Local land and water governance: Land- use agreements in Mauritania Steven Jonckheere Knowledge Management Officer Land and Water Days, FAO, Rome, 10 November 2015

Context Arable land is one of the country’s main resources, but also a major source of contention Vast majority of the population lives according to a common system of customary land law that is not recognized by the state Tenure arrangements within the traditional system have always been inclusive These arrangements, however, have not been formalized, making the situation more precarious-even for powerful landowners In the past, vulnerable social groups known as "the landless” were subject to restrictive practices and remain economically and socially vulnerable with limited and insecure access to land

Land-use agreements «Ententes foncières» or land distribution agreements between landowners and the landless Introduced in IFAD-supported projects as pre-condition for water infrastructure Three principles: (i) justice; (ii) solidarity; (iii) efficiency Three steps: (i) land tenure assessment; (ii) negotiations; (iii) written agreement (endorsed by local authorities, prefect, land owners and village chief) Creation of community management structures to ensure efficient management of land agreements and to guarantee all stakeholders’ interests

Results Maghama I & II: - 28 villages - 12,000 hectares - Secured access to land for those who were landless Up-scaling - PASK II: pre-condition for all water infrastructure development - Conflict management between pastoralists and farmers - Management of the El Atef natural reserve

Conclusions Importance of working through local communities and the customary laws governing community assets The signing of the agreement is a unique demonstration of the ties of solidarity (social capital) existing in the project area and fosters inclusion Negotiated agreements rather than top-down solutions Look for win-win solutions Policy constraints for scaling up