Resource information
This report provides an overview of issues related to upland smallholder land tenure. The immediate
objective of the report is to promote a shared understanding of land tenure issues by national-level
stakeholders, with a longer term objective of improving the land tenure, livelihood and food security of
upland farm families. The report is intended for government and non-government agencies, policy
makers and those impacted by policy. The report covers four main areas: status of and trends in upland
tenure security; institutions that regulate upland tenure security; mechanisms available to ensure access
to land; and points for further consideration which could lead to increased effectiveness and equity.
Trends in the uplands include increased population growth, resettlement and concentration of
populations, fragmentation and degradation of agricultural lands, and increased loss of land to
smallholder farmers or landlessness. Declining access to land for smallholder farmers results in the
depletion of common forest resources, increased unemployment, outmigration for labor, and ultimately
food insecurity for the people who live in these areas...
