The issue of access to land and its resources was long seen as secondary in rural and urban development policies and in the fight against poverty in developing countries. Today, it is recognised as a central issue with important stakes that are equally political, economic, social and environmental in nature:

• Political, because the concept of property rights and their distribution is at the heart of every society’s social contract, because the recognition of individuals’ and communities’ rights over their lands is part of the rule of law, and because land tenure inequalities and exclusions are at the heart of numerous local, national and international conflicts.
• Economic, because a large segment of the rural population earns its living from farming land and exploiting natural resources, because land is a production factor and, sometimes, commercial capital, and because inequalities in access to land and natural resources are at the heart of poverty and development inequalities.
• Social, because in most rural areas and many urban settlements, access to land and its resources is determined by social belonging and relations, because access to land is a strong factor in identity, and because inequalities in access determine socio-economic inequalities.
• Environmental, because land and renewable natural resource management is an integral part of sustainable development.

These stakes make land tenure a crosscutting issue, one that is found everywhere as soon as discussions turn to natural resource management, environmental protection, access to housing and essential services, decentralisation, etc.