Our journey to document and map 50,000 hectares of farmland for 10,000 farmers in the Obogu Traditional Area has been both exciting and enlightening. Following the endorsement by the Paramount Chief, we have been actively engaging smallholder farmers to map their farms and document their land rights. In earlier posts, we shared our community sensitization activities, and the trainings provided to local volunteers and Customary Land Secretariat (CLS) staff on the use of GIS tools for land data collection.

We are excited to share our insights from the milestones we have achieved so far:

1. Give Dedicated Attention to Building Local Capacity 

To ensure the success and sustainability of land rights interventions, it is essential to build local capacity. Project level stakeholders need to be engaged not only as project beneficiaries. They need to be engaged as partners in the achievement of the project outcomes.  This puts their commitment to another level!!! In Obogu, we adopted a holistic approach in the engagements. We spent time to get the buy-in of all stakeholders, conducted series of training and capacity-building sessions—starting with traditional authorities, extending to the several groupings of the inhabitants in each community, and further focusing on selected data collection volunteers and CLS staff. This comprehensive strategy has helped us to get everyone feeling included in the project’s implementation.

2. Engage Locally with a Participatory Approach, Delivering Targeted, Purposeful Messages

Engaging at the local level requires more than just sharing project information; it demands a participatory approach that builds consensus on how the project should be executed in the context of each community. This process may involve revising the project’s scope or even tweaking its objectives to address additional challenges encountered on the ground. Flexibility and responsiveness to indigenous knowledge and local needs are essential for success and sustainability.

3. Build Strong Relationships, Not Only with Community Leaders, But with All Who Have a Stake in the Project

Building and sustaining strong relationships with customary authorities and project beneficiaries is crucial. A solid relationship contributes to a complete buy-in of the project, which, in turn, drives the achievement of expected outcomes. Beyond that, it is important to also forge strong partnership with all the other stakeholders. Trust and collaboration form the solid foundation for meaningful and lasting impact.

4. Show Commitment to Involving Beneficiaries Throughout the entire Process

To achieve the desired outcomes, it is important to fully demonstrate and actually involve beneficiaries in the entire implementation of the intervention. Their active, continuous presence and participation are key to success. When beneficiaries are engaged and feel a sense of ownership, the project is more likely to succeed and be sustained.

5.Demonstrate Active Presence in Every Sense

Being present in the project area goes beyond physical attendance; it also involves listening to beneficiaries, paying attention to their actions and interactions and adjusting the project implementation to meet their needs and interests. Letting their voice and local experiences guide the process give assurance, recognition and respect. This elevates the legitimacy of the land intervention.

6. Stay Focused and Manage Time Efficiently 

Time management is vital to keeping promises and ensuring timely completion of each phase of the project. It is equally important that beneficiaries understand their role in contributing to the project’s progress to avoid delays. Their time is important as well. Clear communication and shared responsibility help maintain the focus of the project and cuts out any wastage of time-yours and theirs!

7. Actively Monitor Your Fieldwork

Consistent monitoring is key to a project’s success, allowing for timely adjustments that ensure smooth execution. At COLANDEF, we prioritize regular monitoring as a critical part of our implementation strategy, helping us stay on track to meet our daily targets.

We will continue to share more updates on our journey. Visit our website to read more resources on land rights documentation.