The key to food security Women, land tenure and food security Women, land tenure and food security One of the most serious obstacles to increasing the agricultural productivity and income of rural women is their lack of security of tenure.
Land tenure refers to a set of rights which a person or organisation holds in land.
Security of tenure is not limited to private ownership but can exist in a variety of forms such as leases on public land or user rights to communal property. If tenure is secure, the holder can reasonably expect to use the land to its best advantage in accordance with the right, reap a timely and fair return and be able to enforce the right against non-holders. Historically women's access to land was based on status within the family and involved right of use, not ownership. In Asia, the most prevalent barrier to acquiring real property is inheritance laws which favour male inheritance over female. If a woman inherits property, it is managed by her husband.