PANOS MEDIA TOOLKIT ON

C O M M U N I C A T I N G R E S E A R C H – No. 1

Common Ground? Investigating

the importance of managing land
Maasai women at a protest rally –
their communal land is being sold

Introduction As a journalist you can use plain language and

human stories to tell people about land management
Research shows that people’s capacity to access
research and investigate the impact of its findings
and use land is important for economic growth,
and recommendations. Often, land management
for poverty reduction, and for promoting both
issues only hit the news when they develop into
private investment and transparent, accountable
conflicts. But researchers are aware of the issues
government. Governments have a responsibility
long before conflicts arise. Academic research can
to establish systems which ensure access to land
help you get ahead of the story and broaden debate.
and housing for everyone in society.
This toolkit is designed to support you in identifying
The pressures of modernisation have brought
how you can use research on land management to
about new challenges as well as opportunities
enrich your journalism, highlighting processes and
in managing land. For many countries in the
changes that are happening in your country right now.
south, the nature of these challenges and
It includes:
opportunities has been shaped by colonisation
and post-independence politics. examples of headlines on land management issues
Much research produced on land management summaries of the main debates and issues being
investigates and confronts the inequities of the raised by research on land management
past while proposing solutions for the future.
country case studies that show the human interest
It covers topics ranging from property rights
stories contained in research on land management
and local governance to tribal societies, modern
agriculture and urban planning. key questions you can ask to scrutinise this research
Research influences current government land
policy – but how much do journalists know Media toolkit on Communicating Research
about it? Conversely, knowledge that goes against
This is the first in a series of briefing documents for the media
current trends in public policy is often ignored from the RELAY programme. The programme works with southern
by decision-makers because it is not discussed print and broadcast journalists to communicate the findings
in the media – journalists can make sure that it is of academic research in an accessible way through the media.
brought to public attention. If you would like further information about the RELAY programme or
wish to sign up to receive future media briefings by email, please
contact [email protected] More information about Panos
London and the Panos Network can be found at www.panos.org.uk
Headlines ‘Land to the tiller’
(East and South Asia)
Bushmen fight for homeland
‘Land to the tiller’ reforms after World War II aimed
BBC News Online
to break up large feudal estates and provided
South Africa orders first farm seizure land for active farmers. Research shows that reforms
The Independent, UK in East Asia have alleviated poverty and landlessness,
assisting industrialisation by transferring land
Namibia – the ticking bomb
to tenant farmers without breaking up productive
allAfrica.com
holdings. Reforms covering tenancies in the Indian
Attorney General for Omukama land case states of Kerala and West Bengal followed a similar
New Vision, Uganda pattern. However, research has found that those
not tilling their own land, such as landless people,
State sets 3 year deadline to clear
were not helped by these reforms. This issue is
encroachments
still relevant today. In reaction to the huge number
Times of India
of tenant-landlord disputes in Sri Lanka, the New
Own homes to be reality for slum dwellers Agrarian Development Act of 2000 effectively abolished
Expressindia tenant farming, believing it to be a cause of poor
rural economic growth.

