Welcome to ILDC
EIGHTH INDIA LAND AND DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 2024
In addition to intellectual deliberations, ILDC2024 will host pre- and post-conference events designed to foster networking among land actors from India and abroad. As India's premier platform for land professionals, ILDC attracts participants from government, civil society, academia, private sector, entrepreneurship, media, and international organizations. We invite proposals for papers, posters, displays, and sessions, as well as inquiries about partnerships and sponsorships.
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OUR JOURNEY
The India Land and Development Conference (ILDC) returns for 2024, bringing together industry experts, practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders in land and development from around the world as an international conference.
Each year, ILDC highlights the critical role of land security in fostering inclusive and sustainable development, while also building resilience to climate change. The conference seeks innovative and thought-provoking contributions from individuals, institutions, and partnerships. Continuing the tradition of previous years, ILDC 2024 will facilitate enriching interdisciplinary conversations through various formats including presentations, panel discussions, round tables, master classes, lightning talks, and focused conclaves.
Eighth ILDC, 2024
Welcome to ILDC
EIGHTH INDIA LAND AND DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 2024
The India Land and Development Conference (ILDC) returns for 2024, bringing together industry experts, practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders in land and development from around the world as an international conference.
Each year, ILDC highlights the critical role of land security in fostering inclusive and sustainable development, while also building resilience to climate change. The conference seeks innovative and thought-provoking contributions from individuals, institutions, and partnerships.
Continuing the tradition of previous years, ILDC 2024 will facilitate enriching interdisciplinary conversations through various formats including presentations, panel discussions, round tables, master classes, lightning talks, and focused conclaves.
In addition to intellectual deliberations, ILDC2024 will host pre- and post-conference events designed to foster networking among land actors from India and abroad. As India's premier platform for land professionals, ILDC attracts participants from government, civil society, academia, private sector, entrepreneurship, media, and international organizations. We invite proposals for papers, posters, displays, and sessions, as well as inquiries about partnerships and sponsorships.
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Infrastructure Engineering, Melbourne University
Speakers at ILDC
Sessions at ILDC
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India’s vision to achieve net zero by 2070 relies heavily on local governance systems like Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs). These institutions play a crucial role in implementing climate action plans at the grassroots level, ensuring that policies are adapted to local contexts, and that communities are engaged in sustainable practices. By exploring case studies, this session will highlight the challenges, opportunities, and innovative strategies that PRIs can adopt to contribute to India’s climate goals.
Session Details:
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Session Title: Empowering Panchayat Raj Institutions for India's Net Zero Vision by 207
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Format: Case study presentations followed by a panel discussion
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Duration: 75 minutes
Session Design:
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Introduction (5 minutes): Overview of PRIs' potential role in achieving net zero by 2070.
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Case Study Presentations (20 minutes):
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Presentation of three diverse case studies where PRIs have successfully contributed to climate action, focusing on different regions and strategies.
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Case Studies to Include:
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A PRI-led renewable energy initiative.
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Community-driven afforestation and land restoration projects.
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Climate-resilient agricultural practices supported by PRIs.
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Panel Discussion (40 minutes)
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Panelists:
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Government Officials: Discussing how policy frameworks can support PRIs in climate action.
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Environmental Experts: Sharing insights on scaling successful models.
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PRI Representatives: Highlighting local challenges and solutions.
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Key Discussion Points
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Enhancing capacity building for PRIs
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Scaling and replicating successful PRI-led initiatives.
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Integrating traditional knowledge with modern climate solutions.
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Q&A Session (10 minutes): Audience engagement with the panel.
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Concept Note: The commons play a multifaceted role, providing cultural, livelihood, ecological, and spiritual functions while serving as spaces for social cohesion. Unfortunately, the absence of a clear definition and mandate on what constitutes commons has led to a conflation with wastelands. In India, around 17% of the geographical area is classified as wasteland. However, the definitions, categorizations, and estimations of these lands are influenced by various perspectives—from colonial revenue approaches to FAO's agricultural production focus to competitive land use approaches in the neoliberal era. This often overlooks the local community's utilitarian and symbiotic relationship with these lands.
As a result, policies, statistics, and the management of these lands face significant contestations and conflicts. The data on commons and public lands is sporadic and inconsistent across states, with each state treating these lands differently. Public lands, especially in urban areas, often lack detailed records in government databases, making them vulnerable to encroachment and difficult to retrieve. This disorganised approach has led to inefficient usage, allocation, and management of these valuable resources. In rural areas and municipalities since management of public lands is now the responsibility of the elected local bodies the latter have no long-term or short-term policy to manage such lands. Some are often used to mobilise revenue and either sold or put on long lease for such commercial purposes as shopping malls, cinema halls and even hotels when the municipality may lack land for educational and health institutions. In short, there is no rational prioritisation based on need and demand.
The Budget 2024's emphasis on digitization and the implementation of a Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), or Bhu Aadhar, for all land parcels presents a significant opportunity. It is essential to include all public lands, particularly commons, under this initiative. Integrating these categories into ULPIN will create a centralised and digitised inventory of all commons and public lands, allow for more efficient management and protection of these lands, ensure that public lands are not lost to unauthorised encroachments, and promote transparency in land allocation and usage.
The session aims to address several key concerns
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Defining commons and public lands in India : typologies and mapping of such lands
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Reasons why reclaiming and properly inventorization of commons is crucial for preservation of the cultural, ecological, and spiritual significance of commons
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Creating an inventory of land under various categories of public lands.
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Methodology to define and record commons and public lands. Possible methods to identify and protect such lands: Inventorisation of all public lands to begin with.
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Developing frameworks and guidelines to safeguard all public lands, including commons, community lands under FRA, wastelands, grazing lands, abandoned and escheated lands, etc.
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Include water bodies (tanks, ponds, lakes, riverbeds and banks) in our assessment to protect them to prevent urban floods and general floods, prevent creeping water salinity and depletion of groundwater.
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List reasons for diversion of commons/ wastelands for other uses and their implications
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Existing policies around commons/wasteland conservation and utilisation.
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This panel brings together students from FLAME and other institutions who have worked on empirical and analytical research projects on land and its allied aspects in the urban areas. The panel seeks to documents land use transformations in Indian cities and their impact on sustainability as well as social structure. These also have a bearing on the way urban planning is conceived and effected in Indian cities thereby impacting ecology, environment and human relationships. The papers are based on empirical and analytical researches that include various methodologies and theoretical frameworks. These include using GIS to document changes in the vegetation cover in an urban forest in Mumbai; studying a CRZ area and wastewater treatment plant in its surroundings to analyze its implications for sustainable urban planning in Thiruvananthapuram; using GIS and secondary data to understand morphology of informal settlements in Delhi; studying development of Bangalore Suburban Rail system; studying the impact of RWA policies and housing market dynamics on single women and their access to rental housing in Indian cities; and studying suburban housing in the frontier regions of Bengaluru. The intent of the panel is to highlight student researches on pressing issues impacting land and its allied aspects in the urban areas. The idea is to learn something new from the prisms of the young minds.
Land continues to be a critical player in defining social relationships and building community’s cultural self. Land has been responsible in infusing communitarian living and holding of property jointly in an undivided Hindu family. In agrarian India, land has driven joint family economics and culture since colonial times. While land as a dominant social narrative was significantly visible in popular culture, especially literature, post-independence cinema piggybacked on literature to capitalise on literature’s respectability to source socially and aesthetically accepted narratives.
In order to further the social justice and nation-building agenda, cinema collaborated with contemporary land discourses to document independent India’s cultural history. If language cinema established India’s regional cultural diversity, Bombay cinema culturally integrated a newly independent plural society consisting of multi-ethnic and linguistic groups. The exploitative narrative of the dispossessed peasantry irrespective of the land tenure system during the colonial times was more or less the same having the potential of greater connectivity with the audience and making land a preferred theme irrespective of the language in which the film was made.
Be it a ‘disempowered’ Zamindar, a dishonest moneylender or a merciless land grabber, colonial India had constructed its own evil who invariably emerged from the agrarian land relations. Cinema in independent India took on to itself the colossal task of collaborating with the avowed social justice agenda by telling the stories of the impoverished peasantry at the hands of such evils. Since land reforms continued as an unfinished agenda several decades into independence, cinematic narratives ensured the continuity of these representative evils in different forms. Cinema’s rendezvous with land and other social issues continued reflecting contemporary issues using a more realistic format whether it was Do Bigha Zamin (1953) or Paan Singh Tomar (2012). While the feudal romantic genre offered easy solutions to land challenges, the more serious genre was cautious in handling the land narratives and keeping it far from the usual formula pattern to successfully tell its story, though the space and narratives keep changing and refining from agrarian power relations to urban land magnates.
ILDC consistent with its objective of promoting land rights in India intends to discuss this process of transition of land reforms and challenges per time and their celluloid reflections in its upcoming meet in November 2024. The broad areas of discussion will be to: a) understand how land as a dominant social narrative has been reflected in the celluloid canvas, b) whether cinema as the primary entertainment medium in India has been effective in pushing the land reforms agenda, c) if cinema primarily operating within middle class conservatism has limited itself only to providing aesthetic resolutions to a fundamental challenge like land, d) does cinema offer any learning discourse around the compatibility of entertainment or make-belief with social reforms, e) ways to sensitise the medium and methods of building a partnership highway between filmmakers and land rights practitioners.
The session will congregate practitioners, film academia and filmmakers to engage in a panel discussion. The steps would include with the moderator introducing the topic and initiating the discussion with specific questions that each of the experts would respond to. The constitution of the panel would consist of at least one filmmaker, land rights practitioner, film academia.
The core of the argument is that there is finite land in cities. The only means of catering to the growing populations is either to demolish and rebuild or extend the boundaries of the city and build in the suburbs and peripheral areas. Most developers used to scout for land in areas that were unknown and therefore cost effective as an input resource. But cities have holding capacities too which city managers have to define. The 1,2,3,4 principle of 1 premium, 2 MIG, 3 LIG and 4 EWS still holds at even locality levels. So city administrations are duty bound to link this principle to sanctions for development. Today the private sector is building way too much for the premium segment (29% for 8 to 10 percent of the population) but merely 19% for affordable housing versus 40% in 2019. Building social housing can't be the mandate of the private sector which is in it for profit. So either the public sector development authorities take that mantle like in the 80s and 90s or taxes and levies should be stripped off from social housing to make it affordable. That will bring a new class of investors into this segment and help bring more equitable distribution of land use.
Concept Note: Land and development issues have played a central role in the work of several Indian artists. Through painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, installation and site-specific projects, artists have constantly endeavoured to engage and essay their concerns about unchecked urbanization, haphazard growth, shrinking of interpersonal space, and creation of borders amongst many other issues. Shilpa Gupta has examined manmade borders and the role of memory through her installations. Sameer Kulavoor’s drawings and animation help to unpack why and how cities look and work the way they do. Teja Gavankar subverts mundane spaces through her sculptural installations which then provoke thoughts on spatial subjectivity. The artists mentioned here have held many exhibitions in the country and abroad. Their work has received critical attention from art academia as well as museums and curators. The panel will feature short presentations by each artist about their work focusing on issues pertinent to the conference followed by a conversation with the moderator and conclude with a dialogue with the audience. The panel hopes to bring forward new ways of looking and thinking about land and development related issues in India through the paradigm of contemporary art practices.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces, affecting nearly every aspect of life, especially in developing countries. In India, much of the population relies on land-based livelihoods through agriculture or forest-related activities, despite the land-people relations are complex, informal and unequal. The effects of climate change have been particularly severe for communities, having insecure land tenure. Rapid economic growth, climate change and rising population have escalated demands, putting immense pressure on land resources. Neither the land reforms introduced post-independence with aim of social justice, nor the land record reform that pushed digitisation during the liberalisation era; have worked effectively for the poor and marginalised, particularly in rural parts of India. The impacts go beyond environmental concerns, influencing land use pattern, tenure systems, livelihoods, triggering out-migration from rural areas to urban centres.
