Floss in Cadastre and Land Registration

Responsible governance of tenure and information technology systems

Access to land, shelter and natural resources and the associated tenure securi-

ty have significant implications for development. Secure access to land and other 

natural resources is crucial for hunger and poverty alleviation, and the protection 

of the environment. Land and other natural resources provide the platform for 

food and shelter, economic production and a basis for social, cultural and religious 

practices. Access to land and other natural resources is increasingly affected by 

 climate change, violent conflicts and natural disasters, population growth and 

 urbanization, and growing demands for land for agriculture and for new energy 

sources such as bioenergy. Security of tenure encourages long term investments 

on land and creates incentives for sustainable rural development.

Providing secure access to land and other natural resources is essential for the 

achievement of the World Food Summit Plan of Action and the Millennium De-

velopment Goals (MDG).

1 

Access to land is a direct factor in the alleviation of 

 hunger and rural poverty (1

st

 MDG). Rural landlessness is often the best predictor 

of poverty and hunger: the poorest are usually landless or land-poor. Inadequate 

rights of access to land and other natural resources, and insecure tenure of those 

rights, often result in extreme poverty and hunger. Women are one of the groups 

that often have fewer and weaker rights to land. Through the registration of land 

in their own names, women will get better access to credit and agricultural inputs 

(2

nd

 MDG). The project contributes indirectly to ensure environmental sustain-

ability (7

th

 MDG). Land tenure, by defining access and security of rights to land and 

other natural resources, affects how farmers decide to use the land, and whether 

they will invest in land improvements.

Weak governance is a cause of many tenure-related problems, and attempts to 

address tenure problems are affected by the quality of governance. Weak govern-

ance hinders economic growth and sustainable use of the environment, condemns 

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5

people to a life of hunger and poverty, and may result in FLOSS of lives through 

 violent conflicts. Responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural 

 resources can help to reduce hunger and poverty and to support social and eco-

nomic development. An effective and transparent land administration has an 

 important role in ensuring the responsible governance of tenure. Responsibly 

 governed tenure arrangements promote land use practices that enhance the envi-

ronment. Inevitably in the 21

st

 century IT systems are a critical element of good 

land tenure systems.