Jordreformer kan booste landbrugets produktivitet og være et effektivt (og prisbilligt) våben mod sult og fattigdom, konkluderer ny rapport fra Verdensbanken, som gennemgår udfordringerne og opstiller løsninger.
WASHINGTON, July 22, 2013 (World Bank): Africa is home to nearly half of the world’s usable uncultivated land, some 202 million hectares that can be brought under the plow. Yet it has the highest poverty rate in the world.
The continent’s poor development record suggests it has not leveraged (udnyttet) its abundant agricultural land and natural resources to generate shared and sustained (holdbar) growth.
Scaling-Up Progress
A new World Bank report “Securing Africa’s Land for Shared Prosperity,” released on July 22, argues that poor land governance – the manner in which land rights are defined and administered – may be the root of the problem.
The report offers a series of 10 steps for improving land governance that can help to revolutionize agricultural production and end poverty in Africa.
Rich in resources – but still poor
With political will from African Governments and support from development partners, the plan to improve land governance in Africa in a decade could cost as little as 4,5 billion US dollar (24,7 milliarder DKR).
“Despite abundant land and mineral wealth, Africa remains poor,” says Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa, adding:
“Improving land governance is vital for achieving rapid economic growth and translating it into significantly less poverty and more opportunity for Africans, including women who make up 70 percent of Africa’s farmers yet are locked out of land ownership due to customary laws”.
“The status quo is unacceptable and must change so that all Africans can benefit from their land.”
The report lays out land reform pilots (forsøg) in Malawi, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and other countries.
It shows how many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have recognized customary (fælles, sædvane) land rights and gender equality (køns-lighed), the two key issues that provide a basis for sound land administration.
Ten Steps for Scaling-Up
The 10 steps are based partly on lessons learned from agricultural land reform movements in Brazil and China and land rights reforms in slums in Argentina and Indonesia.
The steps are tailored to reflect experiences with land reform pilot projects underway in African countries.
The steps include:
* Securing tenure rights (ejendomsret) for community lands and individual plots.
* Increasing efficiency and transparency in land administration services by empowering local communities and traditional authorities (høvdinge).
* Developing capacity in land administration by encouraging policy reforms and providing training.
“Improving the performance and productivity of Africa’s agricultural sector is vital for broad-based growth, more jobs, investment, and substantially less poverty,” says Jamal Saghir, World Bank Director for Sustainable Development in Africa, noting:
“Land governance is a proven pathway to achieving transformational change and impact that will help secure Africa’s future for the benefit of all its families.”
Challenges and Opportunities
Læs videre på
http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/publication/securing-africas-land-for-shared-prosperity
Her kan man også finde link til hele rapporten.
Se det indledende telegram i vor temaserie om landbruget på
http://www.u-landsnyt.dk/nyhed/13-11-09/debat-om-landbrugsbistanden-landbrugsudvikling-u-l
