’ laws, and the expert opinions of NBE officials and IMF expert to make the required analysis about the nature, functions, and independence of the NBE. Consequently, the study revealed impediments related to the institutional, functional, and personal autonomy of the bank. Thus, concerning institutional independence, there is a lack of clear provisions protecting the bank from government and other entities' influence. The absence of hierarchy between its objectives, the dominance of government representatives in the BoD, the absence of legal limitations on the advances to be provided to the government, and ambiguity as to the role of monetary policy formulation and oversight roles of the BoD are the manifestations of the absence of functional independence. Whereas, in terms of personal autonomy lack of provisions stipulating the security of tenure, qualification criteria, and procedure for the appointment and dismissal of the BoD members, Governor, and Deputies are evident. Having identified these concerns under the current laws, the researcher recommends the relevant revisions of the laws to address the enumerated impediments in line with the best practices of central banks.

An empirical analysis of the development of China’s rural market economy system

ABSTRACT This paper presents a comprehensive study conducted from 2000 to 2021, utilizing a 14-indicator index to measure China’s rural Marketization economic development. The indicators encompass four dimensions: rural market subjects, rural market systems, rural land property rights, and government macroeconomic regulation and control. The research covers national and regional levels, providing insights into the following key findings: Firstly, China has witnessed a consistent improvement in the level of rural market economic development across national, regional, and provincial tiers. This progress can be predominantly attributed to advancements in rural land property rights, characterized by enhanced land tenure security and a significant reduction in land disputes. Secondly, Western China has maintained a synchronized development pace with central and eastern regions, resulting in relatively minor developmental disparities. Nevertheless, the progression of rural market subjects in western China remains a limiting factor in further enhancing rural market economic development. Simultaneously, government macroeconomic regulation and control act as a constraining element in driving nationwide rural market economic development. Given the persistent imbalance in regional development, concerted efforts should be made to gradually narrow the developmental gap among the western, central, and eastern regions at both the rural market entity and government macro-control levels.

Mobile money, food security and coping strategies in a post-conflict and fragile context: evidence from Burundi

PurposeAttaining the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) of zero hunger continues to be a challenge in most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. However, financial inclusion is seen as a potential pathway for reducing food insecurity among poor households. Mobile money is a financial inclusion instrument that is easily accessible to poor households and has the potential to increase the level of financial inclusion. This paper contributes to the literature by examining the determinants of mobile money adoption, its effects on household food security and the choice of coping strategies in Burundi, a post-conflict and fragile country.Design/methodology/approachUsing survey data that involved 860 households in Burundi, we adopted the Household Hunger Scale (HHS) developed under the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project to measure household food security. We further employ the endogenous switching regression treatment effects model for ordered outcomes and the multivariate probit model to achieve our aims.FindingsThe results of our study reveal that the adoption of mobile money is influenced by factors such as gender, marital status, age, formal education, membership in a social network, area of residence and access to a tarred road network. Additionally, the food security status of a household was determined by marital status, formal education, social network membership, access to tarred roads, off-farm income, access to credit and land tenure security. We confirm that mobile money adoption has a significantly positive effect on the food security status of households with heterogeneity in gender and area of residence. We also find that mobile money adoption reduces the likelihood of households adopting consumption-related coping strategies.Practical implicationsThe promotion of mobile money should, therefore, be included in Burundi’s national food security policies.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the effect of mobile money adoption on household food security and the choice of coping strategies in a post-conflict context.