Project description

Title: Support to Land Reform
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Namibia
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Lands and Resettlement
Overall term: 2003 to 2014

Context

At the time of Namibia’s independence in 1990, nearly all commercial farmland was in the ownership of the white minority, with only 2.7% belonging to the disadvantaged black farmers. The ownership structures of the commercial farms are established in written deeds in accordance with modern legislation. Meanwhile, arrangements for using communal land and the frequently overlapping land use rights are generally the subject of verbal agreements and are covered by traditional law. The Namibian Government faces the challenge of introducing a land reform that distributes land fairly while also protecting land rights. At the same time, it is equally important to ensure the sustainable utilisation of natural resources to prevent their overexploitation.

Objective

Namibia is pursuing a uniform land reform strategy which takes into account the interests of all stakeholders. This ensures that the use and management of land are properly planned, and that the employees of the responsible institutions, as well as the wider population, are made duly aware of the importance of sustainable land use.

Approach

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project is assisting the Namibian Ministry of Lands and Resettlement with the development of management, planning, and mediation capacities within governmental authorities, agricultural unions and other institutions, and among the local population. A comprehensive strategy for land reform has been developed, which will open the way to fair and equitable access to land in Namibia. As well as implementing this strategy and fostering intensive dialogue between all the stakeholders affected by land reform, the project is involved in the following main activities.

• Registration of land rights in communal areas, with specific measures to improve access to land for women
• Supporting communal land boards in dealing effectively with land disputes
• Provision of training for up to 3,500 motivated communal farmers and up to 1,500 resettled farmers
• Creation of integrated regional land use plans (IRLUP) in a participatory process, as the planning-basis for rural investments by the line ministries
• Development of a monitoring and evaluation system

Results achieved so far

A team of Namibian and international land-rights experts have developed a comprehensive strategy for land reform. Through the work undertaken by the project, the communal land boards have learned how to register and measure plots, to arbitrate in disputes, to familiarise themselves with legal aspects, and to monitor the sustainable and productive use of land.

By the end of 2011, nearly 60,000 communal land rights had been registered and the owners now possess official land use rights certificates. This means they have secured their tenure rights, which ensures higher security for their investments. Improved legal rights and guarantees of access to land are particularly important for women and marginalised population groups.

By the end of 2011, around seven million hectares of commercial farmland had been redistributed to landless and previously disadvantaged Namibian citizens. 21% of the commercial farmland has already changed ownership, which accounts for 40% of the Namibian Government’s target to redistribute 15 million hectares by 2020. A mentoring programme ensures that experienced commercial farmers transfer their knowledge to 2,500 resettled farmers who thus gradually learn to improve their production techniques and productivity.

The first integrated regional land use plans have been developed for southern Namibia, and are currently being implemented. This process has also resulted in a broad dialogue, and has highlighted the importance of stronger cooperation between citizens and the government, as a way of minimising future land use conflicts.