Oxfam sets customary land committees in phalombe
Oxfam is supporting communities in Phalombe to establish customary land committees (CLCs) in Phalombe District to help smallholder farmers and women to register their land.
Speaking during the launch of the committees in group village head (GVH) Maoni in Traditional Authority (T/A) Nazombe in the district last week, land governance programmes officer Andrew Mkandawire said Oxfam has been sensitising people to the Customary Land Act of Parliament 2016 which guarantees their land ownership by acquiring legal documents.
“We are happy that these land laws are being implemented. We have chosen one district from each region for specific reasons—Rumphi in the North because they are patrilineal, Kasungu in the Centre because they are patrilineal and Phalombe in the South because land inheritance is identified with women,” said Mkandawire.
In an interview, GVH Maoni commended Oxfam for the awareness campaigns, saying issues about land wrangles will be history.
“This exercise will ensure that everyone has legal ownership of their land by having documents,” he said.
The exercise is part of the European Union-funded Project called Strengthening Land Governance System for Smallholder Farmers in Malawi.