Farm Radio Weekly

At the recent launch of the Gender and Land Rights Database, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations called inequalities between men and women with regard to land access “one of the major stumbling blocks to rural development.” In this week’s news article from Swaziland, we see how a step forward for women’s land rights not only addresses injustices, but also opens up economic opportunities. For the full text of the legal ruling, go to: http://www.scribd.com/doc/27384541/Mary-Joyce-Doo-Aphane-Swaziland-Court-Judgement.

You may wish to use the Gender and Land Rights Database to search for information on the major social, economic, political, and cultural factors that impact women’s rights and access to land in your country; or to see how land rights compare from country to country. The online database includes information on national and customary laws governing land use; property rights and inheritance; international treaties and conventions; and land tenure. It also lists civil society groups that work on land issues and provides other related statistics. Database users can access all information available for a particular country, or select specific topics, such as the total number of land holders in a specific state. The database also generates reports which compare two or more countries. The Gender and Land Rights Database can be found at: http://www.fao.org/gender/landrights.

For more information on women’s land rights, you may refer to the following articles:

-“Gender Issues in Land Tenure under Customary Law,” published by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research: http://www.capri.cgiar.org/wp/..%5Cpdf%5Cbrief_land-05.pdf
-“Women’s Right to Land: A Human Right,” published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: http://www.fao.org/NEWS/2002/020302-e.htm
-“Land rights: The struggle of African women” (in French only): http://www.afrik.com/article14727.html
-“Resources for Journalists,” produced by the International Food Policy Research Institute, on land rights in Africa: http://www.ifpri.org/media/20060518Land.asp

These Farm Radio scripts deal with the issue of women’s property rights in various ways. If you air this news story, you may wish to round out your broadcast with one of the following:

-Promote gender equality and empower women (Package 78, Script 3, July 2006), featuring an interview with a women’s rights advocate in Uganda
-Women, property, and inheritance (Package 73, Script 4, January 2005), featuring a fictionalized interview with a lawyer about inheritance laws
-Land ownership rights: Access denied – Why women need equal access to land (Package 57, Script 9, October 2000), a drama in which a husband and wife discuss land rights and customary law
-Why women need to know about land rights (Package 37, Script 7, July 1995), a straightforward narrative addressed to women in the listening audience