Submissions Accepted for Presentation at the World Bank Land Conference 2024

Based on rich cadastral data we examine the effects of land privatization on pasture productivity. We identify the causal effect using a design with a staggered absorbing treatment and heterogeneous treatment effects accounting for spatial spillovers. We collect a balanced panel of 16 thousand plots located in southern Kazakhstan including precise land allocation dates and remotely sensed geographic and climatic features over 24 years. Results show that land allocation has a significantly negative effect on the pasture vegetation comparable with a drought occurring once in 25 year for individual farms and ones in six years for all users on average. Controlling for the spatial spillover of privatization of neighboring land further aggravates the negative effects of titling especially in proximity to settlements. Pasture privatization under a restricted land market with imperfect institutions and high transaction costs distorts existing grazing practices and causes pastures to deteriorate.

This study examines the effects of the land registration and certification programme introduced in 1998 in the Tigray region of Ethiopia on agricultural productivity, climate change mitigation and adaptation. We use satellite-based measures of greenness and implement a difference-in-differences approach, comparing pixels on both sides of the Tigray-Amhara regional border. Results show positive and persistent effects of the programme on agricultural productivity and climate change mitigation. By examining years when adverse climate and weather events occurred, we also find evidence of increased adaptation to climate change. We show that our results are consistent with the reform enhancing farmers’ tenure security and inducing an increase in the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices.

Agricultural land is crucial for household welfare in many developing countries, and its distribution is a key determinant of achieving inclusive economic growth and transformation. Traditionally, measures of agricultural land inequality have centered on farm size distribution, using information from agricultural census data. In this paper, we propose a new conceptual framework for measuring agricultural land inequality, along with a set of derived indicators. These account, beyond land area, for additional aspects of land quality and land rights, and also consider the landless population. Our proposal introduces a reliable, cross-country comparable set of indicators. Its aim is to monitor the evolution of land inequality and its connection to development outcomes by utilizing data from both living conditions household surveys and agricultural censuses. Using data from five sub-Saharan African countries, results indicate overall inequality has increased. Furthermore, accounting for land with secure tenure rights significantly increases land inequality.

In cases where land governance reforms and intensified socio-economic development are components of negotiated political settlements, how can state and non-state actors navigate multiple land claims in areas associated with multiple indigenous groups, protracted displacement, and resultant plural land tenure regimes? This paper describes a collaborative mapping process initiated in sites in the province of Maguindanao del Sur in Southern Philippines associated with the 2014 peace agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Government of the Philippines, as well as a pending ancestral domain claim filed by the Tëduray-Lambangian indigenous community. Building on iterative conversations and collaborative mapping from December 2020 to March 2022, the work uses administrative and community-generated information to facilitate hard conversations on desired development trajectories and explore viable ways forward. The paper concludes with recommendations for the use of spatial data for mediation and systematic adjudication in the context of implementing a peace deal.