Expanding tenure horizons in food policy research

This paper reviews key trends in research, policy, and practice related to tenure over natural resources, especially land. Economic, anthropological, political, legal, and intrahousehold research have all contributed to broadening the understanding of tenure. Evidence shows that tenure security is associated with many development outcomes, especially with long-term investments that can improve productivity, sustainability, and enhance stewardship of resources, resilient livelihoods, and empowerment of rights holders. However, formalization and individualization reforms have not always led to intended benefits, showing the complexity of tenure and the importance of many contextual factors, including existing security offered by informal systems. Growing evidence on effective community management of commons contributed to devolution programs transferring responsibility and rights over forests, rangelands, irrigation and fisheries to user groups. Large-scale land acquisitions in the wake of the 2009 food price crisis created widespread tenure insecurity, especially for communities without documented land rights. The Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure were designed to address these problems, but because they remain voluntary, threats of land expropriation remain. Equity of tenure and outcomes of reform programs have become increasingly prominent as civil society groups from peasant movements, Indigenous Peoples, ethnic minorities, women, and youth have taken up issues of land and resource rights. Further transdisciplinary research is needed to identify policy options and implementation processes that can secure land rights for the marginalized, while also considering rights to resources beyond land, especially as economies transition from rural and agrarian to periurban with diversified livelihoods.