ICRISAT
Happenings Newsletter
6 November 2015 No. 1700
Photo: Z. DiakitĂŠ, ICRISAT
Mr Bougouna Sogoba, Director AMEDD (L) discusses the rationale behind land resource management conventions with Mr Sylla (extreme R).
Next-gen land use information platform in Mali
A
uthorities in Mali are looking forward to deploying next-generation land tenure information platform mLocGovTM for developing rural cadastres (a register showing details of ownership, boundaries and value of land in a district). This platform provided by STARS project partner Manobi SA, is scaled up to pair a database of 63,148 parcels of land for the entire Molobala district with the biometric population census database available with each constituent commune. Next on the agenda is Kano State’s Bebeji Local Government Area in Nigeria with more than 260,000 parcels of land. The new technology builds upon local mayors’ demonstrated interest in securing production plots for all farmers under their constituencies. Agile, computerized solutions constitute the last missing link towards effective transfer of competencies, giving them a significant head start in preventing future peri-urban conflicts and in implementing national land tenure management plans.
The lack of land security constitutes a key deterrent to sustainable investment in land resources by smallholders, communities and the local private sector. It disempowers them in both their internal operations and their transactions with urban and international investors, many of which are actually conducted without their knowledge. This is particularly prevalent in regions like Koutiala district, Sikasso region, Mali. Transparent rural land tenure information services supported by high-resolution satellite imagery will benefit local governments and farmers. Smallholder farmers can capitalize on increased tenure security to invest in more sustainable land management practices, eventually leading to higher, more sustainable agricultural productivity while local governments can raise more revenues through taxation. Over the past one and half years local authorities were able, in conjunction with the STARS project, to set a successful example of land conflict resolution through the establishment of land resource management conventions. to page 2...4