Although migrants form an indispensable part of urban India, they are perceived as a ‘nuisance’ by receiving societies, even triggering xenophobic reactions. Besides, given the inequity in access to land, the urban areas, already dealing with limited carrying capacities, are further stressed by migration. Many of these migrants end up in informal settlements with insecure tenure, lacking basic amenities like sanitation. Often, they take up almost all informal economic activities lacking formal tenure, adding to uncertainties and vulnerabilities to eviction. Low-lying areas in cities are particularly vulnerable to climate risks such as flooding, which exacerbates public health crises, especially in poor and migrant communities. At the same time, the unchecked expansion of urban areas leads to issues like flooding and urban heat islands, which disproportionately affect the urban poor, especially the migrants.
While such climate augmented migration and the remittances have immensely contributed in improving the adaptation and resilience of rural economies in India, it comes at the cost of health and dignity of a migrant. Land use changes account for roughly 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and weak or insecure land tenure systems often exacerbate these changes. When people lack secure land ownership, they are less likely to invest in sustainable land management practices, such as soil conservation, irrigation, organic farming, agroforestry or reforestation, due to the fear of displacement as well as their limited competitive ability to access related entitlements or bring in desired investments. This situation is further compounded by climate impacts resulting in land degradation and displacement of individuals with weak tenure rights, such as tenants, small farmers, and marginal farmers.
This concept note outlines deliberations for two interconnected sessions aimed at exploring the complex relationships between land use, land tenure, climate change, and human migration at (source) rural and (destination) urban contexts. The sessions will analyse the driving forces behind migration, the impact of land tenure and degradation on livelihoods, and the challenges faced in destination areas, where resources are already strained. By examining the issues present in the landscape spanning rural-urban continuum with regards to changing land-people relations and migration, these sessions aim to provide a nuanced understanding of how market and climate change affect the origins and destinations of migrants, and how related land use and tenure shifts impact migrants, both socially and economically.
Cities in the Global South are increasingly contested spaces, especially as rising inequalities and concerns about sustainable futures become more pressing. Urban institutions at various levels are responding to these challenges, but the complexity of urban political economies, governance structures, and implementation models is becoming more apparent. Simultaneously, issues concerning the urban poor, marginalized, and dispossessed remain central to these debates. This panel seeks to refocus the following research questions to enhance scholarly practice: How does the longstanding issue of urban land fit within contemporary ideals of urban transformation and governance? In what ways do state power, political and market actors, and even non-governmental organizations and communities influence the production of urban land and reshape governance? What role do state actions—whether technocratic, bureaucratic, or everyday, in/formal—play in interfacing with the daily realities of Indian cities, and how do they create varied experiences of urban and social change? Finally, how do these systemic and macro perspectives on urban transformation relate to the evolving forms of marginalization in contemporary cities? The panel features scholars with deep, long-term research interests in India's cities, from economically complex cities like Mumbai to emerging cities like Patna. It emphasizes fieldwork-based, empirical, and non-traditional approaches to understanding the city. These cities are not connected by mere academic interest, but through shared geographies of urban transformation, land politics, and emerging governance issues. The panel critically examines the politics and policies of cities, triangulating themes, empirical exploration, and emerging scholarly trends to reflect on the changing nature of our cities.
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Concept Note: The international recognition of the Right to Land as a fundamental human right is gaining momentum, complemented by ongoing discussions about its formalization in rural contexts. The UN General Comment No. 26 (2022) emphasizes that "secure and equitable access to, use of and control over land for individuals and communities can be essential to eradicate hunger and poverty and to guarantee the right to an adequate standard of living." However, a critical gap exists in understanding how this right specifically pertains to the poor, including those living in informal settlements, resettlement sites, or experiencing homelessness, especially in urban areas where land is a highly contested, scarce, and commodified resource.
The absence of tenure security and land rights in urban areas also exacerbates situations of forced evictions and displacement of the urban poor. Research by the Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) reveals that over 515,752 (5 lakh) persons were forcefully evicted from their lands and homes across the country, under various guises including, but not limited to ‘slum clearance, encroachment removal, infrastructure projects, environmental projects, disaster management efforts’. This alarming but conservative estimate highlights the urgent need to address the precariousness of land tenure for the urban poor.
The non-recognition of land rights also contributes significantly to homelessness, as communities struggle to assert claims over their land and access essential resources. Moreover, with the increasing impact of climate change on urban areas, people without land tenure and adequate housing are disproportionately affected. Research by HLRN reveals the severe impact of heatwaves on the homeless, and underscores the importance of access to adequate housing and land as a defence from extreme climatic events. It thus becomes significant to unpack the impact of lack of access to and participation in land tenure, finance, climate action, mitigation and adaptation measures on the urban poor.
For instance, in Delhi, there are communities continue to live on and cultivate land across the banks of the Yamuna, others who incrementally develop 'waste', 'contested' lands, and some who have been allotted alternative plots after the demolition of their homes in the city who live in insecurity due to the lack of formal recognition of 'conditional' tenure/ underscore the importance of land rights in urban areas. Conversely, initiatives in states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu show promise, with efforts underway to regularize informal settlements and secure land titles for marginalized groups, including women and conservancy workers. Such examples can provide valuable insights into effective strategies for advancing land rights.
To address these pressing challenges, it is crucial to build a common consensus on the rights to land among urban poor communities, ensuring adequate security of tenure, and fostering inclusive dialogue around access, use, and control of land. The need for collaborative action among policymakers, civil society, and affected communities is imperative to create a framework that recognizes and protects the land rights of the urban poor.
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Land is a critical and integral source for housing. Around the world, approximately 1.1 billion people reside in subpar housing in informal settlements, experiencing the impacts of disasters and climate change[1]. Inadequate housing access reinforces poverty, intensified by the ripple effects of climate change. Those facing multiple vulnerabilities at once require improved support for their living conditions to enhance resilience to overall well-being. The need for suitable land for housing especially for the EWS is more critical and shortage more acute in the urban areas.
It's not just housing but also good infrastructure that is essential, including roads, drainage facilities, and more. Real estate development alone is insufficient without proper planning and infrastructural development. For effective infrastructure development, there must be accountability regarding land use and reserves for future growth. Infrastructure development relies on not only better housing units but also on the quality of sanitation and drainage systems. These factors are directly linked to improved health, contributing to the overall well-being of citizens. In addition, allotting the unused category of land will not only address the need of housing for EWS but also have a huge potential to contribute significantly in GDP. This holistic approach embodies the vision of "Viksit Bharat" and "Amrit Kaal," ensuring comprehensive progress and prosperity for every citizen.
The session aims to address several key concerns:
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Identifying categories of land that can be used for housing for EWS such as Land footprinting for economic activities including housing , Wasted or unused good lands.
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Exploring the nexus between real estate players and think tanks in utilising different categories of land especially surplus land parcels with trusts ,governments ,institutions , industries, etc. as well as commons, grazing land, lands attached to religious structures and wasteland in rural areas.
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Examining how housing can contribute to multiple benefits, such as poverty reduction, improved health, and a better environment.
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Methods for use of such wasted lands for desired economic activities
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Mechanism for land use change without disturbing ownership
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Pragmatic steps to make India slum free in a win win fashion
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Benefit to developers with increased availability of unused land in urban areas for affordable housing
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Climate change is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces, affecting nearly every aspect of life, especially in developing countries. In India, much of the population relies on land-based livelihoods through agriculture or forest-related activities, despite the land-people relations are complex, informal and unequal. The effects of climate change have been particularly severe for communities, having insecure land tenure. Rapid economic growth, climate change and rising population have escalated demands, putting immense pressure on land resources. Neither the land reforms introduced post-independence with aim of social justice, nor the land record reform that pushed digitisation during the liberalisation era; have worked effectively for the poor and marginalised, particularly in rural parts of India. The impacts go beyond environmental concerns, influencing land use pattern, tenure systems, livelihoods, triggering out-migration from rural areas to urban centres.
Although migrants form an indispensable part of urban India, they are perceived as a ‘nuisance’ by receiving societies, even triggering xenophobic reactions. Besides, given the inequity in access to land, the urban areas, already dealing with limited carrying capacities, are further stressed by migration. Many of these migrants end up in informal settlements with insecure tenure, lacking basic amenities like sanitation. Often, they take up almost all informal economic activities lacking formal tenure, adding to uncertainties and vulnerabilities to eviction. Low-lying areas in cities are particularly vulnerable to climate risks such as flooding, which exacerbates public health crises, especially in poor and migrant communities. At the same time, the unchecked expansion of urban areas leads to issues like flooding and urban heat islands, which disproportionately affect the urban poor, especially the migrants.
While such climate augmented migration and the remittances have immensely contributed in improving the adaptation and resilience of rural economies in India, it comes at the cost of health and dignity of a migrant. Land use changes account for roughly 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and weak or insecure land tenure systems often exacerbate these changes. When people lack secure land ownership, they are less likely to invest in sustainable land management practices, such as soil conservation, irrigation, organic farming, agroforestry or reforestation, due to the fear of displacement as well as their limited competitive ability to access related entitlements or bring in desired investments. This situation is further compounded by climate impacts resulting in land degradation and displacement of individuals with weak tenure rights, such as tenants, small farmers, and marginal farmers.
This concept note outlines deliberations for two interconnected sessions aimed at exploring the complex relationships between land use, land tenure, climate change, and human migration at (source) rural and (destination) urban contexts. The sessions will analyse the driving forces behind migration, the impact of land tenure and degradation on livelihoods, and the challenges faced in destination areas, where resources are already strained. By examining the issues present in the landscape spanning rural-urban continuum with regards to changing land-people relations and migration, these sessions aim to provide a nuanced understanding of how market and climate change affect the origins and destinations of migrants, and how related land use and tenure shifts impact migrants, both socially and economically.
Concept Note:
Introduction to set the context of the session Working on commons especially on land and water. Commons is about organizing rural communities for restoring their faith in a collective action. Often regeneration of commons is achieved through rejuvenation of communities. The communities undergo a significant social transformation both at individual and collective level. To understand social transformation is important because social issues are of paramount importance to sustain the commons
What gaps and existing challenges do they find
Economic benefits are often taken into account but social benefits are often not captures/measured. It is important to understand how communities, practitioners and researchers look at the social transformation through commons. How bringing out social transformation becomes an important outcome of work on commons
What sessions aim to address specific questions
Why social transformation is vital for working around commons.
To understand how social transformation occurs from the work on commons. How it is aimed at, what are its processes, what investment and amount of time does it need.
Once social transformation around commons occurs, how it ensures sustainability of restored commons.
Way forward and potential collaboration
We intend to take the collaborative efforts forward with communities, practitioners and researchers who are interested on the subject of Social Transformation through work on commons.
