Land rights awareness campaigns on land use and transfer rights are key to improving land use, especially in a case such as Burkina where land titles/certificates were a new mechanism under the recently passed Land Law. In Burkina’s Di Perimeter, those with an increased awareness on land rights, leased land at a higher rate. Other studies have pointed to the key role awareness of land rights and policies plays in land use behaviors. MCC should ensure attention is paid not only to administration of land rights but also that households understand their rights associated with any new land policies/regulations. The land administrators need to understand the new rules but so do households. Furthermore, there were varying types of land rights and documentation provided through the project depending on the type of beneficiary (Project Affected Person or lottery winner) and land parcel (group or individual). This was further complicated by varying sizes of parcels allocated and types of crops that could be grown on each. The multiple types of land rights and related regulations for each obfuscated delivery of a streamlined, clear message on land documentation and associated use and transfer rights provided. Although there are key reasons to provide differing types of land rights and parcels, MCC should consider whether a more streamlined system is possible.
Lesson Learned