Access to and control over land is key to building sustainable local food systems and tackling poverty. When smallholder farmers have secure land tenure rights, they are more willing to invest in the land and can use it to access credit. Secure land tenure also gives them more incentives to improve farming techniques and manage their land sustainably with a positive contribution to local food systems. This provides opportunities to diversify their income and improve their family’s well-being. Secure land tenure is a safeguard against threats of losing their land to any entity claiming a stake over their land.

On the other hand, the unequal land distribution and lack of tenure security of people who live on and from the land, such as smallholders, indigenous peoples, pastoralists and local communities, face adverse impact to protect and preserve the land, as well as plan, invest and produce food undermining their productive contribution to balanced, diverse and sustainable food systems.

Given the gravity of importance and the magnitude of the issue, in order to make sure that land tenure rights and its importance in food systems are prominently placed in the Food Systems Summit, this Dialogue aims at:

• Obtaining diverse perspectives and opinions of the land community to feed into the outcomes of the Food Systems Summit
• Raising a stronger collective voice on why land tenure should be a critical issue in building sustainable food systems

The Dialogue intends to achieve the following outcomes:

• How strengthened and diverse access and control over land by women, men, IPs and local communities, including pastoralists and fisher folks, can contribute to building sustainable food systems in local and national levels
• Importance of transparent and accountable people centred land governance in building sustainable food systems
• Emphasising on establishing greater autonomy for diverse local communities in land and food reliance, independent from corporate production systems
• How respecting land tenure rights of people can lead to food security and sustainable, just and peaceful societies aiding to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda

REGISTER: https://ifad.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJArf-Cspz4jGNRCf-EZFk1eldIFsfm37LR6