Land policy in context Issues in land management

Struggling with the colonial legacy The impact of modernisation
(Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa)
Fragmentation of farms into smaller holdings
The Zambian 1995 Land Act reversed Zambia’s
Research conducted by Ephraim Chirwa in 2004
post-independence policy of nationalisation by
reveals that, after four decades of agriculture-led
recognising the market value of land and allowing
development strategies in post-independence
greater access to land markets for foreign investors.
Malawi, economic growth has been erratic and
The act privileges private title deeds over customary
a large proportion of the population lives below
land rights in an attempt to address artificial land
the poverty line. Agricultural policies have favoured
shortages, speculation and high prices by ensuring
large-scale cash crops, particularly tobacco,
more land is available on the market. However,
resulting in a more unequal distribution of land
research suggests that this has made rural people
in rural areas. The promotion of smallholder
more insecure and that the intricate bundles of
agriculture on customary land, on which rights to
customary rights that have evolved over long periods
cultivate and transfer land are granted by traditional
of time are being lost.
chiefs, has meant that approximately 70 per cent
Land reform in post-independence Kenya successfully of Malawian smallholder farmers cultivate less than
enabled black farmers to take over white farms. one hectare of land.
Some researchers argue that the lessons from Kenya’s
Can pastoralism survive?
peaceful land reform experience have not been learnt
in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Others point out that Indigenous societies, including pastoralist and
individual titles have been unfairly distributed to communal ones in countries like Kenya and Uganda,
Kenyans according to party political allegiances. are now facing more obstacles to their way of life
than at any previous time. Elliot Fratkin’s work in 2001
Taking the lead from customary laws
examines the problems faced by three East African
(Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique)
pastoral societies (the Maasai, Boran and Rendille),
Research shows that new land laws in Uganda, including population growth, land degradation,
Tanzania and Mozambique are allowing groups privatisation of rangeland, urban migration and
and communities to hold land titles, recognising political conflict, and the ways in which pastoralist
customarily-obtained land as fully legally owned societies are dealing with these threats to their
in whatever form it is currently possessed. The way of life. Some academics argue that given that
Ugandan 1998 Land Act is a people-friendly law, pastoralism has survived so far, it will be able
which responded to a long history of landlord-tenant to persist further, but this depends on the political
conflicts, in effect liberating tenants. A co-ownership decisions made by national governments and the
clause to protect women’s land rights was dropped ability of customary systems to adapt to change. Other
from the act but partially reappeared in a later commentators recommend that traditional practices
amendment in the form of a provision on family land. should be abandoned and instead integrated into an
urbanised, market-based economy in order to promote
economic development.
An illegal settlement contrasts sharply
with new buildings in Mumbai, India

The urban divide: enclaves and slums A case study highlighted by the University of the
Western Cape in 2005 shows how modern property
‘Urbanisation’ is often regarded as the essence
rights can fail. In 1990, a group of households illegally
of modernisation, employment and growth. Yet recent
occupied a vacant piece of land in Cape Town, South
research in developing countries shows that city
Africa. After years of negotiation the Joe Slovo Park
centres are being transformed into ‘elite enclaves’.
Housing Project was implemented, building 936 houses.
There has been a dramatic improvement in some
In line with national policy, the form of tenure granted
people’s living standards. However, rising property
was individual ownership. Ownership was registered
and rental prices force poor people into informal
in one name per family, usually the male ‘head of the
and illegal housing markets of slums and squatter
family’. Some long-standing community members
settlements, which are often located along riverbanks,
were not allocated a house, while community leaders
railway lines, on steep slopes and near rubbish dumps,
allegedly received more than one. Five years after
and are therefore prone to natural and man-made
the project was completed, about one-third of the
disasters. Because of their illegal status, these
new houses had been sold. Almost all sales were
settlements often lack piped water and electricity and
informal, destroying the newly established formal land
residents are not inclined to invest in them because
registration system. People who legally owned houses
of the threat of being evicted from the land.
were sometimes unable to occupy them, as street
Experience from Pakistan, documented by Arif Hasan committees had decided who should be the occupier,
in 2002, illustrates how informal settlements can and in some cases houses had been rented out by
be the solution rather than the problem. In the absence people who did not own them.
of services provided by government and formal private
enterprises, poor people rely on informal settlements
A Zimbabwean woman
for housing, infrastructure, healthcare, education and tends tobacco crops
employment. However, like many others, researchers on a commercial farm
at Zambia’s Institute of Economic and Social Research
point to the need for formal land registration in order
to ensure that governments can raise the necessary
tax revenue to provide infrastructure and amenities
such as roads, water supply, hospitals and schools in
expanding urban areas.

