Landesa (fomerly the Rural Development Institute)
Nonprofit founded c. 1981
Contact
1424 Fourth Avenue, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98101
Margaret McClung (Program Associate)
margaretm@landesa.org
(206) 528-5880
Focus
Landesa’s mission is to secure land rights for the world’s poorest people. Landesa partners with developing countries to design and implement laws, policies, and programs concerning land that can provide opportunity, further economic growth, and promote social justice.
Areas of Service
Advocacy, Capacity Building, Education & Training, Policy, Public Awareness, Research, Technical Assistance, Sustainable Agriculture & Farming
Example Project
Landesa designed and advocated a program that distributes micro-plots of land to landless families in India. This program has been adopted by four Indian States (Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh) with total target beneficiaries of over 12 million people. Landesa provides technical assistance to these four states on the implementation of micro-plot programs. Micro-ownership of land provides a foundation for economic advancement that is feasible, sustainable, and multi-generational. The State of Punjab in Pakistan is now piloting a similar micro-plot program with Landesa’sassistance. From its India headquarters in Delhi (Landesa has five offices in India in total), Landesa also broadly advocates for land tenure reform at the Central Government level and across numerous other states.
