Dear Friends,

I am glad to write from a place of optimism this year—in the early months of 2022, we at Landesa are encountering great opportunities to strengthen land rights. Our novel partnerships to promote women’s empowerment, small farmer productivity, positive industry reforms, community resilience to climate change, and more have attracted generous support to strengthen land rights at scale.

Landesa has recently embarked upon a six-country effort to strengthen stewardship of forests and mangroves from India to Indonesia by securing community land rights. We are also beginning work to transform subsistence farming into a productive source of employment for millions in Rwanda, Kenya, and Ethiopia in partnership with One Acre Fund and Co-Impact’s Agricultural Systems Change Initiative. Stand for Her Land, the global campaign to strengthen women’s land rights for which Landesa serves as Secretariat, has brought on board new donors and new networks of local NGOs in half a dozen countries. We are also leading a consortium of organizations working to strengthen and scale inclusive and effective natural resource governance by improving consultation and consent practices through the BHP Foundation’s Natural Resource Governance Global Program. These partnerships are vital as we seek to reach another billion people still living off land without secure ownership.

I hope you enjoy reading about the impact of strengthened land rights made possible by supporters and allies like you in our Summer 2022 Impact Report. Thank you for being part of our community and helping us to empower millions to build better lives and futures.

Sincerely,
Chris Jochnick, President & CEO

READ OUR IMPACT REPORT

New e-learning course for responsible land-based investments

A new self-paced online course for NGOs, researchers, and other practitioners working on issues of land, natural resources, and agriculture designed to deepen skillsets and explore best practices for responsible investment in land.

Businesses across the world and throughout different industries increasingly recognize that their long term financial, operational, and reputational success is connected to the sustainability and wellbeing of the communities and environments where they operate. These business commitments to achieve more responsible projects and investments require a wide range of skillsets and expertise – from land and environment to community engagement and agriculture. As a result, businesses commonly rely on external support from consultants and partners to assist with implementation.

Indeed, this support can come from a wide range of partners to include international, national, and local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs), research institutions, academics, consultants, and private consultancies. The Achieving Responsible Land-Based Investments for Practitioners online course is designed with these groups in mind, with a particular emphasis on NGOs and CSOs, to develop skillsets to advise companies on improved practices that support respect for and the advancement of land and resource tenure rights in their operations or supply chains.

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A podcast for land practitioners

Real stories from practitioners navigating the complex world of land‑based investments.

Are you interested in learning about land dispute mediation or how obtaining free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) works in practice? What about supporting women's empowerment and inclusion in commercial supply chains? In this 4-part podcast series, our host Megan Olson, a land tenure specialist at Landesa, sits down with experts from around the world who share real-life wins, challenges, and lessons from their work in making land-based investments more responsible. Episodes 1 and 2 are out now.

Episode 1: Indonesian Palm Oil and the Power of Remediation
Episode 2: Lessons from Land Dispute Mediation in Southern Malawi
Episode 3: Smallholder Land Rights and Sustainable Palm Oil in Southern Mexico (out Tuesday July 19)
Episode 4: How Women are Succeeding as Commercial Farmers in West Bengal, India (out Tuesday July 26)

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