LANDnet Uganda was founded in 2012 as a Network engaged in Research, Capacity Development and Policy Advocacy on Land, Gender, Agriculture and Natural Resources Management. Because of the role LANDnet is envisaged to play in the political economy of Uganda and the East African region, it is registered as a company Limited by guarantee.
LANDnet offers capacity development, research and organizational management and development to the public, private sectors and to Civil Society Organizations. It seeks to build capacity of young professionals in land governance taking into consideration the emerging body of knowledge in land and natural resources management practices building in to this the fundamentals of gender equality and other social and cultural rights.
LANDnet Is A Value Network Comprising A Range Of Stakeholders Acting Together With The Aim Of Having A Significant Effect On Development Outcomes From Land Governance Initiatives. Between The Different Stakeholders, Different Forms Of Formal And In-Formal Relationships Are Emerging That Will Broaden The Scope And Reach Of LANDnet Beyond Uganda’s Boarders. Central To LANDnet’s Work Is To Build And Strengthen Three Kinds Of Relationships: Advocacy platforms to carry key messages and represent positions agreed to by non-state actors relating to land governance and associated sectors, carrying the key messages and taking action towards reform or actions that are agreed upon.. Knowledge management and sharing platforms that will seek to generate new knowledge using participatory and inclusive approaches, package and share this new knowledge for policy influence and practice change in a manner that will be meaningful to the target groups of LANDnet’s interventions. At the core of this is building the capacity of young professionals in the practice of different aspects of land governance. Multi-stakeholder dialogues that aim at building consensus and raising a collective voice on key pertinent and emerging issues in land governance and the associated sectors in Uganda LANDnet’s Vision, Mission And Objectives Vision
Uganda’s land and natural resources used productively, efficiently and sustainably for present and future generations.
Mission
Create an enabling environment for effective participation of all stakeholders in the efficient use and management of Uganda’s land resources for sustainable development.
1. Capacity Development Training of Trainers, Gender Analysis and integration,Young Professionals skills and competence development... Read More
2. Research Research is at the core of innovation and at the heart of LANDnet’s value proposition. Research at LANDnet aims at practice change and... Read More
3. Advocacy and Policy Influencing The LANDnet team has a wealth of experience in advocacy and policy influencing and will use this knowledge to... Read More
4. Democratic Governance & Accountability Land rights are the bedrock for the achievement of other development goals including sustainable livelihood, peace, security and... Read More 1. Influencing law and policy for practice change in land governance to enhance security of tenure for women Read More
2. Influencing the increase in documentation of land rights for women Read More
3. Increasing women’s participation in land governance Read More
4. Promoting gender sensitivity and awareness in Uganda Read More Property is not merely the assets them-selves, but consensus between people about how these assets should be held, used, and exchanged. Moreover, property rights to land are not static, but evolve in response to changes in the economic and social environment. Unless property rights to land are defined in a way that will allow those making the investment to reap at least part of the benefits, none of those investment activities will be undertaken voluntarily.
Historically, this has been one of the driving forces underlying the adoption of more secure property rights as well as the development of social structures to facilitate collective action to engage in land related investment. By defining who is entitled to reap the benefit streams that flow from a given resource and thereby establishing correspondence between the effort expended in trying to increase the value of this resource and the reward to be had from such activity, land rights are not only a key element of the social fabric of most societies, but also a critical determinant of investment, and thus of economic growth.
The nature and characteristics of rights and enforcement institutions together define the perceived security of property rights to land, and it is this security that will affect decisions about land use, land related investments, and the willingness to engage in land transfers.
To Increase The Security Of Property Rights, Legal And Institutional Issues Need To Be Tackled In Tandem Or Evolve Jointly, With Reference To The Broader Social And Economic Environment Within Which Land Rights Are Embedded. On The Legal Side, The Definition Of Property Rights To Land And The Way In Which People Can Acquire Them Must Be Clear And Equitable, In Line With Practice On The Ground. Rights Must Be Sufficiently Long-Term And Risks Of Losing Them To Discretionary Bureaucratic Behaviour Must Be Eliminated. On The Institutional Side, Procedures Need To Be Formulated, Institutions Need To Be Accessible, And Services Should Be Provided Effectively And At Low Cost. All This Implies That Beyond The Formulated General Principles, Practical Implementation Of Any Measures To Increase The Security Of Tenure Has To Start With In-Depth Analysis Of The Current Situation. If The Administrative Infrastructure Is Thin And Resources Are Scarce, This Will Imply A Significant Role For The Local Communities. Land reforms that increase land tenure security through documentation of land rights and reduction of land disputes especially under customary tenure provides an incentive to the communities to invest in land improvements .These reduce agricultural productivity, a large reduction in land disputes and tenure security results into investment and economic growth. 1. Rural Urban Linkages Discussions at UN-Habitat and the ECOSOC Integration Segment on Sustainable Urbanization 2014 have concluded... Read More
2. Participatory Urban Planning Participation in planning can empower communities and build social capital, lead to better design of urban projects and... Read More
3. Enhancing the Right to Housing According to Vision 2040, the government commits that by 2030, it shall: “Ensure access for all to adequate, safe and... Read More Gender equality is not Equality of Outcomes but equality of Rights, Resources and Voice. Gender roles are shaped by ideological, religious, ethnic, economic and cultural factors and are a key determinant of the distribution of responsibilities and resources between men and women. Being socially determined, however, this distribution can be changed through conscious social action, including public policy aimed at both sexes. Every society is marked by gender differences, but these vary widely by culture and can change dramatically overtime.” (Hazel and Sally, 2002)
Despite of the existence of numerous human rights frameworks and its enshrinement in the Ugandan constitutions, the terrain of rights remains a dynamic, political arena where some interest groups’ rights compete and conflict with others. Whose rights take precedence when conflicts emerge? Rights and policies that protect the women and improve their lives do not come in neat packages either, but rather are part of dynamic, sometimes messy, processes of resistance and change that work to engage and transform relations of power.
