(Ecofin Agency) - Led by the Malagasy government from 2005 to 2015 to secure populations’ land rights, mainly customary, Madagascar’s land reform has yielded results. In fact, two studies providing an overview of the reform were recently published.

“In 2005, they had been two innovations, and the idea was to better respond to the population’s need for tenure. The first step is decentralization: Here, the State works with municipalities to help register rights. The second step is for any person farming on an unregistered land or who has inherited it to be recognized as its owner provided that his neighbors and leaders of his village, as well as local authorities, all agree,” CIRAD’s researcher Perrine Burnod told RFI. CIRAD is an institution affiliated to the Madagascar land observatory.

A quite pragmatic approach that helped many land owners secure their rights, most of these being women. “First, we notice that more women get their lands registered than men. We also notice that the poor register as much lands as the rich. Finally, looking at the origin, migrants register more lands than locals,” said Heriniaina Rakotomalala who is in charge of studies and land capitalization at the land observatory.

Many reports point Madagascar as one of the African countries to sell their agricultural lands the most to foreign investors.

Souha Touré