Mauritania is a vast country coveringover a million square kilometers, where a relatively smallpopulation of 3.5 million people lives on just one-fifth ofthe country’s total area. With extremely advanceddesertification, the country is particularly vulnerable tothe impact of climate change and other external shocks. Themain sources of income in Mauritania are agriculture, whichis either irrigated or rain-fed, and livestock. This isespecially the case in the Senegal River Valley, wherepeople make their living farming, raising livestock, andfishing, while mining is prevalent in the north. Arable landis therefore one of the country’s main resources, but it isalso a major source of contention due to increasingurbanization and the limited availability of arable land.This presentation relies on the key recommendationsemphasized in the Land Governance Framework Report (LGAF),published by the World Bank in 2014. This report establisheda far-reaching and more inclusive national land policy thatstrengthens the security of land tenure for vulnerablegroups, including women. This framework was the first topropose a national platform for all stakeholders, includingwomen, to openly discuss and reach consensus around landissues. The inclusive workshops that were held by LGAFhelped stimulate discussion at all levels, from civilsociety, both men and women, to senior officials, promotinga national debate on land issues with a strong genderperspective. The workshops were particularly beneficial formany female participants, as these women now have increasedaccess to information about land issues in their own communities.
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