Customary practice and socially defined gender roles usually dictate that collectively held land is governed through traditional decision-making systems and structures, which are most often male-dominated. When women are not meaningfully involved in governance, their interests are often ignored, and their rights to the land and resources can be weakened or lost. Meaningful participation goes beyond mere presence at a meeting; it must include the space and knowledge to speak safely, the opportunity to have their voices heard and also respected equally with others, and the confidence to speak their own thoughts that are free from social or familial influence or pressure. The timing, place, and style of conducting meetings can also exclude women, who might not have the same availability or engagement style as men.
Much participation work over the recent past has focused on and made gains in enabling communities and groups to analyze their reality and to define and carry out solutions to local development problems. In addition, some programs that advance participation have helped to increase sensitivities about gender and other differences and have influenced changes in attitude and behavior. However, participation is often framed narrowly as a methodology to improve project performance, rather than a process of fostering critical consciousness and decision-making as the basis for active citizenship. Rarely is participation implemented as a mutual decision-making process, where different actors share power and set agendas jointly. Participation, in this sense, involves conflict, and demands a capacity to analyze and alter unequal relations at all levels. Besides a vision of participation as a methodology and decision-making process, a critical analysis of different spaces of participation is becoming increasingly important to building effective rights-based change strategies.
LANDnet values participation that seeks to:
Include marginalized groups as protagonists and decision-makers and foster their critical consciousness and ability to influence and transform power dynamics as well as the norms, systems and institutions that affect their lives. Go beyond perfunctory consultations in externally imposed project and policy processes so that local groups can be involved in agenda-setting, decision-making and structures to hold government and donors accountable. Build new leadership, strengthen local organization, expand strategic and political experience, and foster a sense of active, informed citizenship. Change public decision-making structures and processes to be more inclusive of citizens’ interests as well as promote individual and group awareness of rights. Unpack prevailing myths and unstated assumptions about all stakeholders being equal in power and poor communities being homogeneous. Support grassroots efforts to challenge power hierarchies within their own communities and organizations. Link rights efforts to concrete, relevant problems and solutions. Weave in expert knowledge into strategies and analysis, where needed, so that communities can deal more effectively with a range of institutions and policies shaping their choices and livelihoods. Create a sense of individual empowerment, dignity, and autonomy as a basis from which to engage with dominant forms of power and knowledge and to negotiate with existing power structures. Recognize the differences between closed, invited, and claimed policy spaces of participation so that communities and NGOs use their resources strategically to affect change rather than being co-opted by official agendas that have little impact. LANDnet aims to address barriers to women’s land rights by building capacity and awareness among community leaders and community members to (a) safeguard and promote women’s rights of voice and participation in community decision making; (b) increase the participation of grassroots women in local and regional organisations through movement building; and (c) to provide support and guidance to community/clan/tribal groups in developing and/or amending their internal governance instruments.
Strategic Objective 4: By 2022 LANDnet will have strengthened women’s participation in land governance at community, local and national level
Outcome:
Increased women’s access, use and control over land and other productive resources Increased rural women’s involvement in land tenure governance in their communities Key activities
Developing and implementing a training programme to build capacity among rural women on gender equality, leadership, land rights, and prior consultation and negotiation. Facilitating an exchange of experiences among rural women leaders on land governance and gender equality. Supporting the participation of indigenous and peasant women in local and regional organisations, advising them as needed to improve the content and presentation (through training on public speaking) of their participation and to cultivate their leadership skills. Increasing community awareness of the importance of the participation of women leaders and community leaders in community governance structures. Supporting rural communities in the development and modification of community governance instruments (particularly Community Statutes) to safeguard women’s rights to participate in decisions and to own land. Preparing and disseminating studies on women’s and men’s access to land to elucidate the formal aspects that enable or impede women’s access to land. Supporting local and regional exposure visits, and sharing strategies for incorporating national, regional, and local public policies on land governance and women. Strategic Objective 5: By 2022 LANDnet will have enhanced the active participation of women land professionals in land governance at various levels
Outcome:
Increased number of women professionals engaging in land governance at national and local level.
Key activities
Recruiting at least 2 young women professionals from institutions of higher learning as interns in LANDnet annually. Influencing the recruitment of land professionals in the land sector to meetat least the 1/3 quota number for women. Provide career guidance in secondary schools to increase the number of women joining the different land professional courses at university. Taking affirmative action in capacity development programs to include more women than men professionals Create a network for women land professionals in Uganda.