Malawi National Land Policy - Mokoro

Ministry of Lands Page 48
household to holdings deemed adequate for subsistence and cash crop
farming.
(b) A strategy to encourage the resettlement of landless and land-short
households in carefully selected areas throughout the country will be
promoted.
(c) Leaseholds scattered around the country that are considered in excess
of established industry requirements, abandoned farms and estate holders
who have defaulted will have their rights revoked and the land made
available for redistribution to needy smallholder households.
5.20 Strategy for Land Redistribution and Resettlement
5.20.1. A policy to acquire land to resettle smallholders and landless farmers either by
negotiation or purchase offers a chance to relieve land pressure and poverty in some of the
most congested agricultural districts in the nation. Because the Ministry is the principal
administrator of agricultural leaseholds in the country, it is relatively easy to identify
expired and defaulting estates that could be repossessed. It is, therefore, unlikely that the
Ministry will require huge sums of money to assemble land for redistribution. However, to
immediately resettle 3,500 farming households (approximately 15 –20,000 people), the
government has identified 14,000 hectares of land for this one time resettlement project,
but it will need at least U$D 25 million to accomplish the task.
5.21 Pilot Project To Refine Resettlement Procedures
5.21.1 In order to undertake any systematic redistribution and resettlement policy, the Ministry
will need technical assistance and funding support to develop and refine procedures for mass
resettlement. A previous feasibility (1998) study for a resettlement project envisioned by the
government had suggested establishing a revolving fund to finance the acquisition of land, the
physical relocation of settlers and issuing of land and production loans to the settlers. The
government would, in addition to its own contribution, solicit international assistance to
underwrite this project in the immediate future.
5.22 Land Resettlement and Social Development Board
5.22.1 In a civil and democratic society that abides by the principles of equity and human
rights, government cannot force people to relocate to any particular location without their
consent. Individuals and households readiness to resettle in a different traditional area, district
or region is a matter of personal choice. Attributes worthy of consideration for policy purposes
include a person’s age, marital status, level of education and ethnicity. The potential disruption
of social, cultural and economic existence may be traumatic enough to make the prospect of
relocation untenable to some, and the prospect of leaving valuable immovable property is
always a cause for resisting relocation. Last but not the least, every resettlement program must
address the question of how much will respondents demand to be successfully resettled.
6.0 LAND USE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
6.1 Land Use Planning and Development Controls
http://www.malawi.gov.mw/lands/landpol.htm 29/03/2005 15:23:13