Time: 10-11 AM EST
Presenter: Hosaena Ghebru, Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Moderator: Frank Place, Director, PIM
Organizer: CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM)

Access to land and land tenure security are increasingly important for young people in Africa where population pressure has reduced the land frontier. In this webinar, we will discuss findings from a recent set of studies in Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Nigeria that examined land access and perceived tenure security across various market, ecological, demographic, and cultural dynamics. A key finding is that, despite positive policy reforms at the national level, implementation has been weak and uneven within countries. As a result, land rights of the most vulnerable groups – poor smallholders, women, and migrants – have often eroded under the pressures of growing population, commercialization of agriculture, and commodification of land. These groups are particularly vulnerable since their rights over land are often subsidiary and undocumented.

The lack of proper enforcement and implementation of the reform process, mainly due to the lack of financial and technical capacity, as well as rent-seeking and corruption, continue to undermine the position of vulnerable groups in sub-Saharan Africa vis-à-vis land. The results of the studies emphasize the need for more pragmatic and endogenous policy reform processes, which account for the local administrative capacities, to ensure the sustainability of programs and interventions. The presentation concludes with a discussion of how the research teams are feeding their findings into ongoing policy discussions.

Presenter

Hosaena Ghebru (Ph.D) is Research Fellow at the Development and Governance Division of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Dr. Ghebru undertakes applied microeconomics research with a focus on property rights, land markets, and investment incentives. He is also specializing in gender-disaggregated impact evaluations of various land policy and governance reforms, assessing how those influence agricultural productivity and contribute to sustainable land management and intra-household welfare and bargaining power in selected African countries, including Nigeria, Mozambique, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Uganda. Dr. Ghebru is also coordinator of the “Monitoring and Evaluation of Land governance in Africa” (MELA) project, a pilot initiative designed to track progress in implementation of the African Union’s Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in 10 selected African countries (Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia).

On April 5, 2018, USAID LandLinks, Marketlinks and Agrilinks hosted an online, interactive presentation of the results from the recent, voluntary Investor Survey on Land Rights, which was conducted from October 2017 to February 2018.

Until now, information related to land tenure and resource rights primarily focused on cataloging information related to the geographic area under various forms of tenure or the location and size of land transactions, while project-level information and investor perceptions were missing. The Investor Survey on Land Rights fills the gap by reporting on private sector perceptions of land tenure risks and their strategies to address them.

This webinar shared results from the survey and provided evidence that investors quantitatively and qualitatively account for land risks in their investment decisions and actively work to mitigate potential land risks, and that when land risks materialize, there can be large financial impacts. The webinar also looked at successful business models that have been deployed to reduce risks for investors and provide benefits to local communities, also highlighted in the survey and report.

Jeffrey Hatcher of Indufor North America, presented and discussed the survey findings, and Finn Jacobsen of African Plantations for Sustainable Development (APSD) and Oriane Plédran of The Moringa Partnership discussed their live investment projects that seek to create benefits for their shareholders and local communities alike. The panel discussion was moderated by USAID’s Sarah Lowery.

Topics covered in the presentation of findings may include:

• Investor perceptions of how land-based risks have increased in recent years
• Perceived importance of land and resource rights in making investment decisions
• Approaches to measuring and/or pricing land tenure and resource-related risks
• Risk mitigation strategies for issues related to land and resource rights
• Case studies of successful, responsible land-based investments

Thursday, April 5, 2018
8:00 – 9:00 am EDT

Watch the Recorded Webinar!

Panelists

Jeffrey Hatcher

Managing Director of Indufor North America

Jeffrey Hatcher is the Managing Director of Indufor North America, which provides sustainability and investment consulting services to public and private clients. He previously served as Director of Global Programs for the Rights and Resources Group where he led analytical projects on forest tenure policies, climate change, and investment risks. He began his career at the FAO Emergency and Land Tenure services in Sudan supporting the implementation of the land policy provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and land restitution for internally displaced people. He holds an MBA with a focus on finance from INSEAD, an MA in Development Studies from the University of Pavia, and a BA in International Relations from the College of William and Mary.

Finn Jacobsen

CEO of African Plantations for Sustainable Development (APSD)

Finn Jacobsen, CEO of African Plantations for Sustainable Development (APSD), has worked in the pulp and paper industry worldwide. APSD was incorporated by Erling S. Lorentzen with the aim to promote and facilitate sustainable forestry-based industrial investments in Africa. Since 2010, Mr. Jacobsen and Mr. Lorentzen have been developing eucalyptus plantations and a power generation facility near Atebubu, on the western shores of Lake Volta in central Ghana.

Oriane Plédran

Impact Officer, The Moringa Partnership

Since 2014, Ms. Plédran has worked on outgrower scheme development to include local communities into agri-business development and enhance positive social and environmental impacts. She specializes in agroforestry projects, ESG risk and impact analysis. She gained strong field experience in Nicaragua and Peru – where she performed socio-economic analysis of coffee and cocoa farmers – in Cameroon and India. Ms. Plédran graduated in International Affairs at Sciences Po Lyon and in Development Economics and Sustainable Development at CERDI, the French Research Centre dedicated to International Development. She is now a PhD Candidate at Sorbonne Paris Citeì (Paris Diderot) in Economics, co- directed by researchers from IRD and CIRAD. She focuses on the advancement of agroforestry practices through integration strategies and contract farming – in cocoa and coffee value chains.

