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Note de synthèse n°32 : Historical trajectories and land policy issues : what opportunities for land reform in Myanmar ?

Charlotte Ravaux (Gret - CTFD) | Comité Technique "Foncier et Développement" | 2021 |
Note de synthèse n°32 : Historical trajectories and land policy issues : what opportunities for land reform in Myanmar ?

This brief captures in a nutshell the key issues discussed during the seminar dedicated to Myanmar’s land issues. The event took place on December 2nd and 3rd 2019 at the French Development Agency headquarters in Paris (AFD). This event was organized by the “Land Tenure and Development” Technical Committee of the French Cooperation. Panels were organized over two days, in the presence of several members of the Committee, officers from the AFD and land tenure experts as panelists, from various background, including Myanmar land experts.

Starting with a brief overview of Myanmar and its specificity in the South-East Asian region, the note addresses the main historical milestones in the making of land tenure, providing a synthesis of land tenure policies since Burman Kingdoms to the civilian transition up to 2020. It then characterizes the main agricultural and land tenure issues in the various agro-ecological zones of Myanmar – from paddy field in the lowlands (Delta and Dry Zone) to shifting cultivation and paddy-terraces in the uplands. Finally, it provides highlights of contemporary land reforms debates.

This note was written in the wake of the seminar in December 2019, before Myanmar’s military coup d’état the 1st February 2021. Although most of the information in this note still prevails, the situation has since changed rapidly and it is expected that land rights and inclusive land reforms will endure major set back in the coming months.

To download the briefing note, click on the link « Documents attachés » below.