Land Rights

Women and Land Deals in Africa and Asia: Weighing the Implications and Changing the Game

Citation:

Daley, Elizabeth, and Sabine Pallas. 2014. “Women and Land Deals in Africa and Asia: Weighing the Implications and Changing the Game.” Feminist Economics 20 (1): 178–201.

Authors: Elizabeth Daley, Sabine Pallas

Abstract:

Large-scale land deals have attracted much attention from media and policymakers, and several international initiatives are attempting to regulate and address the impacts of such deals. Little attention has been paid to the gendered implications of such deals in the literature, and most regulatory initiatives do not address gender adequately. To fill this gap, this contribution identifies implications of land deals for women and recommends measures to mitigate negative impacts. It reviews evidence from four case studies commissioned for the International Land Coalition (ILC) Global Study of Commercial Pressures on Land conducted in 2010. The evidence is analyzed within a framework that posits women's vulnerability to land deals as due to four dimensions of underlying discrimination. This study analyzes three of these dimensions in depth, arguing that women are likely to be affected differently by land deals and disproportionately more likely to be negatively affected than men.

Keywords: women, land, rural economic development, Gender

Topics: Development, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Land Grabbing, Rights, Land Rights

Year: 2014

Can the Law Secure Women's Rights to Land in Africa? Revisiting Tensions Between Culture and Land Commercialization

Citation:

Ossome, Lyn. 2014. “Can the Law Secure Women’s Rights to Land in Africa? Revisiting Tensions Between Culture and Land Commercialization.” Feminist Economics 20 (1): 155–77.

Author: Lyn Ossome

Abstract:

This contribution is concerned with the challenges of securing women's rights to land in Africa in the context of contemporary land deals through a discussion of three distinct but interrelated problems in the framing of women's land rights discourses. First, this study discusses the interface between rights and “custom” to highlight the inherent distortions of African customary law. Second, it argues that liberal formulations of the law are limited by a set of assumptions regarding women's position in the political economy. And third, this discussion discursively assesses the debates in the literature regarding the efficacy of law in protecting women's rights to land. The discussion proceeds from a critique of two approaches to promoting gender equity in land tenure systems: the institutional approach, which deals with women's formal land rights; and the political economy approach, which deals with the structural nature of women's traditional relations to land.

Keywords: women, customary law, commercialization, political economy, justice, land

Topics: Economies, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equity, Land Tenure, Justice, Political Economies, Rights, Land Rights, Women's Rights Regions: Africa

Year: 2014

Who Owns the Land? Perspectives from Rural Ugandans and Implications for Large-Scale Land Acquisitions

Citation:

Doss, Cheryl, Ruth Meinzen-Dick, and Allan Bomuhangi. 2014. “Who Owns the Land? Perspectives from Rural Ugandans and Implications for Large-Scale Land Acquisitions.” Feminist Economics 20 (1): 76–100.

Authors: Cheryl Doss, Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Allan Bomuhangi

Abstract:

Rapidly growing demand for agricultural land is putting pressure on property-rights systems, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where customary tenure systems have provided secure land access. Rapid and large-scale demands from outsiders are challenging patterns of gradual, endogenous change toward formalization. Little attention has focused on the gender dimensions of this transformation. However this contribution, based on a 2008–09 study of land tenure in Uganda, analyzes how different definitions of land ownership – including household reports, existence of ownership documents, and rights over the land – provide very different indications of the gendered patterns of land ownership and rights. While many households report husbands and wives as joint owners of the land, women are less likely to be listed on ownership documents, and have fewer rights. A simplistic focus on “title” to land misses much of the reality regarding land tenure and could have an adverse impact on women's land rights.

Keywords: Gender, land aquisition, land ownership, tenure security, land tenure, Uganda

Topics: Agriculture, Gender, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Land Tenure, Households, Land Grabbing, Rights, Land Rights, Property Rights, Women's Rights Regions: Africa, East Africa Countries: Uganda

Year: 2013

Transnational Land Deals and Gender Equality: Utilitarian and Human Rights Approaches

Citation:

Wisborg, Poul. 2013. “Transnational Land Deals and Gender Equality: Utilitarian and Human Rights Approaches.” Feminist Economics 20 (1): 24–51.

Author: Poul Wisborg

Abstract:

Transnational land deals pose vexing normative (ethical) questions, not least concerning gendered participation and outcomes. This article explores utilitarian and human rights approaches to gender equality in selected policy initiatives on the land deals. While global policy literature manifests growing attention to women in agriculture, the review found the analysis of gender in early policy initiatives to be absent or weak. Utilitarian arguments were used to justify deals but rarely presented women's participation as a means of social progress or so-called smart economics. Human rights documents were more likely to be critical of the deals and to mention gender, though with little elaboration. While to some extent amended by the emphasis on gender equality in the 2012 Voluntary Guidelines on tenure governance, failures to mobilize the feminist potential in utilitarian and human rights approaches call for more proactive gender analysis and advocacy when addressing transnational land deals as gendered power struggles.

