Legal Guide on Land Consolidation

This publication provides guidance on legislative issues regarding land consolidation in aligment with the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security as well as international human rights law. It is based on good practices in Europe, and focuses on rural areas.

Land consolidation is a highly effective land management instrument that allows for the improvement of the structure of agricultural holdings and farms, increasing their economic and social efficiency and bringing benefits both to right holders as well as to society in general. Since land consolidation gives mobility to land ownership and other land rights, it may also facilitate the allocation of new areas with specific purposes other than agriculture, such as for public infrastructure or nature protection and restoration.

While this guide encourages the exchange of good practices between countries with ongoing national land consolidation programmes, it mainly targets countries in the following cases: where there is not yet a specific legal framework for land consolidation; where land consolidation instruments have a short history or are in the initial phase of development; or where a new legal framework is needed due to new challenges, such as climate change adaptation in agriculture or nature protection measures in rural areas.