Dalits constitute about 16% of India’s population, approximately 200 million individuals. However, their land ownership status is severely lacking, with around 80% of Dalits being landless. Those who do own land typically possess small, marginal plots that do not support sustainable livelihoods.
Historically marginalized, Dalits encounter systemic socio-cultural barriers that hinder their access to land and property rights. Efforts at land reform have proven largely ineffective, leaving many Dalit families in poverty and with limited access to essential resources, education, and economic opportunities. This ongoing inequity highlights the urgent need for targeted policies aimed at improving land rights and fostering social equity within Dalit communities. Addressing these issues is crucial for empowering Dalits and ensuring their rightful access to land and resources.
This critical issue within India's socio-economic landscape, stemming from a history of caste-based exclusion though have been countered with some land reforms, however barriers still persist in securing these rights. Notable successes include the Bodh Gaya land struggle, which achieved joint land titles for Dalit women, and the establishment of Dalit agricultural cooperatives in Gujarat that promote sustainable land use. However, these initiatives frequently encounter resistance from dominant castes. In Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, for example, violence and bureaucratic delays have obstructed the progress of reforms.
Gender discrimination exacerbates the struggle for land ownership among Dalit women, especially in patriarchal regions like Punjab . Implementation challenges also arise from neoliberal land policies that prioritize productivity over equity, such as Gujarat’s shift from land redistribution to liberalization . Future policy efforts should emphasize stronger enforcement of land reform laws, participatory governance, and support for Dalit-led cooperatives , with a particular focus on ensuring gender equity in land ownership.
Additionally, climate change poses a significant threat, as Dalit communities often reside on marginal lands and are disproportionately impacted by floods, droughts, and environmental degradation . Integrating climate-resilient agricultural practices into land reforms is crucial for safeguarding Dalit livelihoods.
The session will examine grassroots movements like the Jamin Adhikar Andolan and the Watan Jamin Sangharsh Samiti, showcasing community-driven solutions to advance land reforms and advocate for land rights.
Key questions that will be explored during the session include:
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What lessons can be drawn from successful movements like the Bodh Gaya land struggle and the Chengara struggle in Kerala, and how can these lessons be applied to other Dalit land rights movements across India?
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How do gender and caste intersect in the struggle for land rights, particularly for Dalit women, and what policy interventions are necessary to ensure gender equity in land ownership?
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What are the most significant barriers to the implementation of land reforms for Dalits, particularly in states where neoliberal land policies prioritize productivity over equity, and how can grassroots activism influence policy changes in these regions?
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How does climate change exacerbate land-related vulnerabilities for Dalit communities, and what strategies can be implemented to integrate climate-resilient agricultural practices into land reform policies?
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India’s forest cover is 21.71% of its total geographic area (ISFR, 2021). WRI India’s restoration atlas indicates that 140 million hectares have potential for forest protection and landscape restoration
(Chaturvedi et. 2018). These forest landscapes support about 250 million people with resources like minor forest produce, fuelwood, and fodder (MoEF 2014). However, climate change is impacting these dependent communities disproportionately, intensifying their vulnerabilities (IPCC 2022). Strengthening community forest governance and landscape restoration can simultaneously conserve biodiversity and support livelihoods (WRI India. 2018; Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact et al. 2022). Local self-governing institutions are essential for equitable climate mitigation and land conservation (Elias et al. 2022). In India, legislations like the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996, and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA, 2006) have formalised collective tenure rights of communities over their historical forest lands and empowered local institutions with rights to manage natural resources. Local self-governing institutions ensure representation, accountability and autonomous decision-making at the grassroots level (Elias etal. 2022). Strengthening local institutions requires improving the flow of information and transparency among stakeholders, as this often hinders effective convergence with other available policy instruments. Efforts have been made to break the information asymmetry among stakeholders by making information openly accessible. One such example is the LandMark platform, an open-access digital platform for sharing data on recognized community rights. Such initiatives hold the potential to inform and assist new efforts by both state and civil society actors in community land management. It is hoped that this discussion will be able to provide practical insights on empowering local-self- governing institutions with policy and technology, to achieve effective management of community tenures, to achieve natural resource conservation and wellbeing of communities. Against this background and aligning with the theme of ILDC 2024, the session aims:
To discuss the actions needed for strengthening the role of local self-governing institutions in planning, managing and restoring the community lands. To highlight the potential advantages of technological usage by communities for landscape planning and restoration. Learn approaches to mobilise communities through the local self-governing institution to integrate sustainable practices to ensure food & livelihood security, landscape restoration and inclusive access to natural resources
Scaling Forest Rights Implementation: Progress, Barriers, and the Collective Road Ahead
Objective: To present and discuss the findings from the Forest Rights Act evaluation study commissioned by Cadasta and Landstack, distil the learning, progress, impacts, and remaining systemic barriers, and identify collaborative strategies to address and dismantle these barriers to scale the Forest Rights Act (FRA) implementation effectively.
Applicable Conference Themes:
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Climate Action & Tenure Transitions
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Land Use - Land Tenure Linkages
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Land and Tech
Format: Panel Session with facilitated discussion
Moderator: Rohini Chaturvedi, Strategy Lead for Forests, People, Climate (FPC) at the Climate and Land Use Alliance
Panel Agenda:
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Introduction and Overview
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Brief introduction of the session objectives and themes by the moderator
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Overview of the FRA evaluation report
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Presentation of Study Findings
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Detailed presentation of the findings from the FRA evaluation report
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Key learning, progress, and impacts of FRA implementation to date
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Panel Discussion
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Conversation led by Rohini with panelists to distill learning, progress, and remaining systemic barriers
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Identification of ways to collectively address and dismantle systemic barriers
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Strategies to scale the FRA
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Q&A Session
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Open floor for questions for the panelists from the audience
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Expected Outcomes:
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Enhanced understanding of the current state of FRA implementation
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Identification of key barriers and challenges in scaling FRA
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Collaborative strategies and actionable steps to overcome systemic barriers
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Strengthened network and partnerships among stakeholders working on land and forest rights
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Session Introduction: What laws and policies decide who controls land resources and how does that legal framework impact communities on the ground? How do adjudicating bodies and the judiciary decide on land resource disputes? This session will have a presentation on a study analysing 40 central and state legislations, 1630 high court judgments, 8 state policies and 131 land conflicts to demystify the legal regime and judicial pronouncements surrounding the common lands. A panel discussion will follow to highlight legal and policy gaps that impact communities, businesses and the environment and how those gaps can be addressed.
Session Structure:
0:00 to 0:15 hrs: Presentations on the report 'Commons, Communities and Laws: Who is the Encroacher?' (Presentation by Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava, NutGraph (Land Conflict Watch).
0:15 to 1.30 hrs: Panel discussion on legal and policy frameworks governing forested commons, non-forested commons, private lands and their resources and how these legal frameworks impact communities.
The session “Land Record Digitisation Innovations: Good Practices in Maharashtra” aims to bring forth the good practices adopted by the state of Maharashtra in land administration and implementation of digital and geospatial technologies Effective and innovative use of technology, in sync with local context and capacity, is a very critical aspect of land administration, particularly to improve citizen satisfaction and well-being. Adaptive technology integration can enable faster decision making, increase record transparency, and boost local governance and markets.
Maharashtra stands out as one of the few states in India to have successfully digitized its land records and implemented innovatively the flagship central programs, the Digital India Land Record Modernization Programme (DILRMP). The state is close to completing the georeferencing of a large share of its cadastral maps and has made substantial strides by integrating land records with institutions like the legal system and local government entities. Several initiatives experimented and piloted in the state have been subsequently scaled up across India, e.g. the flagship program SVAMITVA.
Moreover, Maharashtra has prioritised capacity building, equipping various offices with the skills and knowledge needed to advance technology-based land administration. The Office of the Settlement Commissioner has been proactively collaborating with top higher education institutions to facilitate capacity-building initiatives, case studies, and other relevant programs aimed at the holistic development of land administration in the state.
Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA) has earned recognition as a Centre of Excellence, by Govt of India, to support six western states improving their digitisation efforts. This session will gather key stakeholders from the state, involved in designing/execution of several good practices, to provide ILDC audience an opportunity to learn and engage with them, in discussing and analyzing these practices.
In India, colonial legacy of existing land laws characterised by multiple institutional fault lines in execution, often results in procedural delays & denial of justice and ultimately impacts the dignity, identity and livelihoods of millions of marginalised communities.
According to the ‘National Judicial Data Grid for High Courts of India (2022), nearly 68% of legal matters pending in various District Courts, High Courts and the Supreme Court of India are related to land revenue matters, showing complexities not just about deficient legal system and inappropriate implementation mechanism but also institutional inability of the land governance. The exponential numbers of ‘justice-seeking’ marginalised communities pose many unanswered questions to the (ir)responsible land governance and judicial systems.
This is high time to device applicable, approachable, affordable and accountable ‘Land Governance and Judicial Ecosystem at all levels. Delays in granting justice impacts human dignity and results in social unrest. The land administration and land revenue courts need to be restructured for better performance and to build confidence among justice-seeking marginalised communities.
This session explores the causes and consequences of land disputes and the new pathways needed to institutionalise the justice system for a better and just future to the marginalised communities
The global landscape of land rights and ownership is increasingly vulnerable to the disruptive effects of health emergencies, such as heart attack, stroke, accidents, respiratory issues, pandemics, epidemics, and other widespread health crises. These emergencies not only strain healthcare systems but also exacerbate existing social and economic inequalities, significantly impacting land tenure security. This session aims to explore the complex interplay between health emergencies and land rights, highlighting the challenges faced by marginalized communities, the legal ambiguities that arise, and the potential for land disputes and loss of ownership.
By bringing together experts from diverse fields, including land governance, public health, law, and human rights, this session will provide a comprehensive analysis of the impacts of health emergencies on land rights and ownership. The discussion will also focus on policy responses and best practices that can help mitigate these impacts and protect vulnerable populations.
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Carbon Markets could save an estimated $250 billion per year in implementing climate actions by 2030 (World Bank). The Voluntary Carbon Market was valued at $2.4 billion in 2023 and is set to grow at a rate of over 27% through 2032; from $2.4 billion to $21.7 billion (McKinsey). The focus on nature-based solutions (NBS) is particularly noteworthy, with over 80% or $15 billion of the funding for projects involving nature restoration and improved forest management. Much hope is being invested in market mechanisms like carbon markets and other payments for ecosystem services to provide farmers and rural communities the financial incentive to transition towards agroecology from chemical-intensive farming and give them the rewards for protecting their forests.
However, these mechanisms rely on intensive data collection to prove that carbon emissions were indeed sequestered and removed from the atmosphere, that farmers changed agricultural practices, the land belongs to the person whose name is mentioned in the project documents. This data eventually constructs the “integrity” of the credit that is bought and sold on the market. This then raises several questions on data rights, data protection, data privacy and the governance of data. This panel will be discussing the questions on data protection, data rights and the possibilities of community-based data stewardship and the creation of democratic data governance for better data interoperability and equitable climate change mitigation.
Session Objectives:
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Explore the intersection of market-based climate solutions and data governance.
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Discuss key questions surrounding data rights, ownership, and privacy within carbon markets and climate-based Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES).
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Delve into governance challenges in ensuring equitable access to data while protecting the rights of data producers and consumers.
