USAID Rwanda LAND Project | Page 2 | Land Portal

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Rwanda
RW

The LAND Project is a five year program supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Its primary goal is strengthening the resilience of Rwandan citizens, communities and institutions and their ability to adapt to land-related economic, environmental and social changes.

Resilience is defined as “the ability to withstand or recover from difficult conditions.” It also comprises the ability of human and ecological systems to recover from shocks or difficult changes, and to transform to a better condition by responding flexibly and creatively to stress factors. In Rwanda, land tends to be one of the primary assets citizens rely on to buffer against difficult conditions and rapid change. 

The project’s central objectives are twofold:

1.Increased capacity of local Rwandan institutions to generate high quality, evidence-based research on land-related issues that can be used by the Government, civil society organizations, and Rwandan citizens.  

2. Increased understanding of land laws, policies, regulations, and legal judgments on land-related issues by GOR officials, local civil society organizations, research institutes and citizens.

Key outcomes of the project include:

  • Holding annual National Land Research Agenda workshops to establish the research priorities of land sector stakeholders that the LAND Project will support. These workshops bring together multiple stakeholders from government, civil society and the research community;
  • Supporting research on land-related issues through competitive awards to Rwandan research institutions, universities, and civil society organizations, and providing tailored capacity building assistance to improve research and advocacy capabilities;
  • Offering training and other support to legal assistance providers to enhance their capacity to support women and vulnerable populations in understanding and realizing their land rights;
  • Training local land authorities on the implementation of the land law and regulations. 
  • Carrying out research on critical land issues, including gendered land rights in practice, community rights to resources in and around protected areas, and expropriation. 
  • Managing a land-focused website to improve research, communications, and policy advocacy efforts that are focused on land, and to act as a vehicle for enhancing collaboration between actors working in the land sector;
  • Providing organizational development support to civil society organizations supporting women’s land rights. 
  • Supporting innovative and coordinated communications approaches by civil society and government that enhance the knowledge of Rwandan citizens about research findings and their land rights.

Because the LAND Project is a five year endeavor, we are seeking an institution that has the interest, capacity, skills and resources to eventually take over hosting and maintenance of the website, ensuring it stays up-to-date and relevant to the land sector stakeholder community. If your organization is potentially interested in assuming management of this site, please contact us and tell us why you believe your institution would be an ideal candidate. 

USAID Rwanda LAND Project Resources

Displaying 6 - 10 of 148
Library Resource
Reports & Research
September, 2015
Africa

Comprises background and research objectives, literature review, research methodology, research findings, conclusions and recommendations. Believes that local authorities should be sensitized to the urgent need to bring sustainable and just resolution to intra-household disputes as there is a tendency for these to result in violence against women disputants. Dispute resolution bodies may be more successful if they adopt mediation approaches and work with men to understand why gender equal land rights can serve their interests as well.

Library Resource
Policy Papers & Briefs
September, 2015
Rwanda, Uganda, Botswana, Senegal, Zambia, Tanzania

Rwanda has nearly 280,000 hectares of wetlands, almost 11% of the country’s total
area.1 These wetlands provide critical habitats for wildlife and biodiversity, maintain
important hydrologic processes that help to clean and protect ground and surface
water, support a variety of local livelihoods and largely define Rwanda’s idyllic
undulating topography.
2 Despite their ecological and economic importance, Rwanda’s
wetlands are being degraded and lost faster than any other ecosystem, with

Library Resource
Reports & Research
September, 2015
Rwanda

This research, entitled "The Impact of Gendered Legal Rights to Land on the Prevalence and Nature of Intra- and Inter-Household Disputes" set out to interrogate the changing landscape of gendered land rights in Rwanda, and to examine the impact of the statutory changes introduced by laws governing land, inheritance, succession and matrimonial property passed between 1999 and 2013.

Library Resource
The Impact of Gendered Legal Rights to Land on the Prevalence and Nature of Intra-Household Land Disputes cover image
Reports & Research
September, 2015
Rwanda

This research investigates the changing landscape of gendered land rights in Rwanda, and examines the impact of the statutory changes introduced by laws governing land, inheritance, succession and matrimonial property passed between 1999 and 2013. In addition to assessing the extent to which gendered, land-related legal provisions are put into practice and rights secured, this research also seeks to understand whether changes introduced to the legal framework gave rise to land disputes, and if so, the types of land disputes provoked and whether they involved gender-based violence.

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