- $59,934,615Original Compact Project Amount
- $58,255,723Total Disbursed
Estimated Benefits
| Time | Estimated Economic Rate of Return (ERR) over 20 years | Estimated beneficiaries over 20 years | Estimated net benefits over 20 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| At compact closure | 5.8 percent | 52,200
(assuming an average household size of 6) |
$1,900,000 |
Estimated benefits corresponds to $58.4 million of project funds, where cost-benefit analysis was conducted.
Project Description
MCC undertook the Rural Land Governance Project to address issues related to farmers in Burkina Faso lacking legal recognition of land rights on their farms, which inhibited economic growth and agricultural productivity in the nation.
Eighty percent of Burkina Faso’s residents live in rural areas of the country and make a living through agriculture, livestock and forestry, but lack the legal recognition of their right to work the land that make investment or improvement difficult. The lack of legal recognition of the land rights of agricultural workers discourages investment, provides fewer options for securing loans and opens the possibility of land conflicts. Land tenure conflicts are common and intensifying as a result of a growing population and increased competition over limited land-based resources.
The Rural Land Governance Project targeted these issues by providing support in three critical areas:
- Legal and procedural change and communication;
- Developing and building capacity with government institutions; and
- Localized land tenure intervention.
The project contributed significantly to the adoption of the transformational 2009 Rural Land Law, the 2012 Agrarian and Land Reorganization Law, and 52 other decrees and regulations. These reforms established the framework for localized land governance, a more efficient approach to land conflict resolution, improved recognition of citizens’ rights to land and better land management. The project trained more than 8,700 local officials in 47 rural communes on participatory land-use management, land-service operations and conflict mediation in accordance with the new laws by the end of the compact. It incorporated 18,000 land parcels into the national registry, established more than 1,000 conflict mediation commissions in the villages of 47 rural communes and secured land rights for 4,793 households, businesses, and other entities. Although only 2,167 of the targeted 6,000 Rural Land Possession Certificates were approved by compact end, 13,000 applications were in process. The Government of Burkina Faso committed to funding the land administration offices and supporting delivery of certificates post-compact.
Delays in completion of the Dî perimeter development and approval of title and lease documents resulted in missing the target for the number of rural hectares to be formalized by compact end. Within 120 days following compact closure, titles and leases had been approved for 1,835 hectares, or 82 percent of the target. The Government of Burkina Faso committed to funding and completing the task of formalizing rural hectares post-compact.
Evaluation Findings
MCC is conducting an impact evaluation of the Rural Land Governance Project, which will assess whether the project led to improved perceptions of land tenure security or a reduction in land conflicts. It will also measure whether improved tenure security or reduced conflict led farmers to change their investment decisions in ways that increase incomes. The evaluation is expected in 2017.
Key performance indicators and outputs at compact end date
| Activity/Outcome | Key Performance Indicator | Baseline | End of Compact Target | Quarter 1 through Quarter 20 Actuals (as of Sep 2014) | Percent Compact Target Satisfied (as of Sep 2014) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Institutional Development and Capacity Building Activity | Land administration offices established or upgraded | 0 | 78 | 78 | 100% |
| Number of municipal buildings constructed | 0 | 47 | 47 | 100% | |
| Stakeholders trained | 0 | 8,452 | 61,057 | 722% | |
| Site-Specific Land Tenure Interventions Activity | Number of land conflicts recorded in the 17 communes of Phase I of the project | 860 | No Target | 397 | No Target |
| Number of land conflicts resolved in the 17 communes of Phase I of the project | 673 | No Target | 306 | No Target | |
| Number of rural hectares formalized in the new zone of Di, targeted under the Agriculture Development Project | 0 | 2,240 | 207 | 9% | |
| Number of Rural Land Possession Certificates (APFRs) approved by the local government | 0 | 6,000 | 2,167 | 36% |