Our work Projects A Project for Women’s Collective Land Security in the Rural Areas of Burkina Faso

A Project for Women’s Collective Land Security in the Rural Areas of Burkina Faso

Once women gain secure rights to the land that they already use, there is more freedom to invest in improving the productive capacities of this land through actions to conserve water and soil, while also practising defence and restoration of land. The main partners of this project are thus constituted by women in rural areas organised in the different project intervention zones. The project targets fifteen potential municipalities for intervention across ten administrative regions of Burkina Faso.

Ongoing

From: 01/04/2022

To: 31/03/2025

Budget: $1,200,000

Proponents: TENFOREST - Land and Forest Tenure Champions Platform

This project is based on the National Land Security Policy in rural areas which aims at ensuring that all rural actors have fair access to land, guarantee of their investments and effective management of land conflicts to support in reducing poverty, promote peace and to reach sustainable development. The main objective lies in strengthening the collective tenure systems of local communities, specifically through promoting women’s secure access to land. With Law 034/2009 on “rural land tenure”, Burkina Faso has created a legal framework that regulates the procedures for registering and securing land. The traditional land tenure system disadvantages certain population groups, such as women, migrants and youth, and hampers their long-term access to land. This situation of insecurity and the resulting lack of prospects often makes it difficult for those groups to become self-reliant and inhibits investment.

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Project Overview

This project is based on findings of a pilot project managed by Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). Gender equality is core to this project, striving to grant women greater decision making power on collective land. This project aims to secure women’s collective land rights through supporting cooperatives of women who have been residing in these rural lands. The customary land tenure system does not allow a woman to own land, but it does not deny women user’s rights on land. In this project, collective land rights for women are promoted as it has been proven more secure compared to individual land rights, as the latter has been observed to be misused by external actors leading to that women have lost their land. There is a lower risk of sale and land grabbing by external actors and land rights are more easily defended when collectively managed.

To overcome gender constraints, this project will help women’s organisations to obtain Certificates of Rural Land Holdings (CLRH) provided for by law. This will guarantee women’s organisations long term collective land rights within local communities. Also, the project will help to break down the barriers that limit women’s secure access to land, and this will work towards a development of gender equality.

Burkina Faso’s Law 034/2009 on “rural land tenure”, is a legal framework that regulates the procedures for registering and securing land. The traditional land tenure system disadvantages certain population groups, such as women, migrants and youth, and hampers their long-term access to land. This situation of insecurity and the resulting lack of prospects often makes it difficult for those groups to become self-reliant and thereby inhibits investment. Moreover, the population is often not sufficiently informed of the need to register and legalise their land rights.

Goal

To contribute to legally securing collective land rights of women in rural areas in Burkina Faso, through acquisition of the Certificate of Rural Land Holding (CRLH) whilst maintaining and protecting their rights through Local Land Charters (LLC).

Objectives

To promote dialogue and sensitise the main land stakeholders (local administrations, local elected officials, traditional authorities, landowners) on the social, economic and political importance for security of land tenure for women in rural areas and their participation in decision-making for matters of local land governance.
To guarantee the collective land rights of women’s organisations in rural areas of Burkina Faso through the acquisition of the Certificate of Rural Land Holding (CRLH).
To create favourable conditions for local gender-based land governance by the means of four (04) local communal charters to better protect women’s land rights and better involve them in decision-making in land matters.

Actions

Organise 10 communal workshops for raising awarness on the project
Hold 10 communal information and awareness sessions on Law 034-2009 on rural land tenure for the benefit of Local Authorities (LA’s), customary officials and local leaders, landowners, women’s organisations and the decentralized technical services of the State
Produce and broadcast three (03) radio programmes on Law 034-2009 and women’s right of access to land in rural areas
Organise forum theatre sessions on the theme of secure access for women to land in rural areas through the creation of two plays and the hosting of 24 forum theatre sessions
Conduct communication and dialogue campaigns with traditional authorities for greater land tenure security for women in rural areas
To carry out actions to support the process of official recognition and updating of women’s organisations in accordance with the OHADA Uniform Act of 15 December 2010 relating to the law on cooperative societies;

Map of project intervention zone

Expected Results

The dialogue and sensitisation of the mainstakeholders on land (local administrations, local elected officials, traditional authorities, landowners) on the social, economic and political importance for security land tenure for women in rural areas and their participation in decision-making for matters of local land governance are promoted.
The collective land rights of women’s groups in rural areas of Burkina Faso, thanks to the acquisition of the Certificate of Rural Land Holding (CRLH).
Favourable conditions will be established for local gender-based land governance through Local Land Charters to better protect women’s’land rights and better involve them in decision-making in land matters.

Impact

Collective land rights for women,
Restored social equality between men and women through referring to national legislation.
Promotion of the socio-economic development of women in rural areas.