Includes an interview with Amanda Massaquoi;member of the Informal Alliance Against Industrial Oil Palm Plantations in West and Central Africa;who is supporting women in Sierra Leone who are opposing the oil palm plantations model. In practice women are not included in decision-making on land and there is a prevalent violence towards women from within communities. Attempts to synchronize all land laws have not been successful.

In Uganda land remains the most sought–after natural resource;but legal and structural mechanisms have not been effective in addressing illegal land evictions faced by vulnerable communities. Most local investors have taken advantage of the structural gaps in land administration which have exacerbated the issuance of multiple titles. This has been compounded by Uganda’s weak justice system and excesses perpetrated by some police officers and the military. In recent times Uganda has witnessed catastrophic forced evictions across the country.

Post-Soviet reforms in Kyrgyzstan during the 1990s and early 2000s included the allocation of land for long time use and eventual ownership to residents. 75% of arable land, including over 1 million hectares of agriculture land was distributed during this period. Land certificates named all family members, including minor children, and over half of all shares were distributed to women. However, census data and survey reports since initial distributions reveal that land ownership by women, and especially rural women, has significantly declined.

This case study reviews available literature on the land tenure situation of women in Sierra Leone and analyses the impact of an FAO project in two rural villages in ensuring that women are better able to claim their customary rights to land.