Using spatial data tools to support the development and sustainability of social land concessions for the landless or land-poor in Cambodia

Thy Try, David Hindley, Prum Punwath

New ways of using spatial data (imagery, drones, mobile phones etc.) to strengthen land governance, sustainable land use, and/or support land administration services in urban and/or rural settings. Cambodia has many landless or land-poor people. The government introduced a system of social land concessions (SLCs) where families receive land to build a home and grow food. Not all SLCs are successful. Land may already be occupied, overlap with protected forests, have limited fertility or be remote from public services. One solution is integrating spatial data, digital maps and other resources at an early stage in planning. Government data is often incomplete, out-dated, inaccessible and may not be digitized. Civil society organisations (CSOs) play a key role producing accessible data. Digital resources from CSOs such as Open Development Cambodia, a national NGO, can be used to conduct spatial analysis on proposed SLCs with datasets and map layers for areas of forest cover, soil type/fertility, flood risk, protected areas, public services (such as schools and medical centres) and other data. This process can help improve the likelihood of SLC success.

Event: Land Governance in an Interconnected World_Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty_2018

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Document type:Using spatial data tools to support the development and sustainability of social land concessions for the landless or land-poor in Cambodia (19234 kB - pdf)