This publication deals with key issues in land tenure, especially as they relate to food insecurity and rural development situations. Land tenure issues are frequently ignored in rural development interventions, with often long-lasting, negative results. This guide is designed to assist technical officers in governments and civil society in understanding why and how land tenure issues should be considered in rural development projects. It analyses important contexts such as environmental degradation, gender discrimination, and conflicts, where land tenure is currently of critical concern.

The majority of the population of South-East Asia depends on the land for its living. Land is held in a multitude of different ways- through tribal custom, as individual owner-occupier units, through plantations; in many parts of the region landlessness is a major social and political issue. Using a wide range of case studies, the authors examine the different landholding systems of the region and argue that a combination of traditional and reformed tenure systems offers the best prospects for improving the welfare of the rural population.