This document discusses indicators for monitoring women's access to land under the Sustainable Development Goals. It describes SDG target 5.a and the two indicators used to measure progress: 5.a.1 on the percentage of women with secure land rights, and 5.a.2 on whether countries' legal frameworks guarantee equal land rights. The methodology, data sources, and challenges for collecting data on each indicator are provided, along with an overview of the Food and Agriculture Organization's capacity building efforts to support countries in monitoring these indicators.

1. AGENDA ITEM 3.6
WOMEN’S ACCESS TO LAND
African Commission on Agriculture Statistics / Commission africaine des statistiques agricoles,
Entebbe, Uganda, 13 - 17 Nov 2017

2. SDG GOAL, TARGET & INDICATOR
Indicator 5.a.1
“(a) Percentage of people with ownership or
secure rights over agricultural land (out of total
agricultural population), by sex; and
(b) Share of women among owners or rights-
bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure”
Indicator 5.a.2
“Proportion of countries where the
legal framework (including customary
law) guarantees women’s equal rights
to land ownership and/or control”.
Achieve gender equality and empower
all women and girls
Target 5.a
“undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access
to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services,
inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws”

3. INDICATOR FORMULA
Indicator 5.a.1 is divided in two sub-indicators:
Part (a) measures the prevalence of people with ownership or secure rights
over agricultural land, disaggregated by sex:
𝑛𝑜. 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
, by sex
Part (b) focusses on the gender parity measuring the extent to which women
are disadvantaged in ownership / rights over ag land
𝑛𝑜.𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑

4. INDICATOR OVERVIEW
Indicator 5.a.1 officially endorsed by the 47th Session of the UN Statistical
Commission, March 2016
Custodianship: FAO. UNSD and UNWOMEN acting as contributing agencies
Methodological work: led by the Evidence and Data for Gender Equality
(EDGE) project, a joint initiative of UNSD and UN Women, in collaboration
with the Asian Development Bank, FAO and WB.
Piloting: 7 Pilot studies provided recommendations on critical aspects of
the methodology, such as the interview setting, the minimum set of
questions, adaptation to different survey designs.
Initially classified as Tier III indicator. Thanks to the considerable
methodological work undertaken and to the finalization of a data
collection protocol, 5.a.1 has been upgraded to the Tier II group at the 5th
IAEG-SDG (March, 2017)

5. INDICATOR OVERVIEW
 Why agricultural land and not any land? Ag land is a key input in developing
countries, where poverty reduction and development strategies are
necessarily based on the agricultural sector.
 Why agricultural population? Tenure rights over agricultural land are
particularly relevant for individuals whose livelihood relies on agriculture.
Therefore, the target population of the indicator (denominator) is the adult
agricultural population
• In the context of 5.a.1, household operating land and/or raising and tending
animals are the reference population for this indicator (denominator)

6. SOURCES
National Household Surveys: Living Standard Measurement Surveys
(LSMS); Living Conditions Surveys; Multipurpose Surveys; Household
Budget Surveys (HBS); Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS); Multiple
Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). Why?
• Cover the entire population, including households with wage
agricultural labourers.
• Flexible and conducted regularly by countries
Alternatively, agricultural surveys can be used.
National Statistical Offices (NSOs) are strongly recommended to collect
self-reported data rather than proxy data – ie., to ask individuals about
what they hold, not about what other household members hold.
The number of household members to interview depends on the
objectives of the surveys and resources available: either one randomly
selected adult household member, or all household members.

7. METHODOLOGY
• Individuals may have the right to sell/give away or bequeath land in
absence of legal documents, therefore the indicator combines
documentation with the right to sell/give away or bequeath to render it
comparable across countries.
• Based on the analysis of the 7 pilots, the 3 proxies offer the most robust
measure of tenure rights ensuring comparability across countries with
diverse prevalence of documentation.

