Dr. Leon Verstappen was the first Chair of the Board of Advisors for the Land Portal and played a central role in its transition from a small UN project into an independent foundation. 

This blog post is part of the series What to Read. 

Our latest What to Read digest said:

Fact one, some studies suggest that women are responsible for half of the world's food production, and in some developing nations they produce between 60 and 80 percent of the food. 

Our partners at Landesa and International Food Policy Research Institute responded and alerted us that these figures are greatly contested.

Photo by Albert Gonzalez Farran / UNAMID, women working in the farm, license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED)

This digest has been updated on 11 March 2024. Our partners alerted us that one of the figures we used is highly contested. The full clarification is below. We have also included a fourth article to the digest, which was missing in the original post, that contests the 'myth' statistic.

CLARIFICATION

Background

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Organized by the Cadasta Foundation,  Land Conflict Watch,  the Land Portal Foundation, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) of India, and NRMC Center for Land Governance, the webinar "The Digitization of Land Records: A Panacea for Land Conflicts" provided an in-depth look at the critical role digitization of land records plays in addressing land disputes in India.

A Recap of the Recent Land Portal-MRLG Webinar on Gender Equitable Land Governance in the Mekong Region

On Thursday 15 February, the Mekong Region Land Governance (MRLG) project and the Land Portal launched the first webinar in the State of Land in the Mekong series. The series, which will consist of three webinars across 2024 and 2025, aims to shine a spotlight on land issues in the Mekong region during a time of immense rural transformation.

Introduction

Malawi's journey towards effective land governance has been marred by historical injustices rooted in colonial legacies and compounded by contemporary challenges within customary land practices. This article explores the troubled legacy, policy reforms and the persistent issues within Malawi's land laws, shedding light on the intricate balance needed for meaningful change.

Troubling a Troubled Legacy

The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HIIL) and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) are delighted to announce a new collaboration for complementary LAND-at-scale activities in Iraq. Activities focus on justice innovation and support: by scouting, vetting, selecting and supporting promising local and existing justice initiatives in Northern Iraq, HIIL aims to strengthen the localization of justice solutions for Iraqi people.