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Explore data interoperability between climate markets and other services like organic certification, insurance, banking, etc for farmers and rural communities.
Session Design:
· Introduction and setting the context by C-GEM (5 minutes)
· Introducing the panel and setting the agenda by Mr. Rishabh Verma, moderator (10 minutes)
· Panel Discussion (45 minutes)
· Q&A and open discussion 15-20 minutes
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India’s journey toward land administration reform has followed two primary pathways. One approach emphasizes the digitization and modernization of land records to drive economic outcomes and improve land market efficiency. The other prioritizes social inclusion, aiming to ensure equitable access to land and property rights for marginalized groups, including agricultural tenants, women, and small farmers. Two flagship schemes follow these dual approaches: the Digital India Land Records Modernization Program (DILRMP), focused on creating accurate, accessible digital land records, and the Survey of Villages Abadi and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) scheme, which aims to provide property rights in rural inhabited (abadi) areas.
This session examines the impact of technology in transforming land administration in India, with a focus on the implementation of DILRMP and SVAMITVA in Maharashtra and Odisha. An evaluation study explores the processes, outputs, and impacts of these technology-driven innovations, analyzing whether they have effectively met their objectives. It delves into both the state perspective—efficiency, economic outcomes, and improved public services—and the community perspective, assessing whether these schemes promote equitable access, reduce disputes, and improve service delivery for all segments of society.
Floods reconstitute land-water relationships: make land more fertile, displacing populations, creating deltas, and altering landscapes, often leading to new tenure issues. The extent and intensity of floods have significantly increased, rising from 19.94 million hectares affected in 1960 to 49.81 million hectares in 2011—a 2.5-fold increase over 50 years. Urban flooding is now a frequent issue in coastal cities like Chennai and Mumbai. The devastating 2018 Kerala floods remain a strong reminder of how human interventions, such as dam construction, mining, and infrastructure development in sensitive areas like the Western Ghats, exacerbate such disasters.
The panel will bring cases from four different geographies capturing different dimensions:
1) The issue of Char lands in the Brahmaputra focusing on river bank erosions and new land being formed raising the question whose land are they?
2) The floods of Bihar which have a transboundary context as most of the rivers originate outside India (Nepal) and would focus on transboundary conflicts and cooperation,
3) Urban floods taking the case of Chennai as a coastal city which will focus on urban land use planning and governance as key issues, and
4) The devastating Kerala floods of 2018 saw contestations over the role of dams in exacerbating floods which also gave rise to contested knowledge.
Some of the key issues and questions that the panel will address include:
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There is an increasing tendency to “naturalise” floods and also climate change. Very often floods are blamed on climate change or extreme rainfall events. Anthropogenic reasons (or political economy/ecology) are not brought into mainstream discourse. What way knowledge and civil society action can engage with this issue and inform policies?
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Water policies have been talking about integrated water resources management (IWRM) and also about the need for river basin plans. In the urban context, there have been discussions about urban land use planning. What is the experience on these? Are they climate-informed? If not, what could be done?
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What are the existing coping and adaptive strategies of the people? How to strengthen them?
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Do land tenureship impact compensation and rehabilitation of flood-affected people? If yes, in what way?
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What could be a possible institutional architecture which is participatory/democratic and informed by knowledge (both traditional and modern) and concerns for sustainability and equity at different scales?
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What ILDC as a platform can do to take this discourse forward?
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Land administration plays a pivotal role in fostering economic development, resolving disputes, and advancing sustainable development goals. Land is a state subject in India; the governance and administration of land are shaped by the region’s history over per-colonial and colonial rules, their unique socio-cultural, and economic contexts. As a result, land laws and administrative approaches vary across states, reflecting diverse needs and priorities. Post-liberalization state efforts around modernization and digitization of land records have also been different, with states prioritising, investing and innovating differently.
Effective land administration goes beyond the mere maintenance of accurate records. It encompasses equitable access to land-related services, fostering opportunities for economic growth, social inclusion and overall well-being of the citizens. More recently a new imperative of climate resilience has been added to its mandate, given land use change has been associated with climate change and action and the role of land tenure and administration in deciding and regulating land uses. Indian states, adapting to their capacity and contexts, have employed various innovations to achieve efficiency, effectiveness and better impact in land administration, from inclusive land reforms focusing marginalised groups to innovative technologies that enhance land documentation and service delivery.
This session will explore the diverse journeys of various states in implementing land administration reforms and innovations. It will examine how different states have adapted their land administration practices, integrating technology to address specific socio-cultural, historical, and economic contexts. The discussion will cover the challenges encountered during implementation and showcase successful stories. Additionally, the session will highlight best practices and innovative solutions that have proven effective in land administration in their respective states.
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Net zero commitments, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and nature-based solutions (NbS) have become buzzwords in climate action discussions, driving a surge in global finance from corporations and governments. However, these investments, especially in forest ecosystems across developing countries, often fail to connect with local realities. Despite the growing recognition of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) as crucial actors in biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation, their practices remain underutilised in project design and forest management efforts.
Restoration projects, typically funded by international donors, tend to favour top-down, scientifically-driven approaches that overshadow the traditional knowledge and stewardship of IPLCs. This disconnect is even more evident in voluntary carbon markets like REDD+, where IPLCs are marginalised in processes such as Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and benefit-sharing. Despite their potential, communities often find themselves excluded from decision-making and project design.
While the agroecological space has started embracing local and community-led practices, forest and grassland restoration projects continue to prioritise external expertise over local stewardship. This roundtable will explore how to foster inclusive, locally-led climate action, centering community stewardship in conservation efforts and market mechanisms like Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES). The question now is not whether communities can lead conservation efforts, but rather how they can take centre stage in this transformative climate action.
About Community Stewardship Coalition (CSC)
The Community Stewardship Coalition, comprising the Foundation for Ecological Security, Landstack, Climate Rise Alliance, Common Ground, and LGT Venture Philanthropy, was established earlier this year and has since been facilitating stakeholder consultations across diverse geographies with the goal to amplify the recognition of community-led efforts and foster large-scale adoption by engaging a wider network of stakeholders. Leveraging the platform provided by the India Land Development Conference 2024, the Community Stewardship Coalition (CSC) seeks to engage three key groups—Corporates and Carbon market players, members of the scientific community, and CSO/community leaders—to position community stewardship at the forefront of transformative climate action.
To facilitate meaningful discussions with these stakeholders, the following broad question categories will be explored:
For Carbon Market Players and Corporates:
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How can the carbon market incorporate community stewardship to reduce market risks and effectively address issues of permanence and leakage?
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How can a community-centric approach help better account for co-benefits?
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What strategies can mitigate both market and reputational risks, leading to sustainable, community-driven solutions?
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How do you integrate IPLCs into the planning and implementation stages of your carbon projects, specifically regarding FPIC and equitable benefit-sharing?
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What are some of the challenges corporations/ market face in incorporating traditional knowledge systems and stewardship practices of IPLCs into the carbon credit or forest restoration projects? How do we address them?
For the Scientific Community:
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What can be done to improve measurement techniques and explore participatory MRV methodologies?
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What innovations can help measure both carbon and co-benefits more efficiently and at a lower cost?
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How can we effectively tackle questions surrounding additionality especially for areas which have been historically conserved by communities while at the same time establish accurate baselines for measurement?
For Community Leaders and CSOs:
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What strategies can build the capacity of community leaders and CSOs to better understand and engage with carbon markets?
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How can we empower communities to manage these projects more effectively and negotiate on equal footing with market actors?
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How can CSOs strengthen networks and partnerships with other stakeholders, like corporations and governments, to enhance community-led climate solutions and make them more resilient to market forces?
Collaboration with CSC/ Way Forward
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The CSC is focused on positioning community stewardship at the forefront of climate action. How do you envision collaborating with such coalitions to enhance the impact of carbon market strategies?
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Blogs
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Sessions at ILDC
Sessions at ILDC
Sessions at ILDC
Sessions at ILDC
Sessions at ILDC
Sessions at ILDC
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Sessions at ILDC
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Dr. Shekhar Shah
Vice Chair, Academic Advisory Council, Indian School of Public Policy, New Delhi
"India badly needs greater analytical, policy & procedural clarity on land-related issues....The challenge, in this context, has been threefold: a) lack of interest and awareness of land governance related issues; b) lack of knowledge on issues related to land governance; and c) lack of capacity to deal with land issues."
Dr Nivedita Haran
IAS (Retd), Former Addl Chief Secretary, Kerala and Faculty, JNU
"Given the all-pervasiveness of land in our lives its management cannot and should not be left to the government alone; since everyone is a stakeholder each of us has a duty and responsibility towards it."
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ILDC 2024 Themes
The theme of the 8th edition of ILDC is “Land Tenure Transitions: Climatisation or Communitisation”, to highlight the spurt in global climate actions engulfing substantive land and nature, esp in the majority world and how this burgeoning ecosystem with force of finance, science and multiple-new actors, interacts with and influence the local lands, communities, their wellbeings and tenure.
This year, unfolding dimensions and nuances of land-people relations in the lens of community stewardship and climate resilience will be the focus of the conference. The evolving dynamics of land use changes and administration innovations, how they affect local communities’s role in managing, preserving and caring land, will form the basis of most conversations.
ILDC 2024 Themes
The theme of the 8th edition of ILDC is “Land Tenure Transitions: Climatisation or Communitisation”, to highlight the spurt in global climate actions engulfing substantive land and nature, esp in the majority world and how this burgeoning ecosystem with force of finance, science and multiple-new actors, interacts with and influence the local lands, communities, their wellbeings and tenure.
This year, unfolding dimensions and nuances of land-people relations in the lens of community stewardship and climate resilience will be the focus of the conference. The evolving dynamics of land use changes and administration innovations, how they affect local communities’s role in managing, preserving and caring land, will form the basis of most conversations.
Sub- themes
Land Administration Innovations
Climate action & Tenure Transitions
Land Use - Land Tenure Linkages
Land, Housing and Market Interfaces
Partnerships for Inclusion & Impact
Intersection of Land Relations & Technology
Why Attend ILDC 2024?
Learn from the best
Gain insights from top experts in the field of land and development.
Learn from the best
Keep up with the latest trends, research, and policy developments in land tenure and sustainable development.
Build Your Network
Meet and collaborate with professionals, researchers, and policymakers from around the world
Innovate and Implement
Discover new tools and strategies to enhance your work and make a positive impact on sustainable land management.
Plenaries/Keynotes
Hear from leading voices in land development, policy, and sustainability. Our keynote sessions will feature internationally renowned experts who are shaping the future of land management.
Workshops/ Masterclass from the best
Engage in hands-on learning experiences designed to equip you with practical skills and knowledge. Our workshops cover a wide range of topics, from land tenure security to innovative land management practices.
Panels/Sessions
Participate in dynamic discussions with a diverse group of panelists. Our panels will tackle the most pressing issues in land and development, providing insights and strategies for sustainable solutions.
Workshops/ Masterclass from the best
Explore the latest technologies, services, and products in land management. Our exhibition hall will showcase innovative solutions from leading companies and organizations. Art and culture are closely interlinked with human lives and hence popular imagination. Land is a fundamental resource that shapes human interactions, art and culture. The side event showcases artistic and cultural expressions through dance, theatre, music, and multimedia.
