For those of you following issues of land rights and gender, this ILC discussion for you!
Online discussion, 3-14 June 2013 Country focus: Madagascar Topic: Legal pluralism Introduction  
Launched in 2010, the Gender and Land Rights Database (GLRD) was developed with civil society organizations, national statistics authorities, academics and other sources to highlight the major political, legal and cultural factors that influence the realization of women’s land rights throughout the world. The GLRD is a practical tool for policy makers and advocates of women’s land rights, providing relevant arguments and information to support processes aiming at more gender-equitable land tenure. Expert and civil society contributions are essential to the proper functioning of the database as they help generate quality information to users. To this end, you are invited to take part in the on-line discussion that will be held through the Land Portal on 3-14 June 2013.  The subject of the discussion will be “Legal pluralism in Madagascar: can customary and statutory law be reconciled to promote women’s land rights?”.

I read a very interesting article this morning by Gustavo Duch in LaJornada (if you read Spanish, you can read it here). He concluded the article in a way that really...

From the International Land Coalition:

Antigua Declaration outlines strong international commitment to land rights for indigenous peoples, human rights defenders and women
ROME, ITALY (17 May 2013)— As the global population continues to grow and the demand for food and the land to produce it on increase in lock step, the International Land Coalition brought together 273 people from 47 countries in Antigua, Guatemala from April 23-27 to discuss territorial governance and food security in the context of rapid urbanisation and shifting patterns of land use throughout the developing world. This global event included extensive participation of the government of Guatemala, including a speech by President Otto Pérez Molina during the opening ceremony, in which he expressed a renewed commitment to the Integrated Rural Development Law. The 36-year civil war suffered by Guatemala led to both the fragmentation and concentration of land. In response to these disturbing developments, the forum aimed to create a new platform for dialogue and consultation in Guatemala and to forge a more just and inclusive process for this country. “Given the extent of commoditisation of farmland, transnational land transactions, severe land degradation, and the profound transformation of rural landscapes as a consequence, we have reached a critical period in which states must make genuine efforts to protect the rights of impoverished and vulnerable groups, in particular small-scale farmers and indigenous peoples, or increased conflict and instability may jeopardise the economic stability of countries, including Guatemala”, said Madiodio Niasse, Director of the International Land Coalition, based in Rome, which works for secure and equitable access to and control over land.  “We hope that the discussion we have started will open a new era of dialogue and consultation to have better equity in the way this country addresses land issues.”

A new article and a book on managing food price instability has been published. The article “Managing Food Price Instability: Critical Assessment of the Dominant Doctrine” is forthcoming in Global Food...

There is a new issue of Rural 21 out on food losses. "Roughly one third of the food produced globally for human consumption is lost or wasted – 1.3 billion tons...

A few weeks ago I posted a quote that was helping me stay motivated (read it here). Today, I am focused on this quote which is a nice reminder of why...