Announcing a partnership on land rights in responsible sourcing and production

This new partnership strengthens Proforest’s existing work of supporting companies, governments and other organizations to implement commitments to responsible production and sourcing of agricultural commodities and forest products, including commitments to respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.

Both organizations are interested in knowledge sharing, capacity building, and joint project implementation to further their common goal of ensuring protected and secure land rights of women and men in areas of agricultural production, as well as maximizing positive impacts for local communities and smallholder farmers involved in or affected by production activities.  

 

Collaboration is already ongoing; Proforest’s Africa team have been trialling the use of Landesa’s LandAssess Tool in responsible sourcing site visits for sugarcane production in Nigeria, as part of their support to a large downstream sugarcane buyer. Using such tools allows Proforest to provide enhanced information to the buyer on the potential land rights risks surrounding their suppliers and how to address these.

Landesa and Proforest are also collaborating in the palm oil sector: with Landesa contributing technical expertise on land rights for the development of guidance for palm mills on grievance resolution and avoidance, and to a protocol for supplier suspension and re-engagement where the rights of indigenous peoples or local communities have not been respected.

Both organisations are exploring opportunities for building capacity on land rights and the concept of Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC) among growers, buyers and government involved in the production of agricultural and forest commodities, through regional initiatives such as the African Palm Oil Initiative and the Production Landscapes Programme.