Empowering millions of women and men with a powerful tool they can use to improve their lives:

LAND RIGHTS

EXPLORE OUR IMPACT

IN MEMORIAM

Roy Prosterman

1935 - 2025

Visit the Memorial Page

IN MEMORIAM

Roy Prosterman

Landesa Founder and Chairman Emeritus

1935 - 2025

Visit the Memorial Page

IN MEMORIAM

Roy Prosterman

1935 - 2025

Visit the Memorial Page

Read our 2023 Annual Report

EXPLORE NOW

WHY DO LAND RIGHTS MATTER?

Around the world, people experiencing poverty often share three traits: they live in rural areas, rely on agriculture and forests to survive, and don’t have legal control over the land on which they depend. We offer the tools to help people lift themselves out of poverty. Stronger rights to land have the power to reduce poverty and conflict, increase economic activity, empower women, strengthen food security, and improve environmental stewardship — for an individual, a family, a community, and an entire country.

WHO WE ARE

ENGAGE

Landesa partners with progressive governments and civil society to develop pro-poor and gender-sensitive laws, policies, and programs that strengthen land rights for people experiencing extreme poverty. In Africa and Asia, our land rights experts work shoulder to shoulder with government officials, local leaders, and rural residents developing scalable, practical, and innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems – food insecurity, conflict, climate change, women’s lack of empowerment.

WHAT WE DO

EXPLORE

Strong, legal rights to land can provide people in rural areas with the opportunity, security, and incentive they need to invest in their land to improve their harvests and their lives. Learn more about the connection between land rights and the most significant challenges of our time, from nutrition to climate change, from inclusive economic development to gender equality.

RESOURCES

JOIN

In an era defined by concerns over food security, environmental sustainability, stubborn cycles of poverty, and conflict over land, strong land rights are critical. Landesa champions the power of land rights for people and communities in rural areas as a fundamental building block for a safer and more prosperous future. Join the global land rights movement—make your gift to Landesa today.

GIVE

RECENT NEWS

Research

Consultation and Consent in Indigenous-led Carbon Projects: Good practices and lessons learned from the Awajun Tajimat Pujut Initiative (English & Spanish)

July 25, 2025

This case study provides lessons and good practices from the Tajimat Pujut Initiative (TPI), an Indigenous-led carbon project in Peru, offering insights into how effective consultation and consent practices can support responsible carbon projects that align with Indigenous values and deliver sustainable returns for their use and management of land and forests.

Read Article

What's New

Staff Spotlight: Gmasonah Togba Aboah

July 15, 2025

Meet Gmasonah Togba Aboah, Landesa’s Land Tenure Specialist based in Monrovia, Liberia. Gmasonah started working for Landesa in 2022.

Field Focus Blog

Strides for Land, Gender, and Climate through Nepal Policy Reform

July 15, 2025

Nepal’s updated climate plan highlights the power of land rights—especially for women—as a foundation for equitable climate action.

Read Article

What's New

New Reports Highlight Urgent Need for Land Rights Action to Achieve SDGs

July 14, 2025

As world leaders meet for the 2025 High-Level Political Forum, two new reports from the SDG Land Momentum Group highlight that secure land rights are critical—and urgently needed—to achieve global development and climate goals.

Field Focus Blog

Suku Karo’s Ulayat Land Officially Registered, Becomes Indonesia’s First Participatory Land Administration Process

June 26, 2025

BAJAWA, KUPANGNEWS.COM — Marking a historic milestone, the Government of Ngada Regency, in partnership with the Ngada Land Office and Landesa Indonesia, formally recognized the Karo Indigenous Community’s customary land—the first such registration in Indonesia’s national land system through a participatory, community-led process.

Read Article

Success Stories

From Challenge to Change: A Journey to Secure Land Rights

June 25, 2025

After decades without secure shelter, Naima and her family in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans gained legal access to land through a government lease program after attending a training supported by Shushilan and Landesa. They are now building a permanent home and planting a garden—laying the groundwork for a more stable future.

