Youths without access and ownership of land are like tree seedlings left uncared for, they will not be productive to give fruits
The ILC Fellowship 2023-2024 is a global 15-month programme for young Indigenous and local communities leaders from ILC members and partners from around the world. It seeks to strengthen the role and leadership of Indigenous youths within their organisations and communities. We put special emphasis on promoting women’s leadership.
The programme connects youth from around the world; provides tools, knowledge, and opportunities; and helps build action that comes from People’s organisations and moves from within the next generation of leaders. It also incubates ideas. Fellows can experiment and learn by exploring concrete solutions to local challenges. ILC provides seed funding for such actions.
Dive into Moses Nkhana's inspiring journey as an ILC Youth Fellow! From global leadership training to virtual project management, his experiences are shaping the future of land rights advocacy. Follow the conversation!
Your journey as an ILC Youth fellow
Can you share insights into your journey as an International Land Coalition (ILC) Youth Fellow?
I am so happy and excited to be part of this fellowship. Honestly, this is one of the best-ever platform for youth leaders across the globe.
What have been some of the defining moments or experiences thus far?
All the moments have been good throughout the global leadership training in Thailand.
Becoming Involved and Motivated
What inspired your involvement with the ILC, and what personal motivations drive your commitment to advocating for land rights, particularly from the perspective of youth?
My desire to be associated with the ILC stems from my ideals and principles. Malawi suffers from high poverty, limited possibilities for young people, and the worsening effects of climate change. The entire scenario can alter if youngsters are given access to and control over land for economic projects.
Strengthening youth land rights represents a significant chance to combat climate change. Youth are better suited to use information communication technology to adapt to climatic uncertainty, and they are more likely to adopt new climate-smart farming methods. However, they require access to land to do so; solid land rights can encourage young farmers to invest in their land and enhance crop yields in the face of climate change.
When I consider my values and principles, I am firmly committed to doing whatever it takes to advocate for youth land rights, with a particular emphasis on girls and young women.
Passionate Causes in Land Rights
Could you elaborate on the specific community or cause within the realm of land rights that resonates deeply with you?
Land rights play a catalytic role in economic growth, social development, and poverty alleviation. They not only directly impact individual property rights but are also at the heart of social justice.
What aspects are you particularly passionate about?
I am more passionate about youth land rights. We need to find better ways for how youth can enjoy the security of tenure. The structural and cultural barriers are complex for youth to have secure land rights.
The authorities are forgetting that youth land rights are critical to improving agriculture and fostering economic development in Malawi.
Challenges in Land Rights:
Youth Perspective Challenges:
From a youth perspective, what key challenges have you encountered in your advocacy for land rights? How do you navigate and overcome these challenges?
There are two major challenges: legal and cultural constraints. However, as a youth advocate, the main problem is the cultural barrier. The obstacles that we have as young people in appreciating land that is firmly established in tradition and culture. The community where I work has strong cultural beliefs that may not necessarily empower young people to own land. The position is slightly better for boys, but much more problematic for girls. However, both sexes do not have ownership rights as long as their parents are alive. Young widows face particular discrimination and hardships.
The simultaneous application of customary and formal law frequently results in disparities in legal protections, which can perpetuate gender-based discrimination and leave widowed women with limited options for remedy.
Addressing Resistance:
In promoting land rights, what strategies do you employ to address resistance or obstacles, especially when advocating from the unique standpoint of youth representation?
They are several strategies that I am employing to address the challenges that we are facing in accessing and control over land among them includes the following
- Coalition building- with the backup of my organization (Mzimba Youth Organization) we are building the capacity of youth clubs and other women movement on how best they can be convincing their parents for the possible allocation of the parcels of land within the family land.
- Rewarding the role models: so under this I do on this is we together celebrate the parents who have recommendable work in allocating / giving land to their children.
- Naming and shaming: In critical situations, I issue press releases naming and shaming individuals who have taken land from young people (orphans and widows). This raises awareness and draws the attention of other government agencies.
- I raise awareness about land rights for youth through community gatherings and one-hour programmes on Mzimba community radio station.
Community Engagement:
Engaging with Local Communities:
How do you actively engage with local communities to understand their specific land-related issues and concerns? What methods or initiatives have you found most effective?
- I use a variety of initiatives for community engagement, including promoting awareness about the importance of land to adolescents. I accomplish this through community-structured meetings and the Mzimba community radio station, where I host one-hour programmes on youth and land rights.
- Community interface sessions where rights holders and users engage in live conversations.
- Naming and shaming; when things come the waste in a very critical situation I issue a press release where we name and shame the individuals who have grabbed land for young people (Orphans and widows) this is done to raise the alarm so that we may draw the attention of other offices necessarily government agencies.
Impactful Community-Driven Initiatives:
Could you provide an example of a community-driven initiative that you have been involved in, which had a positive impact on land rights? What were the key elements that contributed to its success?
The Youth for Land campaign was a youth-led effort. The young people launched their campaign after receiving extensive training on youth land rights and climate change. Though change is a gradual process, I am pleased that the programme is making some impacts, as in some regions, young people have user rights.
Policy and Advocacy:
Role of Policy and Advocacy:
From your perspective, what role does policy and advocacy plays in achieving equitable land rights? How do these elements contribute to lasting and meaningful change?
Advocacy is extremely important in promoting mentality change. The majority of the issues that young people face in terms of land ownership are caused by their thinking. Advocacy is beginning to shift people's perceptions about the value of land to youth.
We have done enough to advocate for new land laws in Malawi, and this advocacy has been successful, albeit there is still some gap. We are using the same lobbying to change the thinking of traditional leaders who are the custodians of culture, and I hope that one day this will be successful.
