Resource information
Land tenure security (LTS) is a concept that informs many programmes by international development agencies working on land governance. The thinking behind these programmes, in short, is that land right holders are insecure in their land tenure, which prevents them from using their land sustainably and efficiently. Increasing their tenure security will allow for e.g. a reduction in conflicts over land, higher investment into the productive use of their land, and the implementation of more sustainable land-use practices. Ultimately, LTS will lead to economic, environmental and social impacts and improved livelihoods for the land right holders. For continued improvement of livelihoods to materialise, tenure security needs to be sustained over the longer term. This policy brief gives direction as to how programmatic interventions can contribute to sustained tenure security effects on the ground. It draws lessons from a number of studies conducted for the LAND-at-scale (LAS) programme on relevant themes that influence tenure security and the role of land in livelihood strategies. Sustained tenure security for improved livelihood starts with a thorough understanding of the situation on the ground, engaging and building local structures, ensuring that rights are upheld, and a realisation that livelihoods are more than land and land is more than an economic resource for building livelihoods.
