ZAMBIA LAND ALLIANCE Advancing Agricultural Development through Securing Community Land Rights in Zambia PRESENTATION BY : NSAMA NSEMIWE CHIKOLWA

Background to Zambia Land Alliance (ZLA)  ZLA was formed in 1997  It is a network of like-minded organisations  Works in partnership with community members and other key players to advocate for land laws, policies and administrative practices that equally benefits all Zambians especially the poor.  Works through national members and partners, branches at district level in the implementation of its activities.  Implementing various land related projects that boarder on land policy, large scale investments and customary land tenure security.

Background to Zambia Land Alliance (ZLA) Cont’ Vision A Zambia in which the rural, peri-urban and the urban poor and vulnerable have secured access, ownership and control over land for sustainable development. Mission Statement A platform for collective action committed to promoting equitable access, control and secured ownership of land by the rural, peri-urban, urban poor and marginalised. Strategic goal ( ) To contribute to improved security of tenure for sustainable development and secure livelihoods by the end of Strategies Advocacy, communication and networking, research and community partnership.

Land tenure systems in Zambia  Zambia has a dual tenure system namely statutory and customary tenure  Statutory land is administered by the state through government agents while customary land is administered by the traditional leaders  Statutory land occupants are given title deeds as a form of security while customary land occupants are not given any form documentation which puts them at risk of being evicted from their land

Land tenure and food security  Land is a primary factor of production. Yet its access, acquisition and ownership or securing rights to land especially amongst the poor population in Zambia is a major problem.  The need for secured tenure can not be over emphasised as land is a major factor of production and people’s food security depends on it  The majority of Zambians live on customary land and earn their livelihood through farming on their land  Lack of ownership and security of land is likely to result in hunger and perpetual poverty because community members depend on land to carry out livelihood activities e.g. Farming, Rearing of livestock and Poultry production etc

 The insecurity of customary land in some instances has caused the reluctance by the people to invest on land.  Therefore, sustained food security, poverty eradication and ensuring hunger free societies entail sustained and reliable access and ownership to land  Empowerment of the communities to have access, ownership and security to land will enhance food security  ZLA has since been promoting initiatives to improve land governance  Initiatives include: training traditional leaders on land administration, improving capturing and storage of customary land information, piloting the issuance of customary land holding certificates and mapping customary lands in order to help secure customary land.

Customary land holding certificates  Customary land holding certificates are a form of documentation of customary land that is given to customary land holders to show ownership of land  The process of certification and mapping is participatory and involves both the community members and the traditional leaders  Both the community and traditional leaders are trained on land administration which includes certification and mapping

Process of mapping at village level  Preparing the ground: visiting the target villages to explain the objectives and importance of the mapping, and discuss the methodology to be used.

Mapping  First meeting: (Orientation and Training) the para surveyors are trained on the use of hand held GPS and village land use mapping.

 First Fieldwork: (Gathering data and Sketch Mapping): The para surveyors collect coordinates using a GPS and gather detailed information on the particular parcel of land.

Process of mapping at village level (Cont’)  Second meeting: (Transcription of data on Maps): the para surveyors bring coordinates which are used to create maps  Second Fieldwork: (Feedback and Verification of Data): the para surveyors return to the community with the draft maps to verify the details on them, answer questions, and fill in gaps. The community members have an opportunity to take a critical look at the maps and discuss issues surrounding their territory.  Third meeting: (Correcting and Completing Maps): the para surveyors incorporate the information that is verified in the field and put the draft maps in final form.

CERTIFICATION AND MAPPING  After the maps have been produced, each map is attached to a certificate representing a particular parcel of land

Paralegal desks  The paralegal desks are receiving more cases every quarter and this shows that community members are gaining confidence in working with the paralegals.  The community members have been free to report their cases to Community Land Advocacy Committee (CLAC) members in their communities for submission to paralegals  Traditional leaders are working with paralegals in case resolution.  This positive working relationship is key in maintaining the traditional resolution systems as well as the good will for the desks.  It is also worth noting that the chiefs have been reporting land cases to ZLA. This shows that they recognise ZLA as a partner in advocating for the rights of the poor in the communities but also support the cause of the Alliance.

 One case being handled amongst others is the Lusaka South Multi-Facility Economic Zone (MFEZ) case  In this case, community members lived in a forest reserve (Forest 26) which has now been turned into MFEZ  Towards the end of 2015, the community members were relocated to Mpande Forest which was partly de- gazetted by the president of Zambia for occupancy  Even though relocation took place, Mpande forest was not habitable at the time. The community members had no shelter, water at a near by location and no food

Pictures of Mpande forest Community Members with their improvised shelters

 ZLA has held a number of meetings with the affected community to monitor the progress of allocating MFEZ and farm blocks

CHALLENGES  Small scale vs Commercial/Large scale land investments (Where do they meet?)  Land Fragmentation  Poor land use planning  Change takes time….  Replacement vs Adaptation  Capacity

VGGT- Guiding Principles 1. RECOGNIZE AND RESPECT legitimate holders of tenure rights, and their rights. 2. SAFEGUARD legitimate tenure rights against threats. 3. PROMOTE AND FACILITATE the enjoyment of legitimate tenure rights. 4. PROVIDE access to justice to deal with infringements. 5. PREVENT tenure disputes, conflicts, and opportunities for corruption. WE NEED TO MAKE THE VGGT WORK FOR SMALL SCALE FARMERS-POLICIES, LAWS AND PRACTICE

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