Keywords: equality, ethics, Gender, human rights, land, policy

Topics: Economies, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Land Grabbing, Rights, Human Rights, Land Rights

Year: 2013

Land Governance and Women’s Rights in Large-Scale Land Acquisitions in Cameroon

Citation:

Fonjong, Lotsmart, Irene Sama-Lang, Lawrence Fombe, and Christiana Abonge. 2016. “Land Governance and Women’s Rights in Large-Scale Land Acquisitions in Cameroon.” Development in Practice 26 (4): 420–30. doi:10.1080/09614524.2016.1162285.

Authors: Lotsmart Fonjong, Irene Sama-Lang, Lawrence Fombe, Christiana Abonge

Abstract:

ENGLISH ABSTRACT
This article identifies and examines the role of actors involved in the process of large-scale land acquisitions in Cameroon. It is based on primary data from interviews conducted among principal actors. Findings reveal that government, chiefs, and to some extent elites, play key roles in formal and informal processes that grant land to investors. However, both processes neglect women and affected communities because there are no mechanisms to hold actors accountable to them, especially to women who depend on land for their livelihood. The article concludes that a legal framework that makes the process transparent and promotes accountability and gender inclusiveness is indispensable.
 
FRENCH ABSTRACT
Cet article identifie et examine le rôle des acteurs intervenant dans le processus des acquisitions de terres à grande échelle au Cameroun. Il se base sur des données primaires tirées d'entretiens menés parmi les acteurs principaux. Les conclusions révèlent que le gouvernement, les chefs et, dans une certaine mesure, les élites, jouent des rôles clés dans les processus formels et informels qui garantissent des terres aux investisseurs. Cependant, les deux processus négligent les femmes et les communautés touchées, parce qu'il n'y a pas de mécanismes conçus pour exiger des comptes aux acteurs, en particulier pour les femmes qui sont tributaires des terres pour gagner leur vie. Cet article conclut qu'un cadre juridique rendant le processus transparent et promouvant la redevabilité et l'inclusivité de genre est indispensable.
 
SPANISH ABSTRACT
El presente artículo identifica y examina el papel desempeñado por los actores implicados en el proceso de adquisición de latifundios en Camerún, basándose en datos primarios surgidos de entrevistas efectuadas con los actores principales. En este sentido, los hallazgos revelan que el gobierno, los caciques y, en cierta medida, las élites, juegan un rol importante en los procesos formales e informales a partir de los cuales se dota de tierras a los inversores. Tales procesos carecen de mecanismos que obliguen a los actores a rendir cuentas, especialmente a aquellas mujeres para quienes sus tierras son su medio de vida. Por esta razón, tanto éstas como las comunidades afectadas son ignoradas y pasadas por alto. El artículo concluye señalando que resulta indispensable crear un marco legal que dé transparencia al proceso, promoviendo la rendición de cuentas e integrando el enfoque de género.

Keywords: aid, accountability, Gender, diversity, governace, public policy, Rights, Sub-Saharan Africa

Topics: Gender, Women, Land Grabbing, Rights, Land Rights, Property Rights Regions: Africa, Central Africa Countries: Cameroon

Year: 2016

Clamor for Justice: Sexual Violence, Armed Conflict and Violent Land Dispossession

Citation:

Méndez Gutiérrez, Luz, and Amanda Carrera Guerra. 2015. Clamor for Justice: Sexual Violence, Armed Conflict, and Violent Land Dispossession. Equipo de Estudios Comunitarios y Acción Psicosocial - ECAP.

 

Authors: Luz Méndez Gutiérrez, Amanda Carrera Guerra

Annotation:

Table of Contents:
I. The Social Context
The current context
Historical contexts of the two episodes of sexual violence analyzed in this book
 
II. Indigenous women: oppression and emancipation
Land dispossession-rape: a recurring dyad throughout history
Resistance and rebellion
 
III. The women protagonists of this study in their space and time
 
IV. The Women of Sepur Zarco
Human Rights Violations
The consequences
The Sepur Zarco women’s struggles for justice
 
V. The Women of Lote Ocho
Human rights violations
The Lote Ocho women’s struggle for justice 
 
VI. Q’eqchí women’s perceptions of community justice
Comparing community justice with state justice
Community justice: affected by unequal gender relations
 
VII. Conclusions

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Civil Society, Economies, Economic Inequality, Poverty, Extractive Industries, Feminisms, Gender, Gender Analysis, Gender Roles, Gender-Based Violence, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Globalization, Health, Indigenous, Rights, Indigenous Rights, Land Rights, Property Rights, Women's Rights, Security, Sexual Violence, SV against Women Regions: Americas, Central America Countries: Guatemala

Year: 2015

Breaking Ground: Present and Future Perspective for Women in Agriculture

Citation:

Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2005. Breaking Ground: Present and Future Perspective for Women in Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Author: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Topics: Agriculture, Civil Society, Gender, Women, Gender Roles, Gender Analysis, Gendered Power Relations, Governance, Rights, Land Rights, Property Rights, Women's Rights, Security, Violence Regions: Africa, Americas, Caribbean countries, Central America, South America, Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Europe

Year: 2005

Land Rights and the Rush for Land

Citation:

Anseeuw, Ward, Liz Alden Wily, Lorenzo Cotula, and M. Taylor. 2012. Land Rights and the Rush for Land. Rome, Italy: International Land Coalition (ILC).

