National Land Agency BPN - Republic of Indonesia (1995):
International Workshop on the Implementation of Rural Land Consolidation

2. 1. Memorandum of Understanding

On November 30, 1994 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the BPN representative Deputy II Dr. Ir. H. M. Nad Darga Talkurputra and the GTZ representative Willi Zimmermann. The MOU is seen as an umbrella for the exchange of experience on land consolidation between Germany and Indonesia.

On the base of the agreement three programmes were identified:

• The visit of eight officials from BPN and co-operating institutions to the Federal Republic of Germany in April 95;
• The elaboration of case studies on rural land consolidation in Indonesia in May 95;
• The organisation of the Intentional Workshop on Rural Land Consolidation.

I want to express my appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in BONN and the Ministries of the Länder Lower Saxony, Sachsen Anhalt and Baden Württemburg for their most valuable organisational and professional support during the preparation and realisation of the study tour to projects and institutions on local, regional and central level. I may say the study tour was most successful and the starting point for the creation of a network between professionals in Indonesia and Germany.

The presence of his Excellency Mr. Soni Harsono, State Minister for Agrarian Affairs at the fair in Hanover and the joint visit to the Ministry of Agriculture, Dept. of Agrarian structure in Hanover was adding an extraordinary value to the study tour.

The case studies in Indonesia were carried out jointly between BPN and GTZ with colleges from the land consolidation authorities of the State of Baden Würtemberg (Mr. Kollmer and Mr. Eittel), and with the collaboration of Prof. Henssen regarding legal aspects of land consolidation.

The exchange of experience during the study tour in Germany and the case studies carried out in Indonesia will form a fundamental basis for our discussions during the workshop.

International experience shows, that land consolidation should never be started in any country if some basic preconditions are not garantied:

• full political support and land policy orientation;
• active participation of the landowners/landusers;
• commitment and motivation of the relevant partner institutions to cooperate and add complementary values on national and local level;
• basic legal and operational procedures.