The Malawi Community-Based Rural Land Development Project

1. The Malawi Community-Based Rural Land Development Project Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources August 4, 2008

2. Landlessness in the midst of idle land • About 11 percent households are landless or near landless. • 917,000 ha of estate land, of which 600,000 ha idle • Why? • Many estates were never put to full use • Others lost their viability when smallholders were allowed to grow tobacco – the “estates crisis” • The land market is not transferring the land to other users • Smallholders have no money to buy it • Few of the estates are suitable for investors

3. Why not revoke the leases • While the leases are renewable, owners are unlikely to fulfill the development conditions for renewal • Many owners have not paid their land rent • Many leases are about to, or have already expired • Government could take the land back and return it to the chiefs of the surrounding communities • Would the land be encroached before the chiefs take control of it? • Would the chiefs allocate the land to the land-poor and food insecure? • Would there be resistance from the leaseholders? • Would it scare international investors? • Government will need to think about this option

4. But why pay people to migrate, when they do so spontaneously? • About 5 percent of rural households have migrated from another district (Integrated Household Survey 2004/05) • 5 districts attracted tobacco tenant workers who remained after landlords abandoned the estates • Clearly part of the problem took care of itself • But only few estates were resettled in this manner • We know little about how well off they are, and whether they have security of tenure • There are also other rural-rural migrants • However, on average, these migrant households remain land poor and food insecure

5. Main conclusions • The problem of landlessness in the midst of idle land has not been solved • By acquisition of the land by former tenants • By spontaneous migration • By the land market • By reverting estates back to customary land • Therefore the CBRLDPilot Project was designed to develop and test an alternative approach

6. The CBRLDP model • Similar programs exist in Brazil, Central America • Communities form themselves into groups and are trained to look for land, acquire it and resettle themselves • They get a grant of 1050 US dollars to buy the land, cover resettlement costs, and other startup costs in the new location • They negotiate prices, with assistance from project • Their move and peaceful integration is facilitated by community-based Project Management Committees, Chiefs, Headmen, Community Oversight Committees and project staff

7. Pilot project history, scope and cost

8. Costs included in the grant • Land, including fees, taxes etc (less than 30 % of total grant) • Resettlement cost and resettlement allowance • Food • Farm Development grant for • Inputs, labor, tools, etc. • Community infrastructure (including water) • Housing materials

11. Is the program ready for scaling up?

12. Let the debate start!