landrights

Land rights refer to the legal, social, and economic rights that determine who may own, use, control, and benefit from land and its resources. They can be held by individuals, families, communities, or states, and may be expressed as private property, customary tenure, or state tenure. A typical bundle of rights includes possession, use, exclusion, transfer, and enforcement, though the exact mix varies by jurisdiction and tenure system.

Tenure systems can be private, communal, or state-based, and may be formal (registered) or informal (unregistered). Customary land rights are widely recognized in many regions and can coexist with statutory laws. Rights may cover housing sites, agricultural land, forests, and mineral resources, and may be subject to limits for public interest, environmental protection, or urban planning. Gender and vulnerable-group rights are a major concern due to historical bias in many contexts.

Governance of land rights involves laws, land registries, cadastral systems, land-use planning, and dispute resolution mechanisms. International guidance includes the FAO's Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) and instruments such as UNDRIP. Sustainable development goals emphasize secure land rights for rural and indigenous populations and equal rights for women to land ownership.

Challenges include insecure tenure, weak administration, land fragmentation, displacement and land grabbing, corruption, and conflict over resources. Strengthening land rights can support poverty reduction, investment, food security, and resilience, but requires clear, accessible, and equitable laws, effective registration systems, and fair dispute mechanisms to balance private, communal, and public interests.