19/02/2015 Land governance and food security – new knowledge agenda launched

The Food & Business Knowledge Platform (F&BKP) and the Netherlands Academy on Land Governance (LANDac) have developed a knowledge agenda on land governance and food security. Two activities have been taken up: a scoping study on the linkages between land governance and food security, and the development of a capacity building trajectory on the same issues.

Scoping study

LANDac has conducted a scoping study to gain insight into the complex linkages between land governance and food security. By focusing on the Dutch floriculture sector in four East African countries, the study provides insights into land governance – policies and regulations governing the access to and use of land – and how this relates to food security, both directly and indirectly. While research has been carried out to evaluate the socio-economic and environmental impacts of these investments, there is a significant knowledge gap in the land governance arrangements around the investments and how the investments impact local food security. The assignment has been executed by Evans Kirigia (an external regional consultant) and LANDac researchers. Results are expected this summer and interested actors are invited to work on the follow-up of these results. 

Capacity building trajectory

LANDac has started the development of a capacity building trajectory on land governance and food security. The main component of this activity is the curriculum development of three country-specific trajectories for policy makers, development practitioners and private sector stakeholders in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda. The aim of these four-day capacity building trajectories is to provide participants and their organizations with the knowledge to deal with issues of land governance and food security in their countries. Four issues central to this objective include an increased understanding of the complex linkages between land governance and food security; offering practical tools for improvement; linking up experts in countries; and scaling up of individual capacities to organizational and societal level. A related output of the capacity building trajectory is the updating and expansion of the existing LANDac country factsheets on land governance and food security (2012). Actors active in this field in the four countries are welcome to contact LANDac about this trajectory. 

Follow-up

Various activities of the Knowledge Agenda will be linked. Findings and outcomes of the scoping study will feed into the capacity building trajectory. The study and the trajectory will also be linked to ongoing LANDac activities, including the annual two-week summer course Land Governance for Development, knowledge dissemination activities and the upcoming LANDac International Conference in July 2015.

If you are interested in receiving more information about the scoping study or the capacity building trajectory, please contact the F&BKP Office: vanessa.nigten@knowledge4food.net or the LANDac coordinator: g.betsema@uu.nl.