Land ownership and land conflict in Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Pursat and Prey Veng provinces, Cambodia

ABSTRACTED FROM THE INTRODUCTION: According to the HEKS strategy 2013 – 2017, access to land is an area of expertise for the organization. Land can be closely linked to both HEKS’ action strategy of Development for Rural Communities and Conflict Transformation. Within the development cycle for rural communities, access to resources is a precondition for sustainable development of rural areas. But land can also become a source of conflict, or a political tool to include/exclude, hence affecting PooC opportunities to participate in society. Furthermore, where land rights are under pressure, right holders and duty bearers are put to the test whether they are able to claim or protect the rights necessary for people to live in dignity from a rights- based perspective. In figure 1, poor functioning of this interaction was identified as one of root causes for land conflicts in Cambodia. The work of HEKS Cambodia, and its 4 national partner NGOs and 2 supported Provincial Departments of Agriculture (PDA), is mainly focused on the Development of Rural Communities. In July 2014, HEKS started a pilot with a new partner (ACT) to develop a project in the area of Conflict Transformation. ACT is currently involved in an assessment to identify conflicts to work on in a 3-year phase. It is expected that conflicts over land will be identified as one of the biggest obstacles to people’s livelihoods. However, proper information related to land ownership and land issues for HEKS’ current intervention areas in Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Prey Veng (new target villages) and Pursat provinces is currently lacking. It was therefore decided to do a short land study, which could be the starting point to develop new interventions on land and conflict transformation. Systematic information on land would also enhance HEKS’ understanding of its impact on a broader level on community livelihoods. This study was designed to provide such information for HEKS Cambodia. 2.

Cambodia