Land Hub (Network Space)
Connect with professionals from various sectors. Our networking events are designed to foster collaboration and the exchange of ideas among attendees.
Participate as an
attendee
Claiming space: Artistic reflections on land
Doctoral Workshop on Land Governance
Media Workshop on Land Reporting
Join ILDC 2024 as an attendee, engage in dynamic land discussions, and expand your network.
Showcase your creativity via stories, music, theater, paintings and much more while being part of a vibrant platform celebrating land rights.
A focused workshop offering insights, tools, and guidance on interdisciplinary land research and governance for emerging scholars
Join our media training to deepen your understanding and reporting on critical land issues
Apply now
Our Advisors
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Mr. S B Dangayach
Founder Trustee, Innovative Thought Forum, Former-CEO Sintex
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Mr. Shekhar Gaikwad
IAS (Retd), Former Commissioner of Sugar, State of Maharashtra
Dr. Nivedita Haran
IAS (Retd), Former Addl Chief Secretary, Kerala and Faculty, JNU
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Mr. Jagat Basnet
Executive Director, CSRC Nepal
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Dr. Dishan Kamdar
Vice Chancellor, FLAME University
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Dr Anil Kashyap
President and Chancellor- NICMAR University
Deepak Sanan
IAS (Retd), Former Addl Chief Secretary, HP and Ex Advisor to NCAER, IIHS & CPR
Dr. Shekhar Shah
Vice Chair, Academic Advisory Council, Indian School of Public Policy, New Delhi
Tim Hanstad
Co founder, Landesa and CEO, Chandler Foundation, USA
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Our partners
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Can I propose a proposal or abstract for ILDC 2024?Yes, ILDC invites session proposals and abstracts that align with the conference theme. Submissions can explore various dimensions of land stewardship aligning with ILDC2024 theme.
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What is ILDC?The India Land and Development Conference (ILDC) is an annual gathering of diverse land actors and enthusiasts - from Government, Civil Society and Private sectors from India and abroad. ILDC aims to promote conversations, partnerships, and collaborative research, action and advocacy on land and housing related issues.
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Is there any cost for participation in ILDC?There is no registration fee for attending ILDC.
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What are the main themes of ILDC2024?The theme of ILDC 2024 is "Land Tenure Transitions: Climatisation or Communitisation?" It focuses on exploring the impact of global (climate, development and market) agendas on community rights and ownership.
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Can I present my research work at ILDC?Yes, ILDC provides a platform for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to present their work through sessions, master classes, and panel discussions.
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When and where will ILDC be held?ILDC 2023 will take place from 5th to 7th November in Pune, India, at the picturesque campus of FLAME University.
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Who can participate in ILDC?ILDC welcomes participation from researchers, practitioners, policymakers, government officials, businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals interested in land and development issues. They may be land administrators, NGO professionals, Urban planners, Academicians, Students, Journalists, Lawyers, surveyors, Geospatial professionals, consultants, movement leaders, people's representatives etc.
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Are there opportunities for networking and collaboration at ILDC?Yes, ILDC offers numerous networking opportunities, allowing participants to connect with like-minded individuals, organizations, and experts in the field.
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Are participants expected to submit full length academic paper by the end or before the conference, and will it be published, or is an abstract submission sufficient?Participants are not required to submit a full-length academic paper before or during the conference. For ILDC 2024, abstract submissions are sufficient for participation in the conference. However, at the end of the conference, some selected presentations may be chosen by the committee for publication as a peer reviewed book or a special issue of journal. If a participant's abstract is chosen for publication, they will be requested to provide the full paper with a suggested timeline. The decision to submit the paper for publication will be at the discretion of the participant.
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Will there be a virtual attendance option for ILDC2024?ILDC 2024 is planned as a complete offline conference, and all presenters/session hosts are encouraged to travel to Flame University Pune for the conference. However, for some abstract presentations, on case to case basis, online participation might be possible if the presenters are unable to travel to the location due to health or other logistical issues. The decision to allow online participation for such exceptional cases will be at the discretion of the Organizing Committee. ILDC 2024 sessions will be streamed on all major social media platforms, allowing interested individuals to watch the conference online.
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Will ILDC sessions be streamed?ILDC 2024 sessions will be streamed on all major social media (viz. Youtube, facebook, twitter and LinkedIn) platforms, allowing interested individuals to participate online. However, it is important to note that due to the nature of live streaming, it might not be possible to address questions raised by online viewers during the sessions. For a more interactive and engaging experience, attending the conference in person is recommended. Nevertheless, ILDC endeavors to provide access to its sessions through online streaming for a wider audience reach.
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What is the nearest city to the venue? How do I travel from there?The nearest city to the venue of ILDC 2024 is Pune. If you are traveling to Pune from other cities, you can reach Pune by air, train, or road. By Air: Pune has an international airport, and you can book a flight to Pune from major cities in India and abroad. From the airport, you can hire a taxi or use other local transportation to reach Flame University, the conference venue. By Train: Pune is well-connected by train to various cities in India. You can check the train schedules and book your tickets in advance. By Road: Pune is well-connected by roads to neighboring cities and states. You can choose to travel by bus or hire a taxi to reach the conference venue from the nearby cities.
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Will the expenses related to hotel rooms, flight tickets, and daily allowances be covered by the participants or the organizers of the conference?The expenses related to hotel rooms, flight tickets, and daily allowances will be covered by the participants themselves. ILDC is a conference that is not run by any form of advertising, and all the expenses for the conference are split among the various partners of ILDC (partnering NGOs). Participation in the conference is free of cost, which includes attendance and food (lunch and tea). However, participants must arrange travel and accommodation at their own cost.
Sessions at ILDC
India’s vision to achieve net zero by 2070 relies heavily on local governance systems like Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs). These institutions play a crucial role in implementing climate action plans at the grassroots level, ensuring that policies are adapted to local contexts, and that communities are engaged in sustainable practices. By exploring case studies, this session will highlight the challenges, opportunities, and innovative strategies that PRIs can adopt to contribute to India’s climate goals.
Session Details:
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Session Title: Empowering Panchayat Raj Institutions for India's Net Zero Vision by 207
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Format: Case study presentations followed by a panel discussion
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Duration: 75 minutes
Session Design:
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Introduction (5 minutes): Overview of PRIs' potential role in achieving net zero by 2070.
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Case Study Presentations (20 minutes):
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Presentation of three diverse case studies where PRIs have successfully contributed to climate action, focusing on different regions and strategies.
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Case Studies to Include:
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A PRI-led renewable energy initiative.
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Community-driven afforestation and land restoration projects.
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Climate-resilient agricultural practices supported by PRIs.
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Panel Discussion (40 minutes)
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Panelists:
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Government Officials: Discussing how policy frameworks can support PRIs in climate action.
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Environmental Experts: Sharing insights on scaling successful models.
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PRI Representatives: Highlighting local challenges and solutions.
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Key Discussion Points
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Enhancing capacity building for PRIs
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Scaling and replicating successful PRI-led initiatives.
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Integrating traditional knowledge with modern climate solutions.
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Q&A Session (10 minutes): Audience engagement with the panel.
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Concept Note: The commons play a multifaceted role, providing cultural, livelihood, ecological, and spiritual functions while serving as spaces for social cohesion. Unfortunately, the absence of a clear definition and mandate on what constitutes commons has led to a conflation with wastelands. In India, around 17% of the geographical area is classified as wasteland. However, the definitions, categorizations, and estimations of these lands are influenced by various perspectives—from colonial revenue approaches to FAO's agricultural production focus to competitive land use approaches in the neoliberal era. This often overlooks the local community's utilitarian and symbiotic relationship with these lands.
As a result, policies, statistics, and the management of these lands face significant contestations and conflicts. The data on commons and public lands is sporadic and inconsistent across states, with each state treating these lands differently. Public lands, especially in urban areas, often lack detailed records in government databases, making them vulnerable to encroachment and difficult to retrieve. This disorganised approach has led to inefficient usage, allocation, and management of these valuable resources. In rural areas and municipalities since management of public lands is now the responsibility of the elected local bodies the latter have no long-term or short-term policy to manage such lands. Some are often used to mobilise revenue and either sold or put on long lease for such commercial purposes as shopping malls, cinema halls and even hotels when the municipality may lack land for educational and health institutions. In short, there is no rational prioritisation based on need and demand.
The Budget 2024's emphasis on digitization and the implementation of a Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), or Bhu Aadhar, for all land parcels presents a significant opportunity. It is essential to include all public lands, particularly commons, under this initiative. Integrating these categories into ULPIN will create a centralised and digitised inventory of all commons and public lands, allow for more efficient management and protection of these lands, ensure that public lands are not lost to unauthorised encroachments, and promote transparency in land allocation and usage.
The session aims to address several key concerns
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Defining commons and public lands in India : typologies and mapping of such lands
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Reasons why reclaiming and properly inventorization of commons is crucial for preservation of the cultural, ecological, and spiritual significance of commons
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Creating an inventory of land under various categories of public lands.
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Methodology to define and record commons and public lands. Possible methods to identify and protect such lands: Inventorisation of all public lands to begin with.
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Developing frameworks and guidelines to safeguard all public lands, including commons, community lands under FRA, wastelands, grazing lands, abandoned and escheated lands, etc.
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Include water bodies (tanks, ponds, lakes, riverbeds and banks) in our assessment to protect them to prevent urban floods and general floods, prevent creeping water salinity and depletion of groundwater.
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List reasons for diversion of commons/ wastelands for other uses and their implications
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Existing policies around commons/wasteland conservation and utilisation.
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This panel brings together students from FLAME and other institutions who have worked on empirical and analytical research projects on land and its allied aspects in the urban areas. The panel seeks to documents land use transformations in Indian cities and their impact on sustainability as well as social structure. These also have a bearing on the way urban planning is conceived and effected in Indian cities thereby impacting ecology, environment and human relationships. The papers are based on empirical and analytical researches that include various methodologies and theoretical frameworks. These include using GIS to document changes in the vegetation cover in an urban forest in Mumbai; studying a CRZ area and wastewater treatment plant in its surroundings to analyze its implications for sustainable urban planning in Thiruvananthapuram; using GIS and secondary data to understand morphology of informal settlements in Delhi; studying development of Bangalore Suburban Rail system; studying the impact of RWA policies and housing market dynamics on single women and their access to rental housing in Indian cities; and studying suburban housing in the frontier regions of Bengaluru. The intent of the panel is to highlight student researches on pressing issues impacting land and its allied aspects in the urban areas. The idea is to learn something new from the prisms of the young minds.
Land continues to be a critical player in defining social relationships and building community’s cultural self. Land has been responsible in infusing communitarian living and holding of property jointly in an undivided Hindu family. In agrarian India, land has driven joint family economics and culture since colonial times. While land as a dominant social narrative was significantly visible in popular culture, especially literature, post-independence cinema piggybacked on literature to capitalise on literature’s respectability to source socially and aesthetically accepted narratives.
In order to further the social justice and nation-building agenda, cinema collaborated with contemporary land discourses to document independent India’s cultural history. If language cinema established India’s regional cultural diversity, Bombay cinema culturally integrated a newly independent plural society consisting of multi-ethnic and linguistic groups. The exploitative narrative of the dispossessed peasantry irrespective of the land tenure system during the colonial times was more or less the same having the potential of greater connectivity with the audience and making land a preferred theme irrespective of the language in which the film was made.
