LAND-at-scale

Land governance for sustainable impact

Improved land governance will help reach many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will support food and nutrition security, economic development and peace and stability. The LAND-at-scale programme contributes to more sustainable incomes and social justice. Women's rights and climate change are also important themes in the programme (see the LAND-at-scale programme file).

The programme runs from 2019 until 2026. It is successfully active in 12 project countries.

LAND-at-scale is closed for applications.  

LAND-at-scale aims

LAND-at-scale's goal is just and fair land governance. In the long term, this will contribute to SDGs 1, 2, 5, 11, 15 and 17 and may contribute indirectly to SDGs 8, 9, 10, 13 and 16. In the short term, the programme focuses on the following outcomes:

• Improved, fit-for-purpose land administration;
• Improved land-use management planning, including participatory land consolidation, sound natural resource management and social integration;
• Improved access to justice for land-related conflicts and conflict resolutions. Fewer cases of land conflicts and equal opportunities for men and women;
• Increased inclusiveness in access to land, land use documentation, land rental and land markets. A particular focus on women, youth and vulnerable people;
• Increased knowledge and learning about the effects of innovative approaches and how to scale successful land governance methods that advance structural change;
• New and improved action-oriented, multi-stakeholder networks. These networks help improve just, inclusive and sustainable land governance.

LAND-at-scale project ideas

Dutch embassies can submit ideas for LAND-at-scale. Ideas should look at the upscaling of successful or innovative pilots with upscaling potential. All ideas should relate to fair, inclusive and sustainable land governance at the country, regional or landscape level. They may involve a single intervention or several related interventions to achieve the change wanted.

Dutch embassies must share ideas for LAND-at-scale with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The LAND-at-scale Committee then selects the most promising ideas. RVO will look at whether it can turn the ideas into projects. This happens in close collaboration with embassies and local stakeholders. Once the idea has been turned into a project strategy, we will select the organisations carrying out the project. RVO manages the LAND-at-scale projects.

Supported land governance activities

Activities supported by LAND-at-scale contribute to the result frameworks of the priority themes of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These themes include food & nutrition security, access to justice, private sector development and gender equality. Land governance activities that LAND-at-scale supports include:

• Making existing and new land-based investments inclusive and sustainable;
• Scaling and piloting innovative interventions that enhance structural change;
• Capacity development of governmental and non-governmental stakeholders;
• Improving the position of women, youth and vulnerable people;
• Joint learning, knowledge exchange and multi-stakeholder action;
• Lobby and advocacy.

LAND-at-scale criteria for support

The LAND-at-scale programme document includes the criteria for support. To qualify for support, ideas must:

• follow the annual LAND-at-scale strategic plan and the strategic plans of the relevant Dutch embassy;
• contribute to the LAND-at-scale aims;
• have local support from the main stakeholders;
• contribute to and add value to the market; and
• not get support from other programmes from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Supported interventions will be carried out based on the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT). LAND-at-scale projects must promote gender equality and women's empowerment. Projects must also look at the effects of climate change. Support can be provided in various forms, including knowledge exchange, contracts, and tailor-made grants. We may select Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), producer organisations, knowledge institutes, governments, companies and groups of organisations (consortia) to carry out the interventions.

LAND-at scale countries

LAND-at-scale is open to all low- and middle-income countries, except countries in Europe. We prefer ideas from countries within the focus regions of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and countries where LAND-at-scale can build on earlier Dutch-supported interventions.

Budget

LAND-at-scale has a budget of €37.5 million and will be open until 2026. The programme welcomes co-financing and cooperation with other demand-driven initiatives that aim to improve just, inclusive and sustainable land governance.

Current activities

LAND-at-scale is active in the following countries:

LAND-at-scale in practice

Watch our video about LAND-at-scale projects in several countries.

LAND-at-scale Committee

The LAND-at-scale Committee consists of voluntary members. It includes officials from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs who represent different thematic and regional departments. The committee also includes independent international land governance experts.

Knowledge exchange

Are you a land governance expert, and do you want to read our latest reports and exchange knowledge? Visit the LAND-at-scale page on the Land Portal.

Our Development Cooperation Projects database provides an overview of our development cooperation projects. You can filter by location, sector, and programme, among other things.

More information

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) carries out the LAND-at-scale programme on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. To find out more about the LAND-at-scale programme, see our programme document and Theory of Change.