Winners and losers in the property rights lottery

Do modern property rights work?
Some academics, such as Patrick in 2005, believe
that customary forms of land management are
better in providing equal rights to vulnerable groups,
such as women and poor people, arguing that
modernisation and individual private ownership
are the cause of discrimination against women
and other low-status groups. Others point out
that customary tenure allows boundaries to be
continuously altered to fit changing needs, such
as the temporary residence of a relative in distress,
and in the interests of social harmony. This system
of tenure has developed in a context where land
is a livelihood rather than a capital asset.
Does land reform fail women? However, local governments and communities can
be at the mercy of local leaders who appropriate
Research by the United Nations Research Institute
resources or manipulate policies for their own benefits.
for Social Development (2005) shows that land
Research conducted by Karuti Kanyinga at the Africa
reforms implemented in the 1950s, 60s and 70s often
Nordic Institute shows that, in Kenyan coastal regions,
assumed that allocating land to the male head of the
land is given as grants to maintain patronage relations
household would benefit all members of the family
and secure political loyalty; most beneficiaries
equally. More recent reforms have been designed to
of titles do not utilise their land, but turn their grants
stimulate land markets and economic growth through
over to private developers, a majority of whom are
private property rights. However, research conducted
foreign hoteliers.
by the Zambia Land Alliance has shown that women
in Zambia only own about 14 per cent of title deeds, Insecure property rights can lead to the loss of forest
suggesting that when the opportunity to acquire land resources for ordinary people
arises, women are unable to raise the money required
Research from the Centre for International
to register their homes.
Forestry Research suggested in 2005 that, when
In Tanzania, new land legislation based on customary property rights are insecure, forest resources tend
laws excluded women. Customary law in 80 per cent to be taken over by elite groups with more power,
of Tanzania excluded women from inheriting or did not assets and political connections. Two questions
allow them to pass land on to their children. Divorcees stand out from the research. How and to what
and widows, for example, were cut off from the land extent does the use of forest resources contribute
and their sons could not inherit it from them. Women to poverty alleviation? And how and to what extent
have tended to be enthusiastic about modern titling can poverty alleviation and forest conservation
because it offers the possibility of co-ownership with be combined? Experience has shown that handing
other family members. But this and other research over forests to local communities, in the form of
also points to the limits of market-friendly reforms community-based natural resource management,
which provide private titles. Modern titling does little to does not guarantee fair land distribution or economic
redress the discrimination women face in the first place. growth because of the hierarchical nature of most
rural communities.
Nevertheless, some researchers assert that, even
when women are excluded from land ownership after Decentralisation to local government or devolution
land reform, such reforms bring opportunities for women to the people?
in the form of paid work in modern farms, greater access
Academics are polarised between those who
to healthcare and new areas of civic engagement.
advocate ‘democratic decentralisation’ – that is, the
Governance: privileging the local over the national transfer of secure, discretionary powers to elected
local systems of government that are downwardly
Weak local government allows elites to benefit from
accountable to their local constituents – and those
land reform at others’ expense
who insist on devolving authority directly to the people.
Most research suggests that the key to successful For instance, through comparative case studies in
economic development and poverty reduction is a Asia and Southern Africa, researchers have shown that
decentralised system of governance. Decentralisation devolving authority directly to disadvantaged people
brings public services closer to people, providing them will embrace local interests and priorities more than
with more opportunities to participate in the decision- mechanisms that allocate control to people with higher
making process and scrutinise local governments. social status, greater wealth or better education.

Deforestation is threatening the

Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India
How can land be managed?

