Land Allocation for Social and Economic Development

Project description

Title: Land Allocation for Social and Economic Development (LASED)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Cambodia
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC)
Overall term: 2007 to 2012

Context

Cambodia’s economy has grown continuously over the past ten years. The growth base, however, is narrow and mostly concentrated in the tourism and textile sectors. Although the share of households living below the poverty line fell from almost half to a little more than one-third (2004), the number of poor in rural areas sank at a distinctly slower rate than in the cities. The development gap grows steadily wider. Because of rapid population growth and the meagre absorption capacity of other economic sectors, the slow-growing agriculture sector, on which 80 percent of the population depend for employment and income, will in the near future have to continue to be the subsistence basis for most people. Access to land is therefore of critical importance.

Objective

Formerly landless and land-poor families develop the land resources they are granted and use needs-oriented rural services, improving their livelihoods and subsistence bases.

Approach

Pilot measures in three provinces – Kratie, Kampong Cham and Kampong Thom – for land grants (SLC) to landless and land-poor households serve to develop a countrywide implementation strategy. The project links land concessions with parallel measures for rural development: infrastructure, advising and training, access to markets. Communes will be involved more than ever in the procedures and services. Networking the communes with private and other public service providers will also be promoted.
Results achieved so far

In two of three pilot provinces, the implementation of land grants has begun through social land concessions (SLC).

Planning for further SLC was begun in the commune planning (2008 to 2012) for countrywide expansion of the programme. Information and training measures for additional communes are conducted continuously.