The last challenge currently being face is Women and men are de jure access to land is regulated by the formal legal system, and customary law. There are many examples of how the two systems can both prevent and promote youth’s access to land. The formal legal have land laws that grant gender equality in access to land but where laws for marriage, divorce and inheritance contradict these laws by discriminating against women and daughters.
Collaboration and Partnerships:
Collaboration is often key to amplifying impact. How do you collaborate with other organizations or individuals to enhance the effectiveness of your work in the field of land rights?
Can you share a specific example of a collaboration that you believe contributed significantly to positive change in land rights? What lessons were learned from this collaborative effort?
We constantly collaborate with like-minded organisations and individuals to advance the youth land rights cause. For example, we are now collaborating with Mzimba Community Radio Station to raise awareness, which is another important aspect of mentality development. (This is a local radio station with 10,000 square km of coverage, and we work with organisations such as the National Land Coalition. In addition, we facilitated the development of 300 youth clubs that are also working on youth land rights concerns, in order to amplify their voices.
Youth Involvement:
Importance of Youth Involvement: Why is it crucial to involve youth in discussions and actions related to land rights? What unique perspectives and strengths do young advocates bring to the table?
To fully realise the enormous potential of youth to revolutionise the agricultural sector, government authorities must first overcome a key impediment to constructive youth engagement in agriculture. Youth land rights are critical to Malawi's rural and agricultural transformation, as they provide a framework for youth to stake their future and invest in agriculture and farm-related economic industries.
Young people can bring a unique perspective, energy, and enthusiasm to partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals. Our ability to think creatively and outside the box, as well as our proficiency in using technology and social media, can contribute to new and innovative solutions to achieve the SDGs and their personal development. Young people can also participate in project design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation committees, and advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns. youth engagement is crucial for the success of partnerships aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
To realise the full potential of young people's contributions to the SDGs and personal development, it is critical to involve them in decision-making, provide access to information and resources, increase funding, provide mentorship and guidance, build networks, invest in skill development, and create opportunities for youth participation. To avoid tokenism, the relationship must be young-led and youth-centered, with youth serving as primary actors rather than passive beneficiaries. By removing these hurdles, we can create a supportive climate in which young people can fully participate and contribute to SDG partnerships as well as their own growth.
Strengthening youth land rights presents a powerful opportunity to confront climate change. Youth are well-poised to use Information Communication Technology to gain information to adjust to climatic uncertainty, and have a stronger propensity to adopt new climate-smart agricultural technologies. But they need access to land to do so; secure land rights can incentivize young farmers to invest in their land and increase crop yield in the face of climate change.
Encouraging and Empowering Youth: How do you encourage and empower other young people to join the cause of advocating for land rights? What strategies have you found to be effective in mobilizing youth participation?
I'd like to share an example from my personal experience. I formed the Mzimba Youth Organisation, which brings together young people to discuss ideas and explore local and worldwide opportunities. During my talks with team members,
I am committed to building a supportive culture in which young people can boldly advocate for themselves, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or other potential impediments.
Because of our joint efforts, many of the organization's young members have become leaders in their own communities, inspiring others to break down barriers and promote equality. As a result of their participation in the foundation, several members now have security tenure rights, have received fellowships, have attended forums, and have attended sustainability conferences.
I am committed to building a supportive culture in which young people can boldly advocate for themselves, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or other potential impediments. This is what motivates them.
Success Stories:
Reflecting on your on for land rights, could you share a story or achievement that you are particularly proud of? What made this accomplishment stand out for you?
In the communities you've worked with, have you seen visible improvements or good changes as a result of your efforts to advocate for land rights?
I am glad to state that my efforts have helped to change the thinking of Khosolo's traditional authorities, and divorcee young mothers can now have the same utilisation rights as they did before we began functioning in these communities.
I am extremely glad to inform you that Traditional Authority Khosolo, who was one of the most challenging chiefs in the area, recognised the value of young land rights in public and agreed to be an advocate for youth land rights in his territories. I have some documentaries about how people, particularly young men, love my work.
Education and Awareness:
How do you actively contribute to raising awareness about land rights issues within your community and beyond? What methods or initiatives do you employ to promote education and understanding?
In your view, how crucial is education in creating lasting change regarding land rights? How does it contribute to building a foundation for sustainable practices?
Music. I am a musician who uses music to raise awareness about what land means to its users. Through this music, we are able to illustrate some of the hurdles that young people face in order to enjoy land rights.
Regular community interface meetings bring together rights holders and users to discuss youth land rights issues.
Radio interactive programmes: We collaborate with Mzimba Community Radio Station to host a 60-minute chat show.
Outreach services: We provide outreach services in remote locations, focusing on community day secondary schools and village development committees.
Capacity buildings: we build the capacity of our grassroots movement in areas that they need in the context youth land rights.
Future Vision:
Looking ahead, what changes or developments do you hope to see regarding land rights, especially concerning increased youth involvement? How can the landscape evolve in a more inclusive manner?
I want to see rural youth have better access to land. Securing juvenile land rights can help them reach their full potential by providing access to more than just property. For example, youth are more likely than adults to be unbanked, as land tenure is frequently required for financial access.
Youth land rights can also help to promote gender parity. Young women are half as likely as young men to own sole title to a plot of land in rural regions, but we know that strong land rights can boost women's and girls' decision-making authority. Secure access to land can help young women and girls build empowerment and overcome institutional hurdles to gender equity.
Lastly, how do you envision the long-term impact of your work? What lasting positive changes do you hope will be realized regarding land rights and community empowerment?
I foresee a future in which land rights are treated as a human rights issue rather than a cultural or gender one. I envisage improved conditions for young people's access to and control of land.