an Eldis Resource
Land policy options for development and poverty reduction - civil society views for pro-poor land policies and laws in Zambia
Considering civil society when designing land policy in Zambia
Authors:
; Zambia Land Alliance
Publisher:
Southern African Regional Poverty Network , 2008
This paper points out the key challenges for land administration and management in Zambia that have been identified by civil society actors:
- patronage and corruption
- inadequate participation by communities
- centralised, discriminatory and inefficient land conflict resolution mechanisms
- too many laws and practices
- inadequate environmental management
- lack of viable land market regulation
- disregard for land use planning
- discrimination of vulnerable groups in accessing and holding land
- abandonment of agricultural land
- increases land tenure security
- creates public land managed by local authorities
- sets aside land to protect areas of significant biological or cultural significance
- develops legislation on customary land
- provides transparency and accountability with regard to leasehold land
- ensures access to land for persons living with HIV/AIDS or disabilities
- outlaws traditional practices hindering women’s land ownership
- creates and enforces a strict inheritance system favouring children and youths
- defines rules for land ownership by non-Zambians
- reviews land redistribution
- ensures good governance with regard to land registration and deeds, mapping and survey, land use planning, land market operations, land dispute resolution, environmental management and mining supervision
- creates a Land Reform Unit to develop an implementation plan for land policy
- creates a Land Commission for transparent, accountable and independent land allocation
- a mechanism to revise the current draft land policy to address the views of stakeholders
- dissemination of the completed draft
- discussions at public meetings throughout the country
- a National Conference to agree on the content of the draft
