Communal Land Management

Name of client: KfW Development Bank

Detailed description of project:

Most farmers in Madagascar do not have title deeds for their land. This leads to conflicts over land and to irresponsible land use, resulting in the degradation of natural resources. Only since the land reform of 2006, the power to administer land rights was delegated to the communal level and now municipalities can provide land certificates to their citizens. This local service is cost-efficient and citizen-friendly, i.e. within reach of the farmers.

The main objective of the project was to provide land certificates to the farmers in the intervention zone of the erosion control programme (PLAE) in order to secure sustainably the areas that have been protected by the farmers who cooperated with the programme. Communal land certification offices were installed in the communal offices and the project assured their set-up, the training of staff and the operation of the service. Financial sustainability of the services was assured by an integrated framework of communal finances, fees for land certification and land taxes, implemented according to the principles of good governance.

Type of services provided:

• Establishment of Land Occupation Plans (PLOF) based on geo-referenced aerial photography supposed to serve as cartographic and legal basis for land registration;
• Inventory of land occupation status and parcels for land registration;
• Rehabilitation of infrastructure and procurement of equipment for communal land registration offices;
• Training of communal administration and councils;
• Advice and training on good governance;
• Determination of the fee for land registration;
• Creation of an integrated financing framework of communal finances, land taxes and land certification fees;
• Public awareness and sensitization campaigns;
• Certification of land parcels.