WORKSHOP A - LAND ACCESS AND OWNERSHIP
gender imbalance in his country and compared the equity and affirmative action intervention in the two countries. He inquired to know more of the specific challenges regarding gender imbalances in South Africa and whether the country was satisfied with the progress made so far with land reform and in particular the role of women.
A participant from the Parliament of Jamaica agreed with Mr Watson’s earlier comment that access to finance is a major global problem, especially for small farms. He felt that the financial institutions are often reluctant to make loans and proposed a few possible solutions. These included: the financial sector being sensitive to the issue; and governments promoting banks that are willing to give these loans. The government itself should have preferential business with banks granting these loans, and they could also consider loan indemnity insurance and contingency funds to assist. It is, however, important that the necessary feasibility requirements be adhered to.
From left to right: Hon. Roger Edwards, MLA, Falkland Islands; Mr Hadyn Evans, MLA, and Hon. David Buffett, AM, both from Norfolk Island.
He stated that with land access, women should adopt the theme “Nothing about us, without us.” Land is important in the context of dealing with poverty and therefore Parliamentarians need to link up with the responsible departments to address these issues.
Legislative frameworks also needs to keep up with the pace and improve the tempo of addressing land reform.
Professor Herbert Vilakazi, South Africa, advised that Africa was in need of an agricultural revolution because it is the kind of intervention required to facilitate land access, reform and restitution in the country.
He suggested that co-operatives
should be classified as legal entities to address some of the legal and access challenges faced in this regard. Even though some white farmers were progressive and assisted in the process of land restitution and reform, it is not enough and co-operatives could be utilized to assist in this regard. Mr Edward Korbly Doe Adjaho, MP, Ghana, also referred to the issue of land as collateral and emphasized that land is not only an economic issue but also a cultural and social one. If the focus only centres on the economic aspect of land, it could lose sight of the other important dimensions attached to it.
Mr Hj Abdul Latiff B Abd Rahman, MLA, Malaysia, focused on the
Consideration should also be given to sanctions against banks unwilling to provide these loans and governments should deliberate legislating this aspect and to consider levying appropriate penalties. Mr Steffan Browning, MP, New Zealand, said that 2014 would be the year of the “family farmer” and believed that small farmers could be productive.
The government’s role is to assist with funding, especially foreign funding. The return of land needs however to be fair and sustainable. He felt that co-operative ownership is often viewed as a short-term option which negates its purpose. Some of the factors that need to be considered in policies regarding land access are issues of resilience and commitment, prize buffers in an unstable market and a fair return on investments for small farmers.
Mr Kwena Elias Nong, MPL, Limpopo, argued that the government’s issue with land is not just land, but “what land?” The
apartheid government took the most productive land for themselves and what was left was given to the “homelands.” Parliamentarians have to consider enacting laws to protect agricultural land against reckless mining as it impacts on its productivity and sustainability.
In response, Prof. Mayende agreed with the Indian slogan that “the land belongs to the tiller and not the owner”. He was emphatic that challenges of access to land and ownership in South Africa could not be divorced from historical factors which led to land dispossession and the marginalization of black people by the apartheid regime.
He responded to the common ground between South Africa and Malaysia regarding equity and affirmative action policies and its importance in addressing land access. Prof. Mayende felt satisfied with the progress that South Africa is making as the trajectory is positive, definite and conscious.
While there has been some successes there have also been setbacks, which have been regarded as important lessons. He stressed that the mistake South Africa made was to have an emphasis on delivery and placing people on land rather than focusing on its effective and efficient utilization.
Recommendations from the Workshop:
Recommendation one: “Governments must understand the needs of rural communities by creating effective platforms for discussion and Parliamentarians must pass responsive legislation to correct imbalances.”
Recommendation 2:
“Communities needing access to land are largely poor and marginalised, mostly women, which raises the need for Parliament to engage in regular outreach programmes to rural communities.”
The workshop concluded with the endorsement of the first recommendation and the noting of the second.
The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue Four | 257
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124