Customary or traditional systems grant overall

authority over land use to traditional leaders
of the groups, typically older men. A number
of competing claims exist under customary systems,
including usufruct (claim by use), pastoral and
communal, which can result in conflict.
Centralised systems see land vested in the president
or central government, who may or may not delegate
responsibility for land management to municipal
governments and city councils. Here, land titles
are registered with a central state agency. In many
African countries, a dual system operates using
both centralised and customary systems.
Decentralised systems vest authority for land
management with local governments which are
Clearing land
downwardly accountable to local people, ensuring for cultivation
at least some level of community participation. in a camp for
However, where governance is weak, it can returning refugees,
Mozambique
result in local governing elites establishing land
management policy that serves their own interests. Ask: “Who funded the research and what intentions
did they have in mind? How was the research
Community-based systems devolve land
conducted and by whom? What were the problems
management authority directly to the people, and
associated with its design and execution? Why was
as such can respond better to local needs. However,
data collected from certain groups and not others?
such systems often reflect inequalities at the
How were the results interpreted and used?”
community level and can lead to discriminatory
practice in the distribution of land. Ethics
Ethics in research, as in journalism, is concerned
with what is ‘right’ or ‘just’. Research should be
Scrutinising research conducted with respect for people, for knowledge,
for democratic values, and for the quality of the
What is land management research?
research. Ethical codes refer to the responsibility
Research about international development issues is of academics to communicate their findings back
produced by academics (working at universities and to research subjects, to report findings to all relevant
institutes), by policy analysts (working in governments or parties and to refrain from keeping secret or from
independent ‘think tanks’), by international organisations selectively communicating their findings.
(like the World Bank), by non-governmental organisations
Ask: “How did you decide which issue/people
(NGOs, like Oxfam) or by civil society organisations
to research? How did you work with them? How did
(like the Uganda Land Alliance). Some of this research
you communicate the findings of your research?”
tries to influence policy while other types simply try to
make sense of what is happening in the world. Research Relevance
can include survey statistics, case studies to illustrate
Researchers often talk about the need for ‘relevant’
theories, comparisons of policies and situations in
research. They are usually referring to academic
different places and even summaries of the findings
research that serves the ends of particular interests
of interviews or profiles of ordinary people’s experiences.
in society, e.g. research that feeds into planned
Objectivity government policy change on education or health,
or that highlights the issues faced by specific
Research should be about more than an individual
pastoralist societies.
researcher’s opinion; it should prove or disprove
existing theories and generate new ones, producing Ask: “Who is the research relevant to and why?”
evidence which may challenge the researcher’s
Selectivity
beliefs and perhaps the beliefs of society in general.
Researchers are under increasing pressure to
Ask: “What did you expect your research to prove?
publish and secure funding from agencies who have
Did you learn anything new? Did the evidence your
particular agendas. When publishing findings and
research produced surprise you?”
recommendations, researchers may be aware of
Influences pressure from funding agencies. They might also
interpret what they consider ‘society at large’ would
It is important to understand the circumstances
find acceptable, and publish results in line with the
in which research takes place and the influences
national consensus.
upon it. These influences do not invalidate research;
on the contrary, recognition of them can sharpen Ask: “Why did you choose to highlight this particular
the insights to be gained from it. finding/recommendation?”
Further information Useful websites