Read Article

Strides for Land, Gender, and Climate through Nepal Policy Reform

Nepal’s updated climate plan highlights the power of land rights—especially for women—as a foundation for equitable climate action.

Suku Karo’s Ulayat Land Officially Registered, Becomes Indonesia’s First Participatory Land Administration Process

BAJAWA, KUPANGNEWS.COM — Marking a historic milestone, the Government of Ngada Regency, in partnership with the Ngada Land Office and Landesa Indonesia, formally recognized the Karo Indigenous Community’s customary land—the first such registration in Indonesia’s national land system through a participatory, community-led process.

Equal Rights, Equal Power

On International Widows’ Day, Landesa’s Dr. Monica Mhoja shares Sarah’s story to spotlight the urgent need for gender-equitable land rights in rural Liberia. Through tools like Amplio Talking Books and support for community land formalization, widows like Sarah are reclaiming their land, their voice, and their future under Liberia’s progressive Land Rights Act.

What Does Tanzania’s New Land Policy Say on Women’s Land Rights?

Progress for gender-equal land rights comes with the launch of Tanzania’s revised National Land Policy.

New National Land Policy Offers Promise for Tanzania’s Rural Residents

The Government of Tanzania launched its revised National Land Policy, which contains provisions to improve land governance nationwide.

A community-led revival: Mangrove plantations offer a pathway to climate resilience and ecosystem restoration

In Singhortoli, Bangladesh, a community-led mangrove restoration effort—supported by Landesa partner Shushilan—is helping residents like Robtob Mandal build climate resilience, protect coastal ecosystems, and pursue sustainable livelihoods.

Research

Consultation and Consent in Indigenous-led Carbon Projects: Good practices and lessons learned from the Awajun Tajimat Pujut Initiative (English & Spanish)

July 25, 2025

This case study provides lessons and good practices from the Tajimat Pujut Initiative (TPI), an Indigenous-led carbon project in Peru, offering insights into how effective consultation and consent practices can support responsible carbon projects that align with Indigenous values and deliver sustainable returns for their use and management of land and forests.

Read Article

What's New

Staff Spotlight: Gmasonah Togba Aboah

July 15, 2025

Meet Gmasonah Togba Aboah, Landesa’s Land Tenure Specialist based in Monrovia, Liberia. Gmasonah started working for Landesa in 2022.

Field Focus Blog

Strides for Land, Gender, and Climate through Nepal Policy Reform

July 15, 2025

Nepal’s updated climate plan highlights the power of land rights—especially for women—as a foundation for equitable climate action.

Read Article

What's New

New Reports Highlight Urgent Need for Land Rights Action to Achieve SDGs

July 14, 2025

As world leaders meet for the 2025 High-Level Political Forum, two new reports from the SDG Land Momentum Group highlight that secure land rights are critical—and urgently needed—to achieve global development and climate goals.

Field Focus Blog

Suku Karo’s Ulayat Land Officially Registered, Becomes Indonesia’s First Participatory Land Administration Process

June 26, 2025

BAJAWA, KUPANGNEWS.COM — Marking a historic milestone, the Government of Ngada Regency, in partnership with the Ngada Land Office and Landesa Indonesia, formally recognized the Karo Indigenous Community’s customary land—the first such registration in Indonesia’s national land system through a participatory, community-led process.

Read Article

Success Stories

From Challenge to Change: A Journey to Secure Land Rights

June 25, 2025

After decades without secure shelter, Naima and her family in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans gained legal access to land through a government lease program after attending a training supported by Shushilan and Landesa. They are now building a permanent home and planting a garden—laying the groundwork for a more stable future.

Read Article

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Land rights are a key that unlocks a world of possibilities, giving rural families hope, opportunity, and the tools to lift themselves out of poverty. Become a partner in this global movement.

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