Land and water rights hotspot

Land and Water Division

Land and water rights hotspot

Land and Water Division Working Paper 8

Year of publication 2014

Author Land and Water Division

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Edition 1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) There are many different kinds of land and water rights, and many different kinds of rights holders. Land and water rights are social constructions that reflect existing power relationships and, as such, they sometimes lead to conflict. Today, social and technological change are occurring so quickly that societies are struggling to develop forms of social organization to cope with new challenges. Existing social structures cannot evolve and adapt quickly enough.

Language English

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Land and water: the rights divergence
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The Land Tenure Journal is published by FAO as a medium for the dissemination of information and views on tenure of land and other natural resources in the framework of the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) which is a standard for FAO’s work on tenure. The audience consists of people having interest in tenure of land and other resources in its broadest technical, economic, political and social senses. The prime beneficiaries include practitioners and professionals from international and national agencies, central and local governments, civil society organizations and academia. Articles are published in English, French or Spanish. The content of the Journal reflects the versatile priorities of FAO’s Tenure Governance normative and field programs as well as priorities of the Journal’s audience. The Journal aims to present a holistic and politically, culturally and regionally diversified view on tenure of land and other natural resources.
Book (series)

Land and water rights in the Sahel
Tenure challenges of improving access to water for agriculture
2006

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Water for agriculture draws on a range of sources - from naturally available water bodies to water supply infrastructure. In sub-Saharan Africa, only a very small percentage of arable land is irrigated. Most farmers produce food under rainfed conditions. In 1995, for instance, 89 percent of cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa was delivered from rainfed agriculture, compared to 58 percent in the West Asia and Northern Africa region (InterAcademy Council, 2004). The situation in the Sahel is v ery much in line with this trend. Here, the past few decades have witnessed considerable efforts to improve the water infrastructure in rural areas. As a result, there has been a multiplication of pastoral water points and of irrigation schemes - from large, state-owned schemes like the Office du Niger in Mali (which dates back to the 1930s) to village-level irrigation schemes. Irrigation has enabled the cultivation of a range of crops - from rice to fruit and vegetables. However, rainfed farmin g (millet, sorghum, etc) and pastoralism are - and are likely to remain - the dominant forms of agricultural production and the pillars of rural livelihoods in much of the Sahel.
Book (series)

Land and water: the rights interface 2004

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This paper is concerned with the interface between land tenure rights and water rights. Such rights relate to what are arguably the most important natural resources of the modern nation-state. Land, in the form of territory, is a pre-requisite for a state’s existence while freshwater is a pre-requisite for life. The relationship between these two resources is of equal significance. Water is necessary for most productive uses of land. In a growing number of countries with arid climates the main constraint to agricultural growth is the availability of water rather than land. To ensure sustainability, the need for an integrated approach to the use and management of these resources is increasingly recognised.