USAID Land Tenure and Property Rights

Rights to land and resources are at the center of our most pressing development issues: poverty reduction, food security, conflict, urbanization, gender equality, climate change, and resilience. Secure Land Tenure and Property Rights (LTPR) create incentives for investment, broad-based economic growth, and good stewardship of natural resources. Insecure property rights and weak land governance systems often provoke conflict and instability, which can trap communities, countries, and entire regions in a cycle of poverty.

Through 12 thematic modules and 3 country case studies, this course examines the issues, theories, evidence, and best practices around land tenure, property rights, and effective international development programming. This course features lectures and case studies from a wide variety of experts in the field – from leading academics to seasoned development practitioners.

• Module 1: Introduction to Land Tenure and Property Rights (Karol Boudreaux, The Cloudburst Group)
• Module 2: Land Tenure and Property Rights Concepts and Terms (Karol Boudreaux, The Cloudburst Group)
• Module 3A: Setting the Context – Tanzania (Yuliya Neyman, USAID)
• Module 3B: Land Tenure, Investment and Economic Growth (Malcolm Childress, Land Alliance)
• Module 4: Land Tenure, Food Security and Employment Policy Challenges (Thomas Jayne, Michigan State University)
• Module 5: Land Tenure, Climate Change and the Environment (Mark Freudenberger, Tetra Tech)
• Module 6: Land Tenure Focused Monitoring and Evaluation (Mercedes Stickler, USAID)
• Module 7A: Setting the Context – Colombia (Amy Regas, Tetra Tech)
• Module 7B: Land Tenure, Gender Equity, and Empowerment (Cheryl Doss, Yale University)
• Module 8: Land Tenure and Human Rights (Tiernan Mennen, Chemonics)
• Module 9: Land Tenure in Conflict-Affected Environments (Peter Van der Auweraert, International Organization for Migration)
• Module 10: Principles and Practices of Land Dispute Resolution and Peace Building (Maureen Lempke, Independent Consultant)
• Module 11A: Setting the Context – Haiti (Gabriela Vaz Rodriguez, Land Alliance)
• Module 11B: Land Tenure Issues and the Urban Environment (William Valletta, Independent Consultant)
• Module 12: Land Tenure, Post-Disaster Management & Disaster Risk Reduction (Cynthia Caron, Clark University)
• Module 13: Land Tenure Administration Systems and Technology (Grenville Barnes, University of Florida)
• Module 14: Conclusion (Jolyne Sanjak, Land Alliance)