Land Tenure Enabling Farmers to Produce More Food
Farming can be a tough enough business at the best of times, but imagine not being able to prove that the land you farm is even yours.
In Ghana, for example, only 10% of smallholder farmers have any kind of certificate documenting their ownership rights.
Not only does this put them in a vulnerable position, it can often lead to disputes. And if your land is the main asset you want to borrow against, getting a loan can prove difficult, too.
So tech company Landmapp has come up with an innovative mobile platform that uses GPS location functionality to map and survey smallholder farmers.
Farmers receive a certified plan of the land and land tenure documentation signed by the surveyor, chiefs and high court.
"Land tenure insecurity is a core barrier to land investment and farming," explains Thomas Vaassen, Landmapp's co-founder and chief technical officer.
Neil Palmer/CIAT