Who actually owns the land in the world? A new report published by the FAO, in collaboration with CIRAD and the International Land Coalition (ILC), provides an overview of land rights on a global scale.
According to the study, only 35% of land in the world is currently formally documented. This situation fuels massive land insecurity: nearly 1.1 billion people, about 23% of the global adult population, fear losing their land in the next five years.
However, progress has been made on a political level. “The report shows that over the past two decades, progress has been made, especially in terms of public policies,” explains Ward Anseeuw, head of the FAO land team.
But on the ground, land insecurity persists. When rights are unclear or contested, the risks of evictions, land grabbing, and conflicts increase, emphasizes the report, which calls for the securing of land rights worldwide.
(Interview: Ward Anseeuw, head of the FAO land team; conducted by Cristina Silveiro)