Be it a ‘disempowered’ Zamindar, a dishonest moneylender or a merciless land grabber, colonial India had constructed its own evil who invariably emerged from the agrarian land relations. Cinema in independent India took on to itself the colossal task of collaborating with the avowed social justice agenda by telling the stories of the impoverished peasantry at the hands of such evils. Since land reforms continued as an unfinished agenda several decades into independence, cinematic narratives ensured the continuity of these representative evils in different forms. Cinema’s rendezvous with land and other social issues continued reflecting contemporary issues using a more realistic format whether it was Do Bigha Zamin (1953) or Paan Singh Tomar (2012). While the feudal romantic genre offered easy solutions to land challenges, the more serious genre was cautious in handling the land narratives and keeping it far from the usual formula pattern to successfully tell its story, though the space and narratives keep changing and refining from agrarian power relations to urban land magnates.
ILDC consistent with its objective of promoting land rights in India intends to discuss this process of transition of land reforms and challenges per time and their celluloid reflections in its upcoming meet in November 2024. The broad areas of discussion will be to: a) understand how land as a dominant social narrative has been reflected in the celluloid canvas, b) whether cinema as the primary entertainment medium in India has been effective in pushing the land reforms agenda, c) if cinema primarily operating within middle class conservatism has limited itself only to providing aesthetic resolutions to a fundamental challenge like land, d) does cinema offer any learning discourse around the compatibility of entertainment or make-belief with social reforms, e) ways to sensitise the medium and methods of building a partnership highway between filmmakers and land rights practitioners.
The session will congregate practitioners, film academia and filmmakers to engage in a panel discussion. The steps would include with the moderator introducing the topic and initiating the discussion with specific questions that each of the experts would respond to. The constitution of the panel would consist of at least one filmmaker, land rights practitioner, film academia.
The core of the argument is that there is finite land in cities. The only means of catering to the growing populations is either to demolish and rebuild or extend the boundaries of the city and build in the suburbs and peripheral areas. Most developers used to scout for land in areas that were unknown and therefore cost effective as an input resource. But cities have holding capacities too which city managers have to define. The 1,2,3,4 principle of 1 premium, 2 MIG, 3 LIG and 4 EWS still holds at even locality levels. So city administrations are duty bound to link this principle to sanctions for development. Today the private sector is building way too much for the premium segment (29% for 8 to 10 percent of the population) but merely 19% for affordable housing versus 40% in 2019. Building social housing can't be the mandate of the private sector which is in it for profit. So either the public sector development authorities take that mantle like in the 80s and 90s or taxes and levies should be stripped off from social housing to make it affordable. That will bring a new class of investors into this segment and help bring more equitable distribution of land use.
Concept Note: Land and development issues have played a central role in the work of several Indian artists. Through painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, installation and site-specific projects, artists have constantly endeavoured to engage and essay their concerns about unchecked urbanization, haphazard growth, shrinking of interpersonal space, and creation of borders amongst many other issues. Shilpa Gupta has examined manmade borders and the role of memory through her installations. Sameer Kulavoor’s drawings and animation help to unpack why and how cities look and work the way they do. Teja Gavankar subverts mundane spaces through her sculptural installations which then provoke thoughts on spatial subjectivity. The artists mentioned here have held many exhibitions in the country and abroad. Their work has received critical attention from art academia as well as museums and curators. The panel will feature short presentations by each artist about their work focusing on issues pertinent to the conference followed by a conversation with the moderator and conclude with a dialogue with the audience. The panel hopes to bring forward new ways of looking and thinking about land and development related issues in India through the paradigm of contemporary art practices.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces, affecting nearly every aspect of life, especially in developing countries. In India, much of the population relies on land-based livelihoods through agriculture or forest-related activities, despite the land-people relations are complex, informal and unequal. The effects of climate change have been particularly severe for communities, having insecure land tenure. Rapid economic growth, climate change and rising population have escalated demands, putting immense pressure on land resources. Neither the land reforms introduced post-independence with aim of social justice, nor the land record reform that pushed digitisation during the liberalisation era; have worked effectively for the poor and marginalised, particularly in rural parts of India. The impacts go beyond environmental concerns, influencing land use pattern, tenure systems, livelihoods, triggering out-migration from rural areas to urban centres.
Although migrants form an indispensable part of urban India, they are perceived as a ‘nuisance’ by receiving societies, even triggering xenophobic reactions. Besides, given the inequity in access to land, the urban areas, already dealing with limited carrying capacities, are further stressed by migration. Many of these migrants end up in informal settlements with insecure tenure, lacking basic amenities like sanitation. Often, they take up almost all informal economic activities lacking formal tenure, adding to uncertainties and vulnerabilities to eviction. Low-lying areas in cities are particularly vulnerable to climate risks such as flooding, which exacerbates public health crises, especially in poor and migrant communities. At the same time, the unchecked expansion of urban areas leads to issues like flooding and urban heat islands, which disproportionately affect the urban poor, especially the migrants.
While such climate augmented migration and the remittances have immensely contributed in improving the adaptation and resilience of rural economies in India, it comes at the cost of health and dignity of a migrant. Land use changes account for roughly 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and weak or insecure land tenure systems often exacerbate these changes. When people lack secure land ownership, they are less likely to invest in sustainable land management practices, such as soil conservation, irrigation, organic farming, agroforestry or reforestation, due to the fear of displacement as well as their limited competitive ability to access related entitlements or bring in desired investments. This situation is further compounded by climate impacts resulting in land degradation and displacement of individuals with weak tenure rights, such as tenants, small farmers, and marginal farmers.
This concept note outlines deliberations for two interconnected sessions aimed at exploring the complex relationships between land use, land tenure, climate change, and human migration at (source) rural and (destination) urban contexts. The sessions will analyse the driving forces behind migration, the impact of land tenure and degradation on livelihoods, and the challenges faced in destination areas, where resources are already strained. By examining the issues present in the landscape spanning rural-urban continuum with regards to changing land-people relations and migration, these sessions aim to provide a nuanced understanding of how market and climate change affect the origins and destinations of migrants, and how related land use and tenure shifts impact migrants, both socially and economically.
Cities in the Global South are increasingly contested spaces, especially as rising inequalities and concerns about sustainable futures become more pressing. Urban institutions at various levels are responding to these challenges, but the complexity of urban political economies, governance structures, and implementation models is becoming more apparent. Simultaneously, issues concerning the urban poor, marginalized, and dispossessed remain central to these debates. This panel seeks to refocus the following research questions to enhance scholarly practice: How does the longstanding issue of urban land fit within contemporary ideals of urban transformation and governance? In what ways do state power, political and market actors, and even non-governmental organizations and communities influence the production of urban land and reshape governance? What role do state actions—whether technocratic, bureaucratic, or everyday, in/formal—play in interfacing with the daily realities of Indian cities, and how do they create varied experiences of urban and social change? Finally, how do these systemic and macro perspectives on urban transformation relate to the evolving forms of marginalization in contemporary cities? The panel features scholars with deep, long-term research interests in India's cities, from economically complex cities like Mumbai to emerging cities like Patna. It emphasizes fieldwork-based, empirical, and non-traditional approaches to understanding the city. These cities are not connected by mere academic interest, but through shared geographies of urban transformation, land politics, and emerging governance issues. The panel critically examines the politics and policies of cities, triangulating themes, empirical exploration, and emerging scholarly trends to reflect on the changing nature of our cities.
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Concept Note: The international recognition of the Right to Land as a fundamental human right is gaining momentum, complemented by ongoing discussions about its formalization in rural contexts. The UN General Comment No. 26 (2022) emphasizes that "secure and equitable access to, use of and control over land for individuals and communities can be essential to eradicate hunger and poverty and to guarantee the right to an adequate standard of living." However, a critical gap exists in understanding how this right specifically pertains to the poor, including those living in informal settlements, resettlement sites, or experiencing homelessness, especially in urban areas where land is a highly contested, scarce, and commodified resource.
The absence of tenure security and land rights in urban areas also exacerbates situations of forced evictions and displacement of the urban poor. Research by the Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) reveals that over 515,752 (5 lakh) persons were forcefully evicted from their lands and homes across the country, under various guises including, but not limited to ‘slum clearance, encroachment removal, infrastructure projects, environmental projects, disaster management efforts’. This alarming but conservative estimate highlights the urgent need to address the precariousness of land tenure for the urban poor.
The non-recognition of land rights also contributes significantly to homelessness, as communities struggle to assert claims over their land and access essential resources. Moreover, with the increasing impact of climate change on urban areas, people without land tenure and adequate housing are disproportionately affected. Research by HLRN reveals the severe impact of heatwaves on the homeless, and underscores the importance of access to adequate housing and land as a defence from extreme climatic events. It thus becomes significant to unpack the impact of lack of access to and participation in land tenure, finance, climate action, mitigation and adaptation measures on the urban poor.
For instance, in Delhi, there are communities continue to live on and cultivate land across the banks of the Yamuna, others who incrementally develop 'waste', 'contested' lands, and some who have been allotted alternative plots after the demolition of their homes in the city who live in insecurity due to the lack of formal recognition of 'conditional' tenure/ underscore the importance of land rights in urban areas. Conversely, initiatives in states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu show promise, with efforts underway to regularize informal settlements and secure land titles for marginalized groups, including women and conservancy workers. Such examples can provide valuable insights into effective strategies for advancing land rights.
To address these pressing challenges, it is crucial to build a common consensus on the rights to land among urban poor communities, ensuring adequate security of tenure, and fostering inclusive dialogue around access, use, and control of land. The need for collaborative action among policymakers, civil society, and affected communities is imperative to create a framework that recognizes and protects the land rights of the urban poor.
Land is a critical and integral source for housing. Around the world, approximately 1.1 billion people reside in subpar housing in informal settlements, experiencing the impacts of disasters and climate change[1]. Inadequate housing access reinforces poverty, intensified by the ripple effects of climate change. Those facing multiple vulnerabilities at once require improved support for their living conditions to enhance resilience to overall well-being. The need for suitable land for housing especially for the EWS is more critical and shortage more acute in the urban areas.
It's not just housing but also good infrastructure that is essential, including roads, drainage facilities, and more. Real estate development alone is insufficient without proper planning and infrastructural development. For effective infrastructure development, there must be accountability regarding land use and reserves for future growth. Infrastructure development relies on not only better housing units but also on the quality of sanitation and drainage systems. These factors are directly linked to improved health, contributing to the overall well-being of citizens. In addition, allotting the unused category of land will not only address the need of housing for EWS but also have a huge potential to contribute significantly in GDP. This holistic approach embodies the vision of "Viksit Bharat" and "Amrit Kaal," ensuring comprehensive progress and prosperity for every citizen.
The session aims to address several key concerns:
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Identifying categories of land that can be used for housing for EWS such as Land footprinting for economic activities including housing , Wasted or unused good lands.
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Exploring the nexus between real estate players and think tanks in utilising different categories of land especially surplus land parcels with trusts ,governments ,institutions , industries, etc. as well as commons, grazing land, lands attached to religious structures and wasteland in rural areas.
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Examining how housing can contribute to multiple benefits, such as poverty reduction, improved health, and a better environment.