8. METHODOLOGY: 2 OPTIONS
• Recommended when countries
are only interested in estimating
SDG 5.a.1.
• 5 questions appended to a
national household survey
• Unit of observation is individual
• Recommended when:
 Countries want to collect more data
items for fuller understanding of
land tenure rights from a gender
perspective
or
 Survey already includes a parcel
level module
• Parcel-level module appended to a
national household survey
• Unit of observation is the
agricultural parcel
Minimum Set of Questions at individual
level
Parcel-level
Module

9. METHODOLOGY: EXAMPLE OF INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS FUNCTION
Q1. Do you own or hold any agricultural land, either alone or
jointly with someone else? (Y/N)
respondent’s self-perception
Q2. what legally recognized documents do you have for any of
the agricultural land you own or hold? [tick all that apply]
(country specific list including legally recognized documents
and not. Only legally recognized documents shall be
considered for the computation of 5.a.1.
Presence of legally recognized
document an individual can use to
claim tenure rights in law over the
land
Q3. (for each selected document) Is your name is listed as an
owner or use right holder on [SELECTED DOCUMENT]? (Y/N)
Respondent has documented tenure
security
Q4. Do you have the right to sell or give away permanently any
of the agricultural land you own or hold, either alone or jointly
with someone else? (Y/N)
Respondent has alienation rights
Q5. Do you have the right to bequeath any of the agricultural
land you own or hold, either alone or jointly with someone
else? (Y/N)
Respondent has alienation rights

10. FAO – CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT/TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Ongoing work with 1.4.2 custodian agencies (WB and UN-Habitat) to:
 Develop a unique module that can generate both SDG 5.a.1 and SDG 1.4.2
 Draft of a joint publication presenting a unique module that collects data for
both the indicators
 Agree on a collaborative capacity development approach / strategy
E-learning course
Workshops / Trainings
 Side event to the IAEG-Gender Statistics, November 2017
 4 Regional Trainings (in collaboration with EDGE project) (2017-18)
 1 Global Training (2 countries per region plus FAO regional statisticians) (Jan/Feb
2018)
 1 training in collaboration with SDG 1.4.2 (WB Land Conference 2018)
 Ad-hoc technical assistance to support countries in the collection of 5.a.1 data

11. INDICATOR 5.A.2
Indicator 5.a.2 is a legal indicator:
“Percentage of countries where the legal framework (including customary law)
guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control. “
Why focus on land? Land is a key economic resource inextricably linked to access to,
use of and control over other economic and productive resources.
Women’s land ownership and/or control is fundamental because:
 guarantees economic security and avoid falling into poverty;
 reduces women’s reliance on male partners and relatives;
 increases women’s bargaining power within the household;
 improves women’s chances of accessing extension services and credit;
 encourages women to undertake or expand their business investments, and, in
rural areas, to join producer organisations

12. INDICATOR OVERVIEW
Indicator 5.a.2 officially endorsed by the 47th Session of the UN Statistical
Commission, March 2016
Custodianship: FAO.
Methodological work: led by the Gender and Land Rights team of Social
Policies and Rural Institutions Division of FAO. It builds upon the FAO Legal
Assessment Tool (LAT) on gender equitable land tenure.
Piloting: Pilot studies have been carried out in 10 countries representative
of all the regions to ensure universality, feasibility, and clarity of the
methodology.
Initially classified as Tier III indicator. FAO has recently submitted the
methodology to the IAEG-SDG for its upgrade to Tier II Group in November
2017.

13. SOURCES
 Data on 5.a.2 is constituted by official published primary material, not
de facto status, i.e. customary law needs to be incorporated in the legal
framework to be considered.
 For the purpose of assessing 5.a.2 only primary and secondary
legislation are relevant, as they are legally binding documents
 Data for measuring 5.a.2: Laws (primary and secondary laws) i.e.:
Constitution, family laws, marriage laws, inheritance laws, land laws,
laws/regulations on registration of land, Laws on gender equality
 Although policies (i.e Agriculture, Land, Gender) are also collected and
analysed as they constitute the foundation of the laws, they do not
qualify for the reporting because they are not binding.

14. METHODOLOGY
Indicator 5.a.2 “Percentage of countries where the legal framework
(including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land
ownership and/or control. “
Progress under indicator 5.a.2 is measured by testing the legal and policy
framework against six proxies:
1. Mandatory joint registration, or economic incentives for joint registration of
land;
2. Spousal consent prior to land transactions;
3. Equal rights for sons and daughters to inherit and for surviving spouses to
receive an inheritance share;
4. Budgetary commitments to strengthen equal rights for women regarding both
the ownership and/or control of land;
5. Where customary systems are recognized in the legal and policy framework,
women’s land rights are protected.
6. Mandatory participation of women in land institutions

15. METHODOLOGY: TERMINOLOGY
Land – is all immovable property – for instance the house, the land upon which a
house is built and land which is used for others purposes, such as agricultural
production. It also encompasses any other structures built on land to meet
permanent purposes.
Land ownership - is a legally recognised right to acquire, to use and to transfer
land. In private property systems, this is a right akin to a freehold tenure. In
systems where land is owned by the state, the term land ownership refers to
possession of the rights most akin to ownership in a private property system.
Control over land - is the ability to make decisions over land. It may include
rights to make decisions about how the land should be used, including what
crops should be planted, and to benefit financially from the sale of crops.
Legal and policy framework - encompasses the Constitution, policy, primary
legislation and secondary legislation. The legal and policy framework includes
customary legal systems where they have been recognised by statutory law or
the Constitution.

16. METHODOLOGY: KEY RULES FOR THE ASSESSMENT
• Data sources: Official published primary material on the law and
policy framework: not de facto status, i.e. customary law needs to
be incorporated in the legal framework to be considered.
• Religious laws: in systems with multiple religious laws, focus on
situation for two largest religious groups.
• Customary law: only relevant when recognized in legal framework
(i.e. no measuring of de facto incidence).

17. METHODOLOGY: CLASSIFICATION AND REPORTING
Where Proxy E is applicable Where Proxy E is not
applicable
Classification
None of the six proxies are present
in the primary or primary and
secondary legislation
None of the five proxies are
present in the primary or primary
and secondary legislation
Band 1: No evidence of guarantees of
gender equality in the land ownership
and/or control in the legal framework.
One of the proxies present in
primary or primary and secondary
legislation
One of the proxies present in
primary or primary and
secondary legislation
Band 2: Very low levels of guarantees of
gender equality in land ownership
and/or control in the legal framework.
Two the proxies present in primary
or primary and secondary legislation
Two of the proxies present in
primary and secondary
legislation
Band 3: Low levels of guarantees of
gender equality in land ownership
and/or control in the legal framework.
Three of the proxies are present in
primary legislation or primary and
secondary legislation
Three of the proxies are present
in primary legislation or primary
and secondary legislation
Band 4: Medium levels of guarantees of
gender equality in land ownership
and/or control in the legal framework.
Four of the proxies are present in
primary legislation or primary and
secondary legislation
Four of the proxies are present in
primary legislation or primary
and secondary legislation
Band 5: High levels of guarantees of
gender equality in land ownership
and/or control in the legal framework.
Five or six proxies are present in
primary legislation or primary and
secondary legislation
All five proxies are present in
primary legislation or primary
and secondary legislation
Band 6: Very high levels of guarantees
of gender equality in land ownership
and/or control in the legal framework.
Countries are classified according to the number of proxies identified in the primary and/or
secondary laws

18. FAO – CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT/TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
E-learning course
Workshops / Trainings
 4 Regional Trainings (2018-19)
 1 Global Training (2 countries per region plus FAO regional gender officers) (Feb
2018)
 2 raising awareness workshop (WB Land Conference 2018 and CSW)
 Ad-hoc technical assistance to support countries in the 5.a.2 assesment

19. QUESTIONS FOR THE PANEL
5.a.1 (statistical indicator)
What do you think are the most important challenges for the monitoring of indicator
5.a.1?
Which kind of support you think that FAO can provide to overcome these challenges?
what types of surveys, in your country, are more likely to be used for the collection of
this indicator?
5.a.2 (legal indicator)
What do you think are the most important challenges for the monitoring of indicator
5.a.2?
Which kind of support you think that FAO can provide to overcome these challenges?

20. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
INDICATOR 5.A.1 – CHIARA BRUNELLI (CHIARA.BRUNELLI@FAO.ORG)
INDICATOR 5.A.2 – MARTHA OSORIO (MARTHA.OSORIO@FAO.ORG)
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