Land-Related Legal Aid in Community Driven Development Projects :
Lessons from Andhra Pradesh

This note reviews the role legal aid can
play as a catalyst to empower and strengthen the livelihoods
of the poor in a World Bank-funded project in the Indian
state of Andhra Pradesh (AP), the AP Rural Poverty Reduction
Project. This note shows how land-related legal aid
activities can be implemented to support community-driven
development project objectives. Initial evidence on the
positive impacts of legal aid on economic and social
advancement of the project's target population in AP
suggests that attention to the land rights of the poor can
significantly enhance the impact of community-driven
development projects in India. The note discusses how
projects being implemented in other states might benefit
from adoption of a land-related legal aid component.