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Methods for use of such wasted lands for desired economic activities
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Mechanism for land use change without disturbing ownership
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Pragmatic steps to make India slum free in a win win fashion
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Benefit to developers with increased availability of unused land in urban areas for affordable housing
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Climate change is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces, affecting nearly every aspect of life, especially in developing countries. In India, much of the population relies on land-based livelihoods through agriculture or forest-related activities, despite the land-people relations are complex, informal and unequal. The effects of climate change have been particularly severe for communities, having insecure land tenure. Rapid economic growth, climate change and rising population have escalated demands, putting immense pressure on land resources. Neither the land reforms introduced post-independence with aim of social justice, nor the land record reform that pushed digitisation during the liberalisation era; have worked effectively for the poor and marginalised, particularly in rural parts of India. The impacts go beyond environmental concerns, influencing land use pattern, tenure systems, livelihoods, triggering out-migration from rural areas to urban centres.
Although migrants form an indispensable part of urban India, they are perceived as a ‘nuisance’ by receiving societies, even triggering xenophobic reactions. Besides, given the inequity in access to land, the urban areas, already dealing with limited carrying capacities, are further stressed by migration. Many of these migrants end up in informal settlements with insecure tenure, lacking basic amenities like sanitation. Often, they take up almost all informal economic activities lacking formal tenure, adding to uncertainties and vulnerabilities to eviction. Low-lying areas in cities are particularly vulnerable to climate risks such as flooding, which exacerbates public health crises, especially in poor and migrant communities. At the same time, the unchecked expansion of urban areas leads to issues like flooding and urban heat islands, which disproportionately affect the urban poor, especially the migrants.
While such climate augmented migration and the remittances have immensely contributed in improving the adaptation and resilience of rural economies in India, it comes at the cost of health and dignity of a migrant. Land use changes account for roughly 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and weak or insecure land tenure systems often exacerbate these changes. When people lack secure land ownership, they are less likely to invest in sustainable land management practices, such as soil conservation, irrigation, organic farming, agroforestry or reforestation, due to the fear of displacement as well as their limited competitive ability to access related entitlements or bring in desired investments. This situation is further compounded by climate impacts resulting in land degradation and displacement of individuals with weak tenure rights, such as tenants, small farmers, and marginal farmers.
This concept note outlines deliberations for two interconnected sessions aimed at exploring the complex relationships between land use, land tenure, climate change, and human migration at (source) rural and (destination) urban contexts. The sessions will analyse the driving forces behind migration, the impact of land tenure and degradation on livelihoods, and the challenges faced in destination areas, where resources are already strained. By examining the issues present in the landscape spanning rural-urban continuum with regards to changing land-people relations and migration, these sessions aim to provide a nuanced understanding of how market and climate change affect the origins and destinations of migrants, and how related land use and tenure shifts impact migrants, both socially and economically.
Concept Note:
Introduction to set the context of the session Working on commons especially on land and water. Commons is about organizing rural communities for restoring their faith in a collective action. Often regeneration of commons is achieved through rejuvenation of communities. The communities undergo a significant social transformation both at individual and collective level. To understand social transformation is important because social issues are of paramount importance to sustain the commons
What gaps and existing challenges do they find
Economic benefits are often taken into account but social benefits are often not captures/measured. It is important to understand how communities, practitioners and researchers look at the social transformation through commons. How bringing out social transformation becomes an important outcome of work on commons
What sessions aim to address specific questions
Why social transformation is vital for working around commons.
To understand how social transformation occurs from the work on commons. How it is aimed at, what are its processes, what investment and amount of time does it need.
Once social transformation around commons occurs, how it ensures sustainability of restored commons.
Way forward and potential collaboration
We intend to take the collaborative efforts forward with communities, practitioners and researchers who are interested on the subject of Social Transformation through work on commons.
Dalits constitute about 16% of India’s population, approximately 200 million individuals. However, their land ownership status is severely lacking, with around 80% of Dalits being landless. Those who do own land typically possess small, marginal plots that do not support sustainable livelihoods.
Historically marginalized, Dalits encounter systemic socio-cultural barriers that hinder their access to land and property rights. Efforts at land reform have proven largely ineffective, leaving many Dalit families in poverty and with limited access to essential resources, education, and economic opportunities. This ongoing inequity highlights the urgent need for targeted policies aimed at improving land rights and fostering social equity within Dalit communities. Addressing these issues is crucial for empowering Dalits and ensuring their rightful access to land and resources.
This critical issue within India's socio-economic landscape, stemming from a history of caste-based exclusion though have been countered with some land reforms, however barriers still persist in securing these rights. Notable successes include the Bodh Gaya land struggle, which achieved joint land titles for Dalit women, and the establishment of Dalit agricultural cooperatives in Gujarat that promote sustainable land use. However, these initiatives frequently encounter resistance from dominant castes. In Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, for example, violence and bureaucratic delays have obstructed the progress of reforms.
Gender discrimination exacerbates the struggle for land ownership among Dalit women, especially in patriarchal regions like Punjab . Implementation challenges also arise from neoliberal land policies that prioritize productivity over equity, such as Gujarat’s shift from land redistribution to liberalization . Future policy efforts should emphasize stronger enforcement of land reform laws, participatory governance, and support for Dalit-led cooperatives , with a particular focus on ensuring gender equity in land ownership.
Additionally, climate change poses a significant threat, as Dalit communities often reside on marginal lands and are disproportionately impacted by floods, droughts, and environmental degradation . Integrating climate-resilient agricultural practices into land reforms is crucial for safeguarding Dalit livelihoods.
The session will examine grassroots movements like the Jamin Adhikar Andolan and the Watan Jamin Sangharsh Samiti, showcasing community-driven solutions to advance land reforms and advocate for land rights.
Key questions that will be explored during the session include:
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What lessons can be drawn from successful movements like the Bodh Gaya land struggle and the Chengara struggle in Kerala, and how can these lessons be applied to other Dalit land rights movements across India?
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How do gender and caste intersect in the struggle for land rights, particularly for Dalit women, and what policy interventions are necessary to ensure gender equity in land ownership?
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What are the most significant barriers to the implementation of land reforms for Dalits, particularly in states where neoliberal land policies prioritize productivity over equity, and how can grassroots activism influence policy changes in these regions?
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How does climate change exacerbate land-related vulnerabilities for Dalit communities, and what strategies can be implemented to integrate climate-resilient agricultural practices into land reform policies?
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India’s forest cover is 21.71% of its total geographic area (ISFR, 2021). WRI India’s restoration atlas indicates that 140 million hectares have potential for forest protection and landscape restoration
(Chaturvedi et. 2018). These forest landscapes support about 250 million people with resources like minor forest produce, fuelwood, and fodder (MoEF 2014). However, climate change is impacting these dependent communities disproportionately, intensifying their vulnerabilities (IPCC 2022). Strengthening community forest governance and landscape restoration can simultaneously conserve biodiversity and support livelihoods (WRI India. 2018; Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact et al. 2022). Local self-governing institutions are essential for equitable climate mitigation and land conservation (Elias et al. 2022). In India, legislations like the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996, and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA, 2006) have formalised collective tenure rights of communities over their historical forest lands and empowered local institutions with rights to manage natural resources. Local self-governing institutions ensure representation, accountability and autonomous decision-making at the grassroots level (Elias etal. 2022). Strengthening local institutions requires improving the flow of information and transparency among stakeholders, as this often hinders effective convergence with other available policy instruments. Efforts have been made to break the information asymmetry among stakeholders by making information openly accessible. One such example is the LandMark platform, an open-access digital platform for sharing data on recognized community rights. Such initiatives hold the potential to inform and assist new efforts by both state and civil society actors in community land management. It is hoped that this discussion will be able to provide practical insights on empowering local-self- governing institutions with policy and technology, to achieve effective management of community tenures, to achieve natural resource conservation and wellbeing of communities. Against this background and aligning with the theme of ILDC 2024, the session aims:
To discuss the actions needed for strengthening the role of local self-governing institutions in planning, managing and restoring the community lands. To highlight the potential advantages of technological usage by communities for landscape planning and restoration. Learn approaches to mobilise communities through the local self-governing institution to integrate sustainable practices to ensure food & livelihood security, landscape restoration and inclusive access to natural resources
Scaling Forest Rights Implementation: Progress, Barriers, and the Collective Road Ahead
Objective: To present and discuss the findings from the Forest Rights Act evaluation study commissioned by Cadasta and Landstack, distil the learning, progress, impacts, and remaining systemic barriers, and identify collaborative strategies to address and dismantle these barriers to scale the Forest Rights Act (FRA) implementation effectively.
Applicable Conference Themes:
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Climate Action & Tenure Transitions
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Land Use - Land Tenure Linkages
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Land and Tech
Format: Panel Session with facilitated discussion
Moderator: Rohini Chaturvedi, Strategy Lead for Forests, People, Climate (FPC) at the Climate and Land Use Alliance
Panel Agenda:
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Introduction and Overview
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Brief introduction of the session objectives and themes by the moderator
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Overview of the FRA evaluation report
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Presentation of Study Findings
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Detailed presentation of the findings from the FRA evaluation report
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Key learning, progress, and impacts of FRA implementation to date
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Panel Discussion
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Conversation led by Rohini with panelists to distill learning, progress, and remaining systemic barriers
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Identification of ways to collectively address and dismantle systemic barriers
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Strategies to scale the FRA
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Q&A Session
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Open floor for questions for the panelists from the audience
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Expected Outcomes:
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Enhanced understanding of the current state of FRA implementation
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Identification of key barriers and challenges in scaling FRA
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Collaborative strategies and actionable steps to overcome systemic barriers
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Strengthened network and partnerships among stakeholders working on land and forest rights
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Session Introduction: What laws and policies decide who controls land resources and how does that legal framework impact communities on the ground? How do adjudicating bodies and the judiciary decide on land resource disputes? This session will have a presentation on a study analysing 40 central and state legislations, 1630 high court judgments, 8 state policies and 131 land conflicts to demystify the legal regime and judicial pronouncements surrounding the common lands. A panel discussion will follow to highlight legal and policy gaps that impact communities, businesses and the environment and how those gaps can be addressed.
Session Structure:
0:00 to 0:15 hrs: Presentations on the report 'Commons, Communities and Laws: Who is the Encroacher?' (Presentation by Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava, NutGraph (Land Conflict Watch).
0:15 to 1.30 hrs: Panel discussion on legal and policy frameworks governing forested commons, non-forested commons, private lands and their resources and how these legal frameworks impact communities.
The session “Land Record Digitisation Innovations: Good Practices in Maharashtra” aims to bring forth the good practices adopted by the state of Maharashtra in land administration and implementation of digital and geospatial technologies Effective and innovative use of technology, in sync with local context and capacity, is a very critical aspect of land administration, particularly to improve citizen satisfaction and well-being. Adaptive technology integration can enable faster decision making, increase record transparency, and boost local governance and markets.
Maharashtra stands out as one of the few states in India to have successfully digitized its land records and implemented innovatively the flagship central programs, the Digital India Land Record Modernization Programme (DILRMP). The state is close to completing the georeferencing of a large share of its cadastral maps and has made substantial strides by integrating land records with institutions like the legal system and local government entities. Several initiatives experimented and piloted in the state have been subsequently scaled up across India, e.g. the flagship program SVAMITVA.