Authors: Ward Anseeuw, Liz Alden Wily, Lorenzo Cotula, Taylor Michael

Abstract:

The land and resource rights and livelihoods of rural communities are being put in jeopardy by the prevailing model of large-scale land acquisition.

Topics: Civil Society, Economies, Economic Inequality, Gender, Women, Men, Gender Roles, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Governance, Constitutions, Land Grabbing, Rights, Land Rights, Property Rights Regions: Americas, Central America, South America

Year: 2012

Rural Women, Poverty and Natural Resources: Sustenance, Sustainability and Struggle for Change

Citation:

Agarwal, Bina. 1989. “Rural Women, Poverty and Natural Resources: Sustenance, Sustainability and Struggle for Change.” Economic and Political Weekly 24 (43): WS46–65.

Author: Bina Agarwal

Abstract:

Women in poor rural households are burdened with a significant responsibility for family subsistence and are important, often the primary, and in many female-headed households the sole economic providers. However, their ability to fulfil this responsibility is significantly constrained by the limited (and declining) resources and means at their command - a constraint that stems not merely from their class position but also from gender. These gender inequities in access to resources take varying forms: intra-family differences in the distribution of basic necessities; women's systematically disadvantaged position in the labour market; their little access to the crucial means of production - land, and associated production technology; and the growing deterioration and privatisation of the country's common property resources on which the poor in general and women in particular, depend in substantial degree for sustenance. At the same time, the women are not always passive victims - many have reacted against their marginalisation and are today significant actors in grassroots initiatives for change. In particular, in response to a growing crisis of survival, poor peasant and tribal women have emerged in the forefront of many ecology initiatives. These initiatives, which have developed into movements in several areas, articulate a growing resistance to existing approaches to development, and call attention to the critical need for an alternative approach which is regenerative rather than destructive of nature - a necessary condition for its sustainability in the long run. Indeed, the perspectives and insights offered by such movements, and women as important participants in them, need to be an integral part of any attempt to chart out an alternative.

Topics: Class, Development, Economies, Economic Inequality, Environment, Extractive Industries, Gender, Women, Gender Roles, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Health, Households, Livelihoods, Rights, Land Rights, Women's Rights

Year: 1989

Women and Artisanal Mining: Gender Roles and the Road Ahead

Citation:

Hinton, Jennifer, Marcello M. Veiga, and Christian Beinhoff. 2003. “Women and Artisanal Mining: Gender Roles and the Road Ahead.” In The Socio-Economic Impacts of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in Developing Countries, edited by G Hilson and A Balkema. Netherlands: Swets Publishers.

Authors: Jennifer Hinton, Marcello M Veiga, Christian Beinhoff

Annotation:

“In many locales, women function in multiple capacities. For instance, a women working as a panner may also obtain income as a sex trade worker and a cook.” (Hinton et. all, 2003, p. 2).

This article takes care to compare the situations of female miners in Africa, Asia and South/Latin America. In terms of percentage of artisanal miners who are female: Asia < South/Latin America < Africa

“In Guinea, although women undertake the same labour as men, inequities in pay (men are paid four times more for the same quantity of gold) often leads to a “troc”, or trade of sex for additional money or gold (USAID, 2000)” (p. 8).

“Although the chemical dangers, in particular, those associated with mercury and cyanide misuse, first come to mind, most occupational hazards are a consequence of poor physical conditions, such as ground failure, shaft collapses and machinery accidents” (p. 9).

Because of their involvement with the processing aspect of mining, women are at greater risk of chemical dangers and side effects.

“Chronic exposure to moderate levels of methylmercury results in symptoms including: visual constriction; numbness of the extremities; impairment of hearing; impairment of speech; and impairment of gait. In cases of acute intoxication, muscular atrophy, seizures and mental disturbance are prominent. Women of childbearing age and their children are particularly susceptible  as methylmercury readily crosses placental barriers and is considered to be a developmental toxicant (Grandjean, 1999). Depending on the frequency and degree of exposure, effects can range from sterility, and spontaneous abortion, to mild to severe neurological symptoms” (p. 11).

Importance of land rights and access to land in controlling, and thus benefiting from, commodities on that land.

“In a detailed study of gender and technology (Evert, 1998), it was found that interventions did not benefit women when: the ‘improvements’ were not more convenient and accessible than traditional sources or activities (e.g. clean water wells), modifications were directed towards commercial uses (e.g. development of forests for resale when fodder needs were not being met), and technologies were generally inappropriate (e.g. ‘improved’ stoves that did not consider the cultural value” (p. 23).

PDF includes a slide show presentation entitled “Women and Artisanal and Small Scale Mining: A Review of Roles and Issues” given by the author at the University of British Columbia. 

Topics: Development, Economies, Economic Inequality, Poverty, Extractive Industries, Gender, Women, Gender Roles, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Governance, Health, Livelihoods, Rights, Land Rights, Women's Rights Regions: Africa, Americas, Central America, South America, Asia

Year: 2003

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