Discussion Moderator

Sarah Lowery

Economist and Public-Private Finance Specialist, USAID E3/Land and Urban Office

Ms. Lowery leads the Land and Urban Office’s work on integrated finance for sustainable land use and responsible private sector investment. She focuses on the link between secure land tenure, increased investments and inclusive economic growth. Prior to joining USAID, Ms. Lowery managed the Public-Private Co-Finance Initiative at Forest Trends and has authored several papers and thought-pieces on climate finance innovations like REDD+ bonds and ways to utilize climate finance to unlock larger pools of capital-like domestic agricultural finance in the pursuit of conservation goals. Ms. Lowery holds an MBA and a master’s degree in Environmental Management from Yale University.

Join USAID LandLinks and a panel of experts, for an interactive online discussion on Mangrove Forest Restoration and Management: Social and Governance Dimensions, Thursday, February 15, 2018, starting at 9:00 am EST.

Mangrove activities have primarily focused around the biophysical and ecological dimensions of mangrove planting and protection; while the social dimensions of mangrove restoration, including governance and tenure arrangements, have largely been left on the margins. This webinar will open the conversation about the preconditions that are necessary to successful mangrove management, and provide a learning space that encourages broad participation and discussion between USAID missions, implementing partners and the global community of mangrove experts.

Hear perspectives on these important #landmatters from mangrove experts in the field, including:

• Global Study of Mangrove Governance: Dr. Esther Mwangi from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR);
• Vietnam Coastal Spatial Planning and Mangrove Management Experiences: Dr. Nayna Jhaveri from USAID-funded Tenure and Global Climate Change project;
• Ghana Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Experiences: Dr. Steve Dennison from United States Forest Service (USFS); and
• Mozambique USAID-funded Coastal City Adaptation Project (CCAP) Experiences: Dr. Salomao Bandeira, Olanda Bata and Casimiro Antonio.

WEBINAR DETAILS

Thursday, February 15, 2018
9:00-10:30am EST
Register / Join Now

Moderator:

Stephen Brooks, Land Tenure and Resource Governance Advisor, USAID E3/Land and Urban Office

Panelists:

Esther Mwangi (CIFOR); Nayna Jhaveri (USAID-funded TGCC project); Dr. Steve Dennison (USFS Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Project); Dr. Salomao Bandeira, Olanda Bata and Casimiro Antonio (USAID-funded Coastal City Adaptation Project).

USAID LandLinks is working to support private sector partners to de-risk investments and secure legitimate land rights in order to improve livelihoods and other outcomes for communities affected by investments. Join us, along with Agrilinks, Microlinks, and a panel of experts, for an interactive online discussion on the Business Case for Land Rights: Private Sector Perspectives on Responsible Land-Based Investment.

Secure, clear land rights are critical for sustainable land-based investments. But in the developing world, where an estimated 70 percent of land is unregistered, it can be challenging to understand who has legitimate land and resource rights, and land grabs and land rights abuses are often associated with commercial investments.

Featuring USAID partners, The Hershey Company and ECOM Agroindustrial Corporation, this webinar will explore how these companies think about and address land tenure risks in their supply chains. We will also delve into why and how these two companies are working with USAID to mitigate land tenure risks for their suppliers and increase cocoa yields in Ghana. Olga Gormalova (ECOM Agroindustrial) and Jeff King (Hershey’s) will be speaking, with Sarah Lowery (USAID) moderating.

Thursday, November 2, 2017
2:00 – 3:00 pm EDT

Watch the webinar recording!

You can also connect on Twitter using the hashtag #BusinessCase4Land.

Panelists

Jeff King

Senior Director of Sustainability, CSR, and Social Innovation for the Hershey Company

Jeff King is responsible for Hershey’s sustainability and farmer livelihoods programming, philanthropic giving and community programs, as well as leading Hershey’s commitment to childhood nutrition programs and expanding economic development in underserved communities. Prior to this position King was responsible for the strategic direction and regional execution for the Hershey Company’s two biggest franchises, as the Sr. Director Global Hershey and Reese’s. Additionally, he led Hershey’s new business model in Ghana that combines CSR activities with commercial development, specifically supporting the health and nutrition of Ghanaian children and the launching of a new, nutrition focused snacking brand in Africa.

King has also been the Director of Disruptive Innovation for The Hershey Company, and Sr. Brand Manager for the U.S. Reese’s Franchise. King joined the Hershey Company in 2008 from Procter and Gamble and also spent time in merchandise retailing at Victoria’s Secret and Lazarus Department Stores.

Olga Gormalova

General Manager, ECOM Agroindustrial’s Sustainable Management Services Ghana and Nigeria

Olga Gormalova has overseen sustainability programs of ECOM in Ghana and Nigeria since 2012. Olga comes from an international development background (MSc International Development – School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK) and has been working on health, education, and community development in the UK, India, Kenya, and Liberia since 2007. She is passionate about finding the most efficient and innovative solutions to deliver services to rural populations with an aim of improving their prosperity. In Ghana and Nigeria she has been overseeing a team of more than 160 staff, of which 130 are field based Agronomists.

