Scaling Up Poverty Reduction

Shanghai, China 27 May 2004 at 1400-1530 hrs

Securing Access to Land

Chair: Bruce H. Moore
Director, International Land Coalition

Introduction by the Chair

The Millennium Development Goals provide a common framework for Scaling Up Poverty Reduction. Using the MDGs as a set of development optics, each of our organisations can select for up-scaling experiences that have already demonstrated results in reducing poverty.

Behind the MDGs is a rich history of analysis and experience that recognises that 75% of the poor live in rural communities where they depend on agriculture and related activities for their livelihoods.

While dependent on agriculture, the majority have limited access to natural resources, especially land - making agriculture a very difficult way out of poverty.

With insecure access, few assets and limited income alternatives, poor rural households are the first to suffer from agro-climatic and economic shocks.

This forum will show the links between secure access to land and poverty reduction. The discussion will highlight the imperative for further investments in agriculture and rural economic development and need to improve the tenure security of the urban poor.

It will reveal ways to up-scale secure access to land by strengthening the capacity of the poor and their institutions and by creating country-specific policies and programmes.

The reasons for securing access to land are compelling - greater food security; increased family incomes; economic growth; sustainable use of natural resources; conflict prevention; and reduced migration to urban centres

Comparative studies indicate that more equitable access to land fosters stability. Politically, it accelerates the growth of democracy. Economically, it helps create favourable investment conditions.

Of the many international resolutions regarding access to land, two considerations stand-out. First, the failures of many past efforts have been due to control or manipulation by powerful vested interests. Secure access to land is first and foremost about changing power relationships.

Second, the starting point is to understand what has worked for the poor - how have constraints been removed - what kinds of institutions have enabled the poor to gain and thereafter helped to protect their access to land. This understanding will identify the kinds of policies, processes and institutions that should be up-scaled.

The case studies expose many of these issues. Among them we will see how elites and local authorities serve their own interests when the rural poor are excluded from decision-making and lack the institutions and collective organizations to defend their interests.

While access to land is one of the central pillars of IFAD's strategic plan, the means to achieve this goal places great importance on strengthening the individual and collective capacity of poor rural people to become the agents of their own development.

Social organization is crucial. Experience says - access to land is a necessary but not sufficient condition to improve rural livelihoods. Access to productive support services - among others technology, training, financial services, markets - are essential. Accessing and sustaining these services depends on the social organization and institutions of the rural poor.

Institutions with broad membership can collectively negotiate and accumulate political influence to change policies, demand public transparency and accountability. Collective action and innovation, as we will see in the case studies, requires social organisation and partnerships with government and other stakeholders.

Up-scaling at the level of concrete activities is needed. But, sustaining success on this level will depend on scaling up the processes of empowerment. The social, economic and political transformation of the rural poor is where up-scaling needs to be focused

It is my hope that this forum provides us with practical ideas so that you and I can enhance our organization's efforts and also stimulate opportunities for joint actions whereby together we can increase the up-scaling of secure access to land.