EWMI NEWS:
MARCH 2010
STORIES FROM EWMI’s PILOT COMMUNITY LAND DOCUMENTATION PROGRAMS

In a survey of 150 households in Doung Chrom Village in the province of Pursat in September 2009, 105 households had no land documents whatsoever. Only 20 had land sale or purchase papers, and only two had official certificates showing legal ownership.

Less than a year later, even though the government has not begun issuing land titles in this area as part of its national titling scheme, things have changed in Doung Chrom Village.

As the result of an East West Management Institute (EWMI) partnership with local authorities, local NGOs and community volunteers, villagers have taken action to document their land ownership and protect their rights:

• Village officials have a map showing owners of all residential land, following an interactive process involving all villagers, as well as a comprehensive document showing all land owners.
• Each household has a booklet describing their land, photographs of all land-related and other official family documents, and a photo of the family in front of their house.
• Villagers who used to store their important papers in the thatch walls of their houses – leaving them vulnerable to water damage and other hazards -- now keep their land documents encased in plastic or in boxes.
• Village Chief Tev Saroun reports a sharp increase in the number of people asking him to witness land transactions, which creates a stronger paper trail reflecting land ownership. In contrast to the past, when he received less than one request each year, he witnessed several transactions in the past few months.

Similar results were reported in the other pilot village, Ou Kru Kae Village in Kampong Thom.

Thatch house(above) and document storage before the project began (right)

Case Study: Chea Boorat
Doung Chrom Village, Pursat Province

Chea Boorat with a map of his land, thumbprinted by his neighbors

As a result of EWMI’s pilot project, Chea Boorat has taken several steps to document and protect his land ownership. He marked the boundaries of his land, drew maps of his land parcels and asked his neighbors to assent to these maps using their thumbprints. “This will help us avoid land disputes with the neighbors, because they will be aware of these boundaries and respect them,” he said. Boorat keeps his land documents in a locked box. He reports that he is happy about all these steps, because “now I know exactly what land I have, and I am confident that I can pass it on to my children.” He encourages his neighbors to follow in his footsteps. When government land registration teams reach Doung Chrom Village at an unknown future date, these land documents will help Boorat prove his ownership dating back to 2001, as required by law. Boorat has lived and farmed on his land since 1979. He has 10 children, aged nine to 30. His goal is for each of his children to finish high school, in a country where the secondary school enrollment rate is around 33% for males and 28% for females.

Case Study: Heang Sang
Doung Chrom Village, Pursat Province

After participating in community meetings led by EWMI, Heang Sang realized that her fence did not accurately reflect the boundaries of her land. She consulted her neighbor to make sure they agreed about the true boundary, then she repaired her fence to make sure it was accurate.

Sang also resolved conflicts with her neighbors about trees that span her own land and that of her neighbors. She and her neighbor Hong Teng had quarreled over a bamboo tree that that extended over the boundary. After they spoke with government officials in connection with the EWMI pilot project, they began to share access to these trees, instead of cutting off overhanging branches, as they did in the past. “Now we are friendly,” she said.

Sang, age 47, has lived on her land since 1979. She has five children ages 11 to 24 and she earns income by farming, fishing and vegetable gardening in the dry season.

Sang (right) with her neighbor Teng