Implementing Integrated Land Use Planning: A step-by-step guide for rural areas
PRACTITIONER’S GUIDE: STEP 2
PART 1
Step 2
IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE LAND USE ISSUE
2.1. RATIONALE
At this step, the primary role of the Coordinating Unit is to initiate a process of stakeholder analysis. Since the Unit typically does not include social scientists, this initial analysis should be viewed as the starting point of a broader, ongoing effort. It will later be expanded into a comprehensive analysis through professional social studies during Step 4 and Step 5.
At this early stage, it is essential to identify the various stakeholder constituencies, understand their interests and concerns, and inform them about the planning process. This is crucial because the success of land use planning depends on the continued engagement of stakeholders. Engaging them from the outset ensures that planning objectives are aligned with stakeholder needs and interests. It also allows for an early understanding of the dynamics among stakeholders, the distribution of power between groups, and provides a foundation for building mutual credibility, trust, and respect.
In addition to engaging key stakeholders, the Coordinating Unit should also identify and reach out to external partners. These are individuals or institutions that can provide funding or technical expertise useful to stakeholders as they move through the planning process. Examples include credit providers, research and academic institutions, consultancy firms, government agencies, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
2.2. KEY QUESTIONS
Who are the people directly affected by changes in land use or management?
To effectively address the land use problem, the Coordinating Unit must engage with representatives of key stakeholders and seek their perspectives. This serves two critical purposes
1) It offers the Unit complementary or alternative insights into the land use issue.
2) It signals to stakeholders that changes in land use are being considered, and they are recognized as partners in shaping or implementing these changes, rather than passive recipients of imposed decisions.
This approach lays the groundwork for a collaborative process that will likely require navigating competing interests.
To begin stakeholder identification, the Coordinating Unit should compile a list of all individuals, groups, organizations, and agencies that have an interest in, or may be positively or negatively affected by, the proposed land use or management changes—whether directly or indirectly. This process may require several iterations and the support of key informants, especially in complex contexts.
A good starting point is to identify the Key Stakeholders, defined as those with high importance or high influence (Howlett et al., 2000). These include individuals, groups, or institutions responsible for the long-term implementation of the land use plan (see Box 7). Particular attention must be given to people or communities likely to be negatively affected by the plan, as their involvement is crucial.
The success of the planning process depends on the awareness and active participation of key stakeholders in all decisions and activities related to the plan.
Box 7. Examples of key stakeholder categories (adapted from FAO, 2011a)
| Key stakeholders may include: • Government entities (national, regional, local) • Donors (e.g. international development agencies, investment firms, farmer associations) • Intended beneficiaries (e.g. women and men in smallholder and landless households) • Front-line development workers (e.g. extension workers, NGOs, private service providers) • Other affected individuals (e.g. non-beneficiaries who may lose access to land and qualify for compensation). |
Not all stakeholders are immediately visible, and their identification is an ongoing task. There is always a risk of overlooking some groups.
To minimize this risk, a variety of identification methods should be employed, including:
• Input from staff of key agencies and other knowledgeable individuals, such as extension workers
• Review of written records and population data
• Stakeholder self-identification in response to publicity about the planning process
• Identification through consultation with other stakeholders
Who might become ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ from the proposed changes in land use/management?
A good starting point is a brainstorming session during a stakeholder meeting (see more under Activities), where the Coordinating Unit seeks answers to the following checklist of questions:
• Who are the potential beneficiaries (winners) of the process?
• Who might be adversely affected by the outcomes (losers)?
• Who has legitimate tenure rights to land and water?
• Who is likely to be voiceless or underrepresented?
• Who might resent change and potentially mobilize resistance?
• Who possesses money, skills, or key information?
The guiding principle is to ensure no stakeholders are overlooked. Even at this early planning stage, it is crucial to engage with all groups, especially those lacking a strong voice in society and often neglected. These may include women’s organizations, ethnic minorities, and indigenous communities who may not have permanent settlements but rely heavily on land resources—such as pastoralists or forest product gatherers. Identifying all relevant stakeholders from the outset helps to prevent marginalization or exclusion from the land development project. It also reduces the risk of resistance, opposition, or conflicts emerging later between stakeholder groups.
Which institutions can mobilize human, financial, and technical resources to implement the proposed changes?
Institutions capable of providing financial resources for the planning exercise must be identified early. These may include the initiators themselves or government agencies mandated (and funded) to implement land use plans. In that capacity, they are direct stakeholders in the process.
At this stage, it is also necessary to identify organizations that can provide technical expertise—specifically, the land use planning team who will serve as service providers. These may be private firms, NGOs, or government units with the required agronomic, biophysical, environmental, legal, and socio-economic knowledge, as well as the negotiation skills needed to execute land use plans effectively at the appropriate level.