ECOM Agroindustrial Corp. Ltd is a leading global commodity merchant and sustainable supply chain management company. As an origin-integrated business operating in over 40 major producing countries worldwide, ECOM focuses primarily on coffee, cotton, and cocoa, as well as participating in selected other agricultural product markets.

Discussion Moderator

Sarah Lowery

Economist and Public-Private Finance Specialist, USAID E3/Land and Urban Office

Ms. Lowery leads work on integrated finance for sustainable land use and responsible private sector investment. She focuses on the link between secure land tenure and inclusive economic growth and leads econometric and financial analysis related to strengthened land tenure and access to finance. Ms. Lowery holds an MBA and a master’s degree in Environmental Management from Yale University.

Ms. Lowery brings over 12 years of experience at the intersection of business, finance, and the environment. Prior to joining USAID, Ms. Lowery managed the Public-Private Co-Finance Initiative at Forest Trends and has authored several papers and thought-pieces on climate finance innovations like REDD+ bonds and ways to utilize climate finance to unlock larger pools of capital-like domestic agricultural finance in the pursuit of conservation goals.

Join USAID LandLinks and a panel of experts for an interactive online discussion on land and conflict. Around the world, concerns related to access to and development of land and resources, equitable use of valuable resources, and distribution of revenues associated with land and resource use drive disputes and violence. These diverse and widespread conflicts are often tied to weaknesses in the land sector—particularly to problems associated with land governance. Finding practical, actionable strategies to address these land-related conflicts can help to promote greater transparency, accountability, and resilience; and reduce conflict and support for violent extremism.

Did you miss the live webinar? View the recording here.

You can also connect on Twitter using the hashtag #LandAndConflict and check out this brief on Land and Conflict before the event.

Discussion Moderator

Kim Thompson

USAID’s Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance

Kim Thompson is a Foreign Service Environment Officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and currently serves in the Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation in Washington, DC. She specializes in the linkages between natural resources and conflict. Kim has served overseas at USAID Missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Thailand. Prior to joining USAID, she worked at the World Resources Institute and the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute. She holds an MA in Environmental Policy and International Development from the London School of Economics.

Panelists

Zemen Haddis, PhD

Senior Agricultural Policy Advisor, USAID/Ethiopia

Dr. Haddis manages USAID’s LAND project, which focuses on the land rights formalization process in Chifra and Amibara woredas (administrative zones similar to counties) in Afar, Ethiopia. The project works with pastoral communities in Ethiopia to support the formal recognition of customary land rights and strengthen the capacity of formal and customary pastoral land administration and land use institutions.

Anna Knox

Chief of Party, USAID/Colombia’s Land and Rural Development Program

Anna Knox is currently serving as the Chief of Party for the USAID Land and Rural Development Program (LRDP) in Colombia for Tetra Tech ARD, supporting land restitution, land tenure formalization, and rural development. She previously led a USAID project in Rwanda that contributed to an evidence-based approach to policy-making on land and aims to strengthen the capacity of Rwandan research institutions to carry out rigorous policy research. Prior to this, she directed Landesa/RDI’s program in Sub-Saharan Africa where she directly engaged in work in Liberia, Rwanda, Angola, Ghana, Mali, and Burkina Faso. She has extensive experience working on USAID projects, particularly task orders issued under the Property Rights and Resource Governance Program and its predecessor. Beyond her work on project design and implementation, Ms. Knox has done research and published on a wide variety of subjects, including bridging customary and statutory land rights, gender and land rights, land/natural resource tenure and climate change, property rights and technology adoption, devolution of natural resource governance, collective action for watershed management, and participatory monitoring and evaluation. Her experience in land and resource tenure relates principally to Africa and Latin America, where she has cultivated particular expertise on issues of customary tenure, common property, governance of landscape level resources, women’s land and housing rights, and land tenure reform. She has designed and implemented assessment methodologies for resource tenure and governance, and is particularly knowledgeable on methods and issues of participatory rural appraisal (PRA), monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and impact assessment.

Jon Unruh, PhD

Associate Professor, McGill University

Dr. Unruh has over 25 years experience in developing and implementing research, policy and practice on war-affected land and property rights in the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and has published widely on these topics. His specialty is housing, land, and property (HLP) restitution claims in war-affected scenarios. Most recently he has assisted the UN in a mass claims HLP restitution project in Yemen; and he is currently working on an approach for mass HLP restitution claims for Syrian refugees regarding their lands and properties in Syria. Dr. Unruh has also conducted research and policy work regarding HLP in, Sudan, Liberia, Somalia, Mozambique, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, Madagascar, Cambodia, Angola, Cameroon, Jordan, Colombia, Peru, Zanzibar, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia, and remotely on Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. He has worked with the UN, The World Bank, USAID, DFID, and other multilateral and bilateral donors and NGOs.