Moreover, Maharashtra has prioritised capacity building, equipping various offices with the skills and knowledge needed to advance technology-based land administration. The Office of the Settlement Commissioner has been proactively collaborating with top higher education institutions to facilitate capacity-building initiatives, case studies, and other relevant programs aimed at the holistic development of land administration in the state.
Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA) has earned recognition as a Centre of Excellence, by Govt of India, to support six western states improving their digitisation efforts. This session will gather key stakeholders from the state, involved in designing/execution of several good practices, to provide ILDC audience an opportunity to learn and engage with them, in discussing and analyzing these practices.
In India, colonial legacy of existing land laws characterised by multiple institutional fault lines in execution, often results in procedural delays & denial of justice and ultimately impacts the dignity, identity and livelihoods of millions of marginalised communities.
According to the ‘National Judicial Data Grid for High Courts of India (2022), nearly 68% of legal matters pending in various District Courts, High Courts and the Supreme Court of India are related to land revenue matters, showing complexities not just about deficient legal system and inappropriate implementation mechanism but also institutional inability of the land governance. The exponential numbers of ‘justice-seeking’ marginalised communities pose many unanswered questions to the (ir)responsible land governance and judicial systems.
This is high time to device applicable, approachable, affordable and accountable ‘Land Governance and Judicial Ecosystem at all levels. Delays in granting justice impacts human dignity and results in social unrest. The land administration and land revenue courts need to be restructured for better performance and to build confidence among justice-seeking marginalised communities.
This session explores the causes and consequences of land disputes and the new pathways needed to institutionalise the justice system for a better and just future to the marginalised communities
The global landscape of land rights and ownership is increasingly vulnerable to the disruptive effects of health emergencies, such as heart attack, stroke, accidents, respiratory issues, pandemics, epidemics, and other widespread health crises. These emergencies not only strain healthcare systems but also exacerbate existing social and economic inequalities, significantly impacting land tenure security. This session aims to explore the complex interplay between health emergencies and land rights, highlighting the challenges faced by marginalized communities, the legal ambiguities that arise, and the potential for land disputes and loss of ownership.
By bringing together experts from diverse fields, including land governance, public health, law, and human rights, this session will provide a comprehensive analysis of the impacts of health emergencies on land rights and ownership. The discussion will also focus on policy responses and best practices that can help mitigate these impacts and protect vulnerable populations.
Carbon Markets could save an estimated $250 billion per year in implementing climate actions by 2030 (World Bank). The Voluntary Carbon Market was valued at $2.4 billion in 2023 and is set to grow at a rate of over 27% through 2032; from $2.4 billion to $21.7 billion (McKinsey). The focus on nature-based solutions (NBS) is particularly noteworthy, with over 80% or $15 billion of the funding for projects involving nature restoration and improved forest management. Much hope is being invested in market mechanisms like carbon markets and other payments for ecosystem services to provide farmers and rural communities the financial incentive to transition towards agroecology from chemical-intensive farming and give them the rewards for protecting their forests.
However, these mechanisms rely on intensive data collection to prove that carbon emissions were indeed sequestered and removed from the atmosphere, that farmers changed agricultural practices, the land belongs to the person whose name is mentioned in the project documents. This data eventually constructs the “integrity” of the credit that is bought and sold on the market. This then raises several questions on data rights, data protection, data privacy and the governance of data. This panel will be discussing the questions on data protection, data rights and the possibilities of community-based data stewardship and the creation of democratic data governance for better data interoperability and equitable climate change mitigation.
Session Objectives:
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Explore the intersection of market-based climate solutions and data governance.
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Discuss key questions surrounding data rights, ownership, and privacy within carbon markets and climate-based Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES).
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Delve into governance challenges in ensuring equitable access to data while protecting the rights of data producers and consumers.
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Explore data interoperability between climate markets and other services like organic certification, insurance, banking, etc for farmers and rural communities.
Session Design:
· Introduction and setting the context by C-GEM (5 minutes)
· Introducing the panel and setting the agenda by Mr. Rishabh Verma, moderator (10 minutes)
· Panel Discussion (45 minutes)
· Q&A and open discussion 15-20 minutes
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India’s journey toward land administration reform has followed two primary pathways. One approach emphasizes the digitization and modernization of land records to drive economic outcomes and improve land market efficiency. The other prioritizes social inclusion, aiming to ensure equitable access to land and property rights for marginalized groups, including agricultural tenants, women, and small farmers. Two flagship schemes follow these dual approaches: the Digital India Land Records Modernization Program (DILRMP), focused on creating accurate, accessible digital land records, and the Survey of Villages Abadi and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) scheme, which aims to provide property rights in rural inhabited (abadi) areas.
This session examines the impact of technology in transforming land administration in India, with a focus on the implementation of DILRMP and SVAMITVA in Maharashtra and Odisha. An evaluation study explores the processes, outputs, and impacts of these technology-driven innovations, analyzing whether they have effectively met their objectives. It delves into both the state perspective—efficiency, economic outcomes, and improved public services—and the community perspective, assessing whether these schemes promote equitable access, reduce disputes, and improve service delivery for all segments of society.
Floods reconstitute land-water relationships: make land more fertile, displacing populations, creating deltas, and altering landscapes, often leading to new tenure issues. The extent and intensity of floods have significantly increased, rising from 19.94 million hectares affected in 1960 to 49.81 million hectares in 2011—a 2.5-fold increase over 50 years. Urban flooding is now a frequent issue in coastal cities like Chennai and Mumbai. The devastating 2018 Kerala floods remain a strong reminder of how human interventions, such as dam construction, mining, and infrastructure development in sensitive areas like the Western Ghats, exacerbate such disasters.
The panel will bring cases from four different geographies capturing different dimensions:
1) The issue of Char lands in the Brahmaputra focusing on river bank erosions and new land being formed raising the question whose land are they?
2) The floods of Bihar which have a transboundary context as most of the rivers originate outside India (Nepal) and would focus on transboundary conflicts and cooperation,
3) Urban floods taking the case of Chennai as a coastal city which will focus on urban land use planning and governance as key issues, and
4) The devastating Kerala floods of 2018 saw contestations over the role of dams in exacerbating floods which also gave rise to contested knowledge.
Some of the key issues and questions that the panel will address include:
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There is an increasing tendency to “naturalise” floods and also climate change. Very often floods are blamed on climate change or extreme rainfall events. Anthropogenic reasons (or political economy/ecology) are not brought into mainstream discourse. What way knowledge and civil society action can engage with this issue and inform policies?
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Water policies have been talking about integrated water resources management (IWRM) and also about the need for river basin plans. In the urban context, there have been discussions about urban land use planning. What is the experience on these? Are they climate-informed? If not, what could be done?
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What are the existing coping and adaptive strategies of the people? How to strengthen them?
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Do land tenureship impact compensation and rehabilitation of flood-affected people? If yes, in what way?
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What could be a possible institutional architecture which is participatory/democratic and informed by knowledge (both traditional and modern) and concerns for sustainability and equity at different scales?
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What ILDC as a platform can do to take this discourse forward?
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Land administration plays a pivotal role in fostering economic development, resolving disputes, and advancing sustainable development goals. Land is a state subject in India; the governance and administration of land are shaped by the region’s history over per-colonial and colonial rules, their unique socio-cultural, and economic contexts. As a result, land laws and administrative approaches vary across states, reflecting diverse needs and priorities. Post-liberalization state efforts around modernization and digitization of land records have also been different, with states prioritising, investing and innovating differently.
Effective land administration goes beyond the mere maintenance of accurate records. It encompasses equitable access to land-related services, fostering opportunities for economic growth, social inclusion and overall well-being of the citizens. More recently a new imperative of climate resilience has been added to its mandate, given land use change has been associated with climate change and action and the role of land tenure and administration in deciding and regulating land uses. Indian states, adapting to their capacity and contexts, have employed various innovations to achieve efficiency, effectiveness and better impact in land administration, from inclusive land reforms focusing marginalised groups to innovative technologies that enhance land documentation and service delivery.
This session will explore the diverse journeys of various states in implementing land administration reforms and innovations. It will examine how different states have adapted their land administration practices, integrating technology to address specific socio-cultural, historical, and economic contexts. The discussion will cover the challenges encountered during implementation and showcase successful stories. Additionally, the session will highlight best practices and innovative solutions that have proven effective in land administration in their respective states.
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Net zero commitments, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and nature-based solutions (NbS) have become buzzwords in climate action discussions, driving a surge in global finance from corporations and governments. However, these investments, especially in forest ecosystems across developing countries, often fail to connect with local realities. Despite the growing recognition of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) as crucial actors in biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation, their practices remain underutilised in project design and forest management efforts.
Restoration projects, typically funded by international donors, tend to favour top-down, scientifically-driven approaches that overshadow the traditional knowledge and stewardship of IPLCs. This disconnect is even more evident in voluntary carbon markets like REDD+, where IPLCs are marginalised in processes such as Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and benefit-sharing. Despite their potential, communities often find themselves excluded from decision-making and project design.
While the agroecological space has started embracing local and community-led practices, forest and grassland restoration projects continue to prioritise external expertise over local stewardship. This roundtable will explore how to foster inclusive, locally-led climate action, centering community stewardship in conservation efforts and market mechanisms like Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES). The question now is not whether communities can lead conservation efforts, but rather how they can take centre stage in this transformative climate action.
About Community Stewardship Coalition (CSC)
The Community Stewardship Coalition, comprising the Foundation for Ecological Security, Landstack, Climate Rise Alliance, Common Ground, and LGT Venture Philanthropy, was established earlier this year and has since been facilitating stakeholder consultations across diverse geographies with the goal to amplify the recognition of community-led efforts and foster large-scale adoption by engaging a wider network of stakeholders. Leveraging the platform provided by the India Land Development Conference 2024, the Community Stewardship Coalition (CSC) seeks to engage three key groups—Corporates and Carbon market players, members of the scientific community, and CSO/community leaders—to position community stewardship at the forefront of transformative climate action.
To facilitate meaningful discussions with these stakeholders, the following broad question categories will be explored:
For Carbon Market Players and Corporates:
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How can the carbon market incorporate community stewardship to reduce market risks and effectively address issues of permanence and leakage?
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How can a community-centric approach help better account for co-benefits?
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What strategies can mitigate both market and reputational risks, leading to sustainable, community-driven solutions?
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How do you integrate IPLCs into the planning and implementation stages of your carbon projects, specifically regarding FPIC and equitable benefit-sharing?
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What are some of the challenges corporations/ market face in incorporating traditional knowledge systems and stewardship practices of IPLCs into the carbon credit or forest restoration projects? How do we address them?
For the Scientific Community:
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What can be done to improve measurement techniques and explore participatory MRV methodologies?
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What innovations can help measure both carbon and co-benefits more efficiently and at a lower cost?
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How can we effectively tackle questions surrounding additionality especially for areas which have been historically conserved by communities while at the same time establish accurate baselines for measurement?
For Community Leaders and CSOs:
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What strategies can build the capacity of community leaders and CSOs to better understand and engage with carbon markets?
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How can we empower communities to manage these projects more effectively and negotiate on equal footing with market actors?
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How can CSOs strengthen networks and partnerships with other stakeholders, like corporations and governments, to enhance community-led climate solutions and make them more resilient to market forces?
Collaboration with CSC/ Way Forward
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The CSC is focused on positioning community stewardship at the forefront of climate action. How do you envision collaborating with such coalitions to enhance the impact of carbon market strategies?
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