Editing Land reform (section)

===Arguments for===
Arguments in support of land reform focus on its potential social and economic benefits, particularly in [[developing countries]], that may emerge from reforms focused on greater land formalization. Such benefits may include eradicating food insecurity and alleviating rural poverty.<ref>Meinzen-Dick, Ruth, Markelova, Helen and Moore, Kelsey. "The Role of Collective Action and Property Rights in Climate Change Strategies." International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), 2010. and Economic Commission for Africa. "Land Tenure Systems and their Impacts on [[Food security]] and Sustainable Development in Africa." 2009.</ref>

{{rquote|right|And the great owners, who must lose their land in an upheaval, the great owners with access to history, with eyes to read history and to know the great fact: when property accumulates in too few hands it is taken away. And that companion fact: when a majority of the people are hungry and cold they will take by force what they need. And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed.| ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]''<ref>''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'', by [[John Steinbeck]], Penguin, 2006, 0143039431, pg 238</ref>}}

Arguments in support of such reforms gained particular momentum after the publication of ''The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else'' by Peruvian economist [[Hernando de Soto (economist)|Hernando de Soto]] in 2000. The poor, he argues, are often unable to secure formal property rights, such as land titles, to the land on which they live or farm because of poor governance, corruption and/or overly complex bureaucracies. Without land titles or other formal documentation of their land assets, they are less able to access formal credit. Political and legal reforms within countries, according to de Soto, will help to include the poor in formal legal and economic systems, increase the poor's ability to access credit and contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction.<ref>De Soto, Hernando. ''The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else''. New York: Basic Books. 2000.</ref>

Many international development organizations and bilateral and multilateral donors, such as the World Bank, have embraced de Soto's ideas, or similar ideas, about the benefits of greater formalized land rights.<ref>Deininger, Klaus W. ''Land Policies for Growth and Poverty Reduction''. The World Bank. 2003. [https://books.google.com/books?id=-3HWZigoZDMC]</ref> This has translated into a number of development programs that work with governments and civil society organizations to initiate and implement land reforms.<ref>World Bank. "Regional Study on Land Administration, Land Markets, and Collateralized Lending." 2003. [http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEAPREGTOPRURDEV/Resources/573691-1141228934263/2280904-1153493824735/RegionalStudyonLand+Administration.pdf]</ref> Evidence to support the economic and pro-poor benefits of increased formalized land rights are still inconclusive according to some critics (see "Arguments against land reform" below).

Other arguments in support of land reform point to the need to alleviate conflicting land laws, particularly in former colonies, where formal and informal land systems may exist in tension with each other.<ref>Moore, Jina. "Africa's continental divide: land disputes." ''Christian Science Monitor''. January 30, 2010. [http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0130/Africa-s-continental-divide-land-disputes]</ref> Such conflicts can make marginalized groups vulnerable to further exploitation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kafumbe |first1=Anthony Luyirika |title=Access to justice: Widows and the institutions regulating succession to property in Uganda |journal=Human Rights Review |date=July 2006 |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=100–113 |doi=10.1007/s12142-006-1005-8 }}</ref> For example, in many countries in Africa with conflicting land laws, AIDS stigmatization has led to an increasing number of AIDS widows being kicked off marital land by in-laws.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ambasa-Shisanya |first1=Constance |title=Widowhood in the era of HIV/AIDS: A case study of Slaya District, Kenya |journal=SAHARA-J: Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS |date=August 2007 |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=606–615 |doi=10.1080/17290376.2007.9724882 |doi-access=free |pmid=18071612 }}</ref> While the woman may have both customary and statutory rights to the land, confusion over which set of laws has primacy, or even a lack of knowledge of relevant laws, leave many AIDS widows at a significant disadvantage. Also, conflicting formal and informal land laws can also clog a country's legal system, making it prone to corruption.<ref>Tettey, Wisdom, B. Gebe and K. Ansah-Koi. "The Politics of Land and Land-related Conflicts in Ghana: A Summary." Land Policy Reform Project. Institute for Statistical, Social and Economic Research at the University of Ghana. 2008. [http://www.isser.org/images/stories/landproject/Summary%20POLITICS_OF_LAND_AND_LAND-RELATED_CONFLICTS%20-%20summary.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307003730/http://www.isser.org/images/stories/landproject/Summary%20POLITICS_OF_LAND_AND_LAND-RELATED_CONFLICTS%20-%20summary.pdf|date=2020-03-07}}</ref>

Additional arguments for land reform focus on the potential [[environmental quality|environmental benefits]] of reform. For example, if reform leads to greater security of [[land owner]]ship, through either formal or informal means, then those that use the land will be better stewards of it.<ref>World Resources Institute. "The Wealth of the Poor: Managing Ecosystems to Fight Poverty." 2005. {{cite web |title=World Resources 2005 -- the Wealth of the Poor: Managing ecosystems to fight poverty &#124; World Resources Institute |url=http://archive.wri.org/publication_detail.cfm?pubid=4073 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807172600/http://archive.wri.org/publication_detail.cfm?pubid=4073 |archive-date=2011-08-07 |access-date=2010-12-02}} and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). "Land Tenure and Rural Development." FAO Land Tenure Studies No. 3. 2002. Accessed August 21, 2010. Available: [http://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/005/y4307E/y4307E00.pdf]{{dead link|date=December 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

Land reforms carried out in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea are credited with contributing to the industrial development. The equitable distribution of land led to increasing agricultural outputs, high rural purchasing power and social mobility.<ref>{{cite book |title=How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region |date=2014 |publisher=Grove Press |isbn=9780802121325 |chapter=Land: The Triumph of Gardening}}</ref>