Soil is Spiritual, Land is Not Only About Economics

“Soil is spiritual, and land is not only about economics. When understanding land through the soil, it balances its economic and ecological value,” said Shumirai Guzha, an Agricultural Economist from Zimbabwe, during the sixth NELGA short course on the Political Economy of Land Governance in Africa. Guzha’s profound reflection encapsulated the core of discussions held during the course, which saw 75 land professionals from across Africa gather to enhance their knowledge and skills in land governance.

Hosted by the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) and accredited by the University of the Western Cape, the course attracted 630 applications from 41 countries. After a competitive selection process, 94 participants were chosen, with 75 attending the five-day program. The curriculum included topics like land tenure, women’s land rights, urban and rural land administration, and the impact of the climate crisis on land governance.

Funded by GIZ and supported by the African Land Policy Centre, the course featured lectures from leading experts in African land and natural resource governance. Participants, nearly half of whom were women, engaged in deep discussions about decolonising land governance and the ongoing challenges of land grabbing.

In her closing remarks, Dr. Joan Kagwanja, Chief of the African Land Policy Centre, emphasized the course’s significant impact, highlighting the diverse representation from government, civil society, and the private sector, and its role in fostering a new generation of land governance professionals.