Rural Development Institute (RDI)

03/29/2012

Rural Development Institute has changed it's name to Landesa. This page is not updated regularly so please go to www.facebook.com/LandesaGlobal and "Like" us for our latest content. Thanks!

Reducing global poverty and growing opportunity through the power of land rights

03/02/2012

Photo of the week: In honor of International Women's Day just a week away, here is a glimpse of some of the 150 women in India who will be receiving title to their own plot of land this month. Come hear their story at Landesa's annual Seed the Change luncheon on March 9. Click here to register: http://www.landesa.org/get-involved/seed-the-change/

02/29/2012

We celebrate Black History Month – and we are learning from it. Big insights for developing nations: http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/a_plot_of_land_a_path_to_freedom

01/20/2012

Connecting the dots between women's status and child malnutrition:
Landesa's Renee Giovarelli writes in the Guardian about the "South Asian Enigma"... http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/jan/20/land-rights-india-women-ease-malnutrition?INTCMP=SRCH

Renee Giovarelli: Despite progress on many fronts, India's child malnutrition rate rivals that of sub-Saharan Africa. Growing evidence shows a way forward – giving women legal control of the land they farm

12/28/2011

Photo essay on what 'secure land rights' actually means for a farming family.
"My name is Asira Nzamwitaakuze, and we are land owners - me and my husband. And we are happy." http://www.landesa.org/photo-essay-asira/

“Now that I have a land title. I could take it to the bank and get a loan from the bank which I used to buy a cow.”

12/22/2011

Landesa is hiring! We have several jobs available in various departments.
Learn more about these opportunities and working with us: http://www.landesa.org/who-we-are/careers/

Landesa is growing rapidly and impacting millions of rural families. Landesa is a world class research and advocacy organization whose goal is to secure land rights for the world’s poorest people through improved policies, laws and programs. Our organizational values are impact, collaboration, respe...

12/01/2011

NPR's Morning Edition aired a story about Landesa and its partners in Odisha, India who are helping poor rural families gain legal title to their own piece of land. Corey Flintoff reports: >> Listen to the 4-minute story on NPR: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/01/142987433/poor-get-a-stake-in-indias-booming-economy

Even a tiny plot of land in India can be a ticket out of poverty. That's because many government programs and benefits are tied to land ownership. One non-governmental organization is running a program to help the rural poor obtain the title to the land they till.

11/09/2011

TRIVIA ANSWER: B) 1 billion
Of the world’s 7 billion people, 2.7 billion live on less than $2/day. Of those 2.7 billion, 1 billion lack legal rights to the land they farm.
Did you Know?
Landlessness is the best predictor of poverty. Without legal rights, poor families are at risk for land grabbing and displacement, making them more vulnerable to extreme poverty and malnourishment.

11/07/2011

NEW Field Focus Blog | Chinese Government Bans Time Travel
By Keliang Zhu http://www.landesa.org/chinese-government-bans-time-travel/

How can a relatively-small foreign NGO like Landesa promote changes in China and how has it managed to be so effective?

11/01/2011

NEW HuffPost Blog: Washington State's Most Important Export: Hope. By Landesa President Tim Hanstad http://huff.to/sIKxEy

Countries around the world, from Afghanistan to Uganda, would be less stable, less secure, and less sure of their future if we in Washington State stopped our good work. And so would we.

10/18/2011

TRIVIA TUESDAY: Answer: C) 2005
Did you know?
On October 12, 2011, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the amendment entitled Hindu daughters to the same property inheritance rights as sons. The court upheld the appeal of two daughters challenging a high court’s earlier decision. The Supreme Court’s ruling stated “the legislature has now conferred substantive right in favour of the daughters.” Great to see the law enforced!