African Journals Online (AJOL): provides access

Potential newspegs to African published research. Access to online
summaries is free at www.ajol.info
International days When new government legislation Development Gateway: join different
topic groups and download research
(e.g. World Environment Day, is being debated papers and other documents at
5 June 2006; World Habitat Day, http://topics.developmentgateway.org
When conflicts over land threaten
the first Monday of October) Eldis: a gateway to information on development
issues at www.eldis.org
Google Scholar: a search service for accessing
academic research across the web at
Regional sources Organisations conducting research http://scholar.google.com
East Africa on land issues id21: a free development research reporting
Africa Nordic Institute: research and information service for UK-based research on developing
Resource Conflict Institute countries at www.id21.org
(RECONCILE) on Africa including land issues
Printing House Road, Tel: +46 185 62200 South Asia Research Network (SARN):
P.O. Box 7150, Email: [email protected] promotes the production, exchange
20110 Timbermill Road, www.nai.uu.se and dissemination of research knowledge
Nakuru, Kenya Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR): at http://sarn.ssrc.org
Tel: +254 51 2211046 conducts research on forest conservation and livelihoods Southern African Regional Poverty Network
Email: [email protected] Tel: +62 251 622622 (SARPN): promotes debate and knowledge
www.reconcile-ea.org Email: [email protected] sharing on poverty reduction processes and
www.cifor.cgiar.org experiences in Southern Africa at
International Development Land Research Action Network: news, analysis and research www.sarpn.org.za
Research Centre on land reform and agrarian change around the world
Regional Office for Eastern Email: [email protected] Research cited
and Southern Africa, www.landaction.org
Liaison House, State House Avenue, Ephraim Chirwa (2004)
Nairobi, Kenya International Institute for Environment and Development: www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0001007/
conducts research on forestry and land use in Asia and Africa index.php
Tel: +254 20 2713160 Tel: +44 207 388 2117
Email: [email protected] Elliot Fratkin (2001)
Email: [email protected] www.smith.edu/anthro/fratkin.html
[email protected] www.iied.org/research.html
Arif Hasan (2002)
Southern Africa Overseas Development Institute, Rural Policy and www.urckarachi.org
Governance Group: conducts research on food, forestry,
Jesuit Centre for water, land, governance, tourism and rural livelihoods Karuti Kanyinga (2000)
Theological Reflection Tel: +44 207 922 0300 www.landweb.org/kenya.htm
P.O. Box 37774, Email: [email protected] or http://130.238.24.99/webbshop/
10101 Lusaka, Zambia www.odi.org.uk/rpeg/index.html epubl/rr/rr115.pdf
Tel: +260 1 290410 SwedeSurvey: a Swedish government agency that Eric Patrick (2005)
Email: [email protected] produces surveys and reports on land management www.undp.org/drylands/
www.jctr.org.zm issues in many developing countries lt-workshop-11-05-Presentations.htm
Programme for Land Tel: +46 26 63 33 00
and Agrarian Studies Email: [email protected]
University of the Western Cape, www.swedesurvey.se/workingworldwide.html
Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, United Nations Research Institute for Social
Cape Town, South Africa Development (UNRISD): conducts research on rural
Tel: +27 21 959 3733 development and gender issues around the world
Email: [email protected] Tel: +41 22 917 3020
www.uwc.ac.za/plaas Email: [email protected]
www.unrisd.org
South Asia World Bank Land Policy and Administration Team:
Institute of Policy Studies works on issues related to land rights, access and use
99 St Michael’s Rd, www.worldbank.org/landpolicy
Colombo 03, Sri Lanka
Research on land policy © Copyright Panos London, 2006
Tel: +94 11 243 1368
Email: [email protected] LandWeb: a regional network working on land Panos London is part of a worldwide
www.ips.lk issues in Eastern and Southern Africa network of independent NGOs working with
Tel: +263 4 721469 the media to stimulate debate on global
Sustainable Development Email: [email protected] development issues.
Policy Institute (SDPI) www.landweb.org
No. 3, UN Boulevard, All photographs available from Panos Pictures
Diplomatic Enclave 1, G-5, International Land Coalition: a coalition of national land Designed by John F McGill
Islamabad, Pakistan alliances which works with the rural poor to increase their Printed by Digital-Brookdale
secure access to natural resources, especially land
Tel: +92 51 2278134 Tel: +39 065459 2445 For further information contact:
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
www.sdpi.org Panos RELAY programme:
www.landcoalition.org Communicating research through the media
North Eastern Social University of Wisconsin Land Tenure Center: Panos London
Research Centre a global resource centre on issues relating to land 9 White Lion Street
110 Kharghuli Road, ownership, rights, access and use London N1 9PD
Guwahati 781004 Tel: +1 608 262 3657 UK
Assam, India Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)20 7278 1111
Tel: +91 361 260 2819 www.ies.wisc.edu/ltc/ Fax: +44 (0)20 7278 0345
Email: [email protected] [email protected]
www.panos.org.uk/relay

Panos Media toolkit on Communicating Research

A review of the literature can be found at 1 Common Ground? Investigating the importance
www.panos.org.uk/files/landreview.pdf of managing land