Who Owns My Land? Findings from a Nationwide Survey on Chinese Farmers' Land Rights

On May 2 in New  York, PILnet hosted the presentation "Who Owns My Land?", which highlighted findings from a nationwide survey on Chinese farmers' land rights undertaken by Landesa (formerly Rural Development Institute), in collaboration with China Renmin University and Michigan State University.

The groundbreaking research covered 17 provinces in China and showed that while farmers' land rights are increasingly documented and a land transaction market is emerging, private property is still subject to the pressures of corporate "big boss" farming and government takings. The study also demonstrated that increased security in land tenure can contribute measurably to increased rural income, which is essential given that China suffers from one of the worst rural-urban income gaps in the world.

In this presentation, Landesa founder Roy Posterman and its lead China Attorney Zhu Keliang explored how China could more effectively implement land property rights, how legal institutions can be structured to empower rural people and how, in the process, it could help transform hundreds of millions of small farmers into middle-class consumers and market participants. 

Founded as the Rural Development Institute in 1967, Landesa partners with governments and local organizations to ensure that the world's poorest families have secure rights over the land they till.

The presentation was hosted at Shearman & Sterling LLP, Second Floor, 599 Lexington Ave, New York, New York 10022 at 12:30 p.m.