LAND-at-scale: Frequently Asked Questions

The Dutch LAND-at-scale program was launched in March last year and since then, two rounds for land intervention ideas have been released. The program seeks ideas that contribute to improving land governance in developing countries, and that ultimately support better food and nutrition security, economic development, peace and stability in these countries. At this moment, projects for 16 countries are actively being formulated in close collaboration with embassies and other in country stakeholders.

As the LAND-at-scale program is set up differently than other global land programs, with greater attention to co-creation and adaptability, we see that a number of questions posed to RVO as the program manager are recurring. Please find below some of the most frequently asked questions, as well as our answers.

If you have any other questions about the LAND-at-scale program or any country project specifically, please always feel free to reach out to landatscale@rvo.nl.

In how many and which countries is LAND-at-scale currently developing projects?

The LAND-at-scale team is working together with 16 embassies that submitted promising ideas in the first round to explore the feasibility of formulating those ideas, and developing them into fully-fledged projects. Those countries are Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Palestine Territories, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. An additional 6 ideas were rated promising in the second round that was released in January 2020, namely ideas for Brazil, eastern DRC, Iraq, Malaysia, South Africa and Sri Lanka. These ideas are currently in the pipeline and will be explored as soon as capacity and resources allow.

I have an idea for a LAND-at-scale intervention. How can I submit this?

Ideas for LAND-at-scale interventions are submitted by Embassies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. If you have an idea for a LAND-at-scale intervention, please contact the Embassy in the respective country to discuss submitting it for the program. The Embassies are more than a gateway to submission: all ideas have to align closely with Embassy priorities and contribute to their result frameworks; this also means that Embassies might involve a broader range of stakeholders in order to re-focus or strengthen the initial idea. So far, there have been two rounds for embassies to submit ideas. Currently, no new rounds are planned, but please do check LAND-at-scale communication channels (including signing up for our quarterly newsletter) to follow updates closely. Please note that potential new rounds for LAND-at-scale may have a stricter geographic and/or thematic focus than the previous ones. 

Who are going to implement the LAND-at-scale interventions? Can I/my organization be involved in implementing LAND-at-scale projects?

The LAND-at-scale program is set up to add value to and build on existing processes, and scaling successful interventions. To do that, the initial focus when developing an idea into a fully-fledged project is on the content and the intervention logic. The question of who will implement the project is addressed after the project plan has been designed and it is clear what needs to be done and what expertise is needed. Depending on the project, available expertise, and the scope and nature, RVO will examine, in coordination with the Embassy,  how the project can be financed (procurement through an open tender, subsidy or other contribution process).

The first LAND-at-scale project ideas were selected in October last year. When are the first projects going to begin?

The first projects are being contracted end of this year and beginning of 2021. The start of implementation on the ground depends on the financing arrangement, and local context (including COVID-19 measures).

How long does it take for an idea to go from selection, to development, to implementation?

The LAND-at-scale process is described in the LAND-at-scale program document. After an idea is selected, the next step is to perform a thorough feasibility study and subsequent project design. This process is participatory and depends strongly on co-creation with the involved Embassy, local partners and stakeholders, the LAND-at-scale Committee and the Netherlands field of land governance experts. Once the project is formulated, RVO will proceed to contract implementing parties after which implementation can start. The time this process takes varies per project. All contexts are different, project ideas differ in focus, size and scope, contracting methods may vary, and many other variables apply that make it impossible to provide a set timeframe.

What is the knowledge management strategy for the LAND-at-scale programme?

Knowledge Management is the third pillar of the LAND-at-scale program, as described in the program document. Knowledge management plays a critical role in bringing together lessons learned from the different country projects in the LAND-at-scale portfolio, and to communicate those lessons to a wider audience. A knowledge management strategy has been developed and implementation will start at the end of this year. Central features of the strategy are built around knowledge generation, management, sharing, use and learning. This explicitly includes strong linkages with our Monitoring and Evaluation activities, as well as feedback loops for continuous learning within and between the different projects and the wider land governance and development commmunities.

Is it possible to receive more information about a particular country project?

Everyone is always welcome to email landatscale@rvo.nl if they have questions or feedback about particular country projects, or the program as a whole. The respective program advisors are always available to provide more detailed information (provided that this is legally allowed in regards to the selected contracting procedures and the stage in which the procedure is). However, stay tuned for more active communication on the country projects as implementation begins. Keep an eye on our Land Portal page or sign up for our newsletter to stay updated!