Securing the Right to Land FULL - ANGOC

Table 4. con’t.
India
Indonesia
Nepal
THE PROLONGED STRUGGLE FOR LAND RIGHTS IN ASIA
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Congress Party has formulated laws on land reform and has directed state governments to enact laws
that would enhance land access for the landless, including tribals. Its Economic Agenda stipulates that
land reforms must receive high priority alongside the consolidation of fragmented landholdings.
Donor agencies and international donors.
Donor agencies have played an important part in supporting India’s land reform movement. These include
the Ford Foundation, ActionAid and Christian Aid. International financial institutions (IFIs) and
other donor agencies under the neo-liberal framework have pushed for market-assisted land reform models.
Private sector.
The private sector is increasingly involved in corporate farming, prompting a land buying spree. It has
already acquired vast tracts of land and has entered into agreements with farmers with major investments
to tap the potential of Indian agriculture.
Civil society.
NGO networks in India operate at the national and regional level: the Association of Voluntary Agencies
for Rural Development (AVARD) and the Voluntary Action Network of India (VANI) work nationwide.
People’s Organizations (POs) working on land issues generally have a non-formal structure. A few of the
many POs working on land issues and supporting the land rights movements in India include Wada No
Todo Abhiyan, Ekta Parishad the Campaign for Survival and Dignity, and the National Campaign for Land
and Livelihood (NCLL).
Government.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s paramount concern is infrastructure development. The sectors
identified as key to Indonesia’s future development were power, water and sanitation, oil and gas facilities,
information technology, transport, and logistics. Pres. Yudhoyono passed Presidential Regulation No. 36 of
2005 to relax regulations concerning land leases and concessions. The government’s agrarian and agricultural
policies are also enshrined in the Revitalization of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (RPPK).
CSOs and NGOs.
NGOs and CSOs attribute the current agrarian crisis to three factors: the concentration of ownership of
land and other natural resources among a small group of owners; inefficiency of production as a result of
feudalistic practices; and state violence and the government’s anti-democratic and anti-peasant policies.
Multilateral development agencies and IFIs.
These groups are increasingly involved in integrating free trade and the allocation of agrarian resources
in the country, as exemplified by the Land Administration Project (LAP), which seeks to establish land
markets. Big infrastructure projects funded by the World Bank and the ADB have also resulted in violations
of people’s rights.
Rights-holders/Tenants and landless groups.
Successive farmers’ movements have been undertaken by peasants and tenants since the 1950s. They
have been triggered by mainly landlords’ abuses, widespread famine, and the demand for land rights.
Civil society organizations.
The Community Self-Reliance Centre (CSRC) is one of the NGOs at the forefront of advocacy for the
land rights of the poor. The National Land Rights Concern Group (NLRCG) was also established as a broader
civil society alliance, which includes media groups, human rights advocates and social activists. The
National Land Rights Forum (NLRF) is a membership based national people’s organization of land deprived
people including marginalized groups.
ASIAN NGO COALITION FOR AGRARIAN REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT