Space2Live

Mapping for Climate and Justice

Background

Land disputes are a growing problem in many countries of the global South. Large-scale commercial farmland acquisitions, often carried out by international companies and investors, lead to the displacement of thousands of smallholder farmers every year. Commonly known as “Land Grabbing”, this trend threatens local people’s livelihoods and food security. Without formal land titles, local smallholders have no legal means to protect themselves against displacement and forced eviction. Land in many countries is held in a customary way and inherited from generation to generation. Missing maps and registration of traditional land rights make it easy for governments and investors to access traditionally used and owned land.

Space2Live

Space2Live supports affected communities by mapping and documenting land use structures and occurring cases of land rights violations. Using simple technologies like GPS tracking and open-source satellite imagery, which can be applied and processed by non-professionals with readily available tools like smartphones and open-source software, Space2Live creates a platform for negotiation around the fair and ethically acceptable use of land. At the same time, the collected information can help to improve resource management in areas  affected by recurring climatic events. This is an important step towards increasing communities´ resilience and adaptation capacity.

Learn more about the work of Space2Live.