Property rights management

Land and water rights are inextricably intertwined; however, while land rights are fixed and certain, water rights are more dynamic, flexible and therefore more contested than land rights because they depend on any number of factors including rainfall, hydrologic conditions and amounts extracted by users. Establishing property rights can be a double-edged sword; in one case they may be used to create social equity and guarantee certain impoverished groups access to water, where in another case private property rights may be used to disenfranchise already marginalized groups. This is especially the case in societies that have traditionally denied property rights to women. As they transition from communal-based rights to individual property rights, women are more often than not denied access to water. For this reason gender analysis a crucial component in the programming and implementation of property rights management in developing countries.

Case Studies

Land sales fund public works in Krygyzstan Osh, Kyrgyzstan | April 21, 2004 A brand new school in Osh is supported by a new revenue stream — the sale of urban land to business owners. Learn more

Ukrainian farmers claim rights to collective land

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