ALRD is the federating body of 273 NGOs, peasant's and landless organizations in Bangladesh, which are involved in the struggle to establish land rights, rights to food, rights to livelihood, and rights of the indigenous people of minorities. It is currently the main organization in Bangladesh working exclusively on land reform issues.
Objectives:
ALRD views itself as a networking-cum-support organization whose principal role is to sensitize and mobilize policy makers, elected representatives and opinion makers, and to create an enabling environment for favourable policy formulation. It provides an excellent entry point to engaging civil society organizations on the land issue.
Activities/Main areas of work:
Advocacy for agrarian reform: in general, ALRD works through seminars, workshops, media campaigns, and its research publications to advocate reform. The organozation has also facilitated meetings and dialogues between national and local governmental agencies, civil-society organizations and policy makers. At grassroots level, ALRD organizes training sessions, public rallies and education campaigns to raise awareness
Co-operating with government to implement agrarian reform: to improve the great lack of awareness and knowledge concerning the rules and regulations of the land management system, ALRD has been working with the Ministries on how to tackle the issue of landlessness in the country.
Building and mobilizing organizations and linking grassroots with other sectors. As an organization, ARLD has been successful in maintaining its grassroots linkages while attracting the interest and support of experts from all sectors on the subject of land reform. It is now seeking to expand its activities at both local and national levels to further mobilize grassroots organizations and develop existing and new networks. A specific focus is developing the capacity of newly elected women Union Council members and Councils as a whole to work to establish the rights of women to own land.
Documentation and information dissemination. Information and documentation on land reform experiences, tenurial questions and other agrarian concerns are done through ALRD's existing periodicals and media, which includes its well-known journal, LAND, produced by practitioners, development and research activists.
Coverage:
Bangladesh
Beneficiaries:
Landless farmers, Indigenous Peoples and Ethnic Minorities, Peasants, Women
Membership/Affiliations:
– ADSC Association for Development Support and Cooperation
– ARBAN Association for Realization of Basic Needs
– CDA Community Development Association
