Land Observatory communication at the World Bank Annual Conference on Land and Poverty. April 2013. Washington DC.

Based on case studies, this paper analyses how key determinants affects the upholding and the sustainability of the Local Land Office or its close – out. An assessment conducted by the PNF in 2012 displayed that 11  % did cease – out their operation, 65 % are in process of struggling to operate and run autonomously whereas 33 % did succeed in sustaining. The document unveils that amongst the important parameters, local budget and income, population ownership, municipal staff dynamism, and proximity of monitoring and tutoring structure, are decisive . 

In Development and Change special issue. Governing Global Land Deals: The Role of the State in the Rush for Land. Volume 44, Issue 2. March 2013. Pages 357–379.

Despite the well-publicized abandonment of Daewoo Logistics’ gigantic agricultural project, large-scale land appropriations continue in Madagascar. Drawing on three case studies, this article analyses how relations between entities governing land access shape, and are shaped by, agribusiness-related land deals. 

Paru dans Cahiers Agricultures. Volume 22, Numéro 1. Janvier – février 2013.

A Madagascar, les appropriations foncières à grande échelle se poursuivent. Mais, à la différence d'atres pays du Sud, une réforme foncière est en cours, fondée à la fois sur la remise en cause de la propriété de l'Etat sur une large par du territoire et la reconnaissance légale des droits fonciers locaux. Basé sur la théorie de l'accès, cet article analyse les modes d'accès à la terre des investisseurs et leurs régulations.

Communication de l’Observatoire du Foncier au Colloque SFER/INRA/CIRAD, Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse, 13 et 14 décembre 2012.

Après 2 à 3 ans de mise en place des institutions de proximité en charge de la mise en œuvre de la réforme foncière, cette communication analyse la nature de ses effets ainsi que le profil de ses bénéficiaires. Elle propose notamment de ne pas focaliser l’analyse sur les seuls effets inclusifs ou exclusifs de la certification foncière mais de prendre en compte un éventuel phénomène plus large d’autonomisation juridique des populations.

This publication describes, analyzes and establishes the status of land governance in Madagascar using the key findings from the LGAF assessment. Main conclusions state that major constraints in enforcing good governance are related to the coexistence and the lack of articulation of two systems of rights recognition: the customary and the statutory 

Land Observatory communication at the World Bank Annual Conference on Land and Poverty. April 2012. Washington DC.

This paper explores the determinant of the sense of tenure insecurity and underlines the complementary role of certification to informal and existing modes of rights validation (petits papiers). It shows then that decentralization of land management offers a better and a more equitable access to legal information, land administration institutions, legalization of rights and devices of conflict resolution. But this ongoing process of legal empowerment still needs to be more inclusive.

Land Observatory communication at the World Bank Annual Conference on Land and Poverty. April 2012. Washington DC.

Based on case studies, this paper analyses how land deals are partly shaped by the competition for control over land access. The Malagasy legal framework does have the potential to regulate large-scale land acquisitions and protect local land rights protection. But, all these positive-laws are not enforced due to investors’ strategies to access to land and competition among state and non-state institutions for controlover land resources.

In  Dietz Ton (ed.), Havnevik Kjell (ed.), Kaag Mayke (ed.), Oestigaard Terje (ed.). African engagements : Africa negotiating an emerging multipolar world. Leyde : Brill, p. 110-132. (Africa-Europe Group for Interdisciplinary Studies, 7).

In 2009, the government was simultaneously encouraging foreign land investment and implementing land reform to secure local land rights. This chapter analyses the realities encountered in the local settings where local and international stakeholders vie for the same plots of land. The authors also underline how local populations lack the necessary information to properly assess envisaged projects.

This research commissioned by the ILC is a part of the Commercial Pressure on Land initiative.

It presents the evolution of large agricultural investments in Madagascar between 2005 and 2010. After the fall of Ravalomanana's government due to the accusations of "selling off the ancestors' land" following the revelation of a land lease project under obscure conditions, land questions especially large scale acquisition appeared as an important point to consider. This study was realized by the Malagasy Land Observatory and CIRAD.

Issued in Cotula, L., Leonard, R., Agricultural investment and collaborative business models, Highlights from an international lesson - sharing worksop - Maputo, 17th-18th March 2010. International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) -Centro Terra Viva. P 81-93

This publication is part of a proceeding led by IIED. The chapter about Madagascar discusses two agribusiness projects, one led by Varun and the other by Fuelstock. Based on these experiences, it draws lessons for establishing agricultural investment projects that can serve the interests of both investors and local people.