1 Sonali Mohapatra The World Bank Land and Poverty Conference March 24, 2015 Land Literacy to Enhance Rural Women’s Secure Land Rights: Reflections from Odisha, India

Landesa’s Work Landesa is a global non-profit that works to ensure secure land rights for the world’s poorest people Partner with governments of about 40 developing countries it helped about 400 million people to obtain secure land rights 2

3 Extent of land rights challenges in India Even with significant efforts for land reforms in India, an estimated 20 million rural families are still landless Still many more have insecure rights over land The most vulnerable amongst them are women Though about 70 percent of agricultural labor in India are women, an insignificant number own land While India has a host of legislations ensuring land to women, implementation challenges and social barriers prevent them from accessing and exercising those rights Women’s limited access to land is also linked to lack of awareness within them about their rights

Landesa’s 3 key strategies Improve implementation challenges by providing additional capacity to the land administration officials Bridge institutional gaps, developing models within existing rights, ensuring structures Generate awareness within women to enhance demand for their rights over land 4 Land literacy trainings Women Support Centers Community Resource Persons

5 Enhancing women’s land rights in Odisha From the government side; the supply mechanism Implementation challenges include capacity gaps among land administration officials patriarchal interpretation of existing laws Situation is worsened with lack of Demand generation due to Existing social-cultural barriers And most importantly lack of awareness Educating women through land literacy result in women themselves demanding for their rights; creates a basis for supply with existing service mechanisms Government mechanisms (Supply side) Community/women asking for their rights (demand side) For women’s secure land rights

Why land literacy and the components To simplify the ‘complex’ knowledge on land and bring it out of the ‘monopoly’ of few, to rural women with low level of education Make information accessible to women, traditionally ‘kept out’ of any discussions on land Change perception of women about their own rights Bring collective strength leading to empowerment Components of land literacy training programme are: Assessment of existing information on land rights Developing a module to address information gaps Imparting training on land rights to women Assessing impact of the trainings 6

Assessment of land literacy needs Low or negligible information base on land related issues No or limited understanding about women’s land rights Wide acceptance of patriarchal perceptions on property rights – land belongs to man No or minimal discussion on land rights of women both at the individual and peer level Need to work closely with men Need for a structured training on land related issues was identified (Results of the assessment, conducted in 18 villages in Odisha using qualitative methods under Care Pathways and Landesa Collaboration, 2014 ) 7

8 Land literacy: designed for ensuring Land Rights Based on the findings of land needs assessment; 8 hours training package with four modules was developed Community and stakeholders sensitisation Training of trainers were imparted after field testing At least 800 SHG/other collective leaders are trained on; women land rights, secured land rights, land laws/provisions, government schemes/services and land use Training sessions are followed up Women are trained, educated and empowered to negotiate with revenue officials for their rights Local revenue authorities are oriented to become gender sensitive

9 Land literacy training uptake: risks and challenges Land literacy trainings are not very openly discussed in families Often camouflaged with thrift and credit trainings Men don’t take these trainings seriously as long as women are not demanding their rights over land Violence or resistance from families and community on women demanding for their rights Land administration officials not motivated to recognise women’s rights over land fearing backlash from patriarchal forces

10 Enhancing women’s land rights in Odisha The key to effective model to improve women’s land rights is two pronged: Boost government capacity to improve their land allocation procedures and implementation; hence strengthening service side And Empower women, through land literacy, to demand and retain titles and access legal services to enjoy their rights Sensitise men by making them understand that women’s increased access to land would create a win-win situation

11 Land literacy: learning from land literacy trainings While elderly women still feel that their sons would inherit land, young married women feel that daughters should equally own/inherit land Men are open for land allocation not so much for women to inherit land The module is simple, short and more activity based with use of audio visual tools as women in rural areas are largely illiterate Training of women who are already part of groups is easier than getting women who are not part of groups

12 Land literacy training outcomes Some immediate results: Land literacy trainings has led women to identify land related issues Women have started discussing about land in groups Women have taken the initiative to submit applications to the land administration officials with little handholding support Sensitisation of land administration officials and pressure to consider women’s access to land a key priority Rural men slowly coming to know about women’s rights over land

Scaling opportunities Dove tailing with women’s self help group programmes Externally aided and bilateral programmes with women’s livelihoods focus - Livelihood and Watershed Mission Government commitment for land literacy as a means to asset ownership through state policy declaration, GoO

14 Thanks for your attention