Frithjof Kuhnen (1996):
Synthesis of Current State of and Trends in Land Tenure and Land Policy in Asia

4.2.2 Information Transfer

As well, an alternative as support of the policy dialogue is the transfer of information on land tenure issues. This is the more pertinent as, in most countries, only very few people, if any, have knowlege of this subject and of the consequences of shortcomings on the development process. While numerous development economists have been trained during the last 40 years, there has been no corresponding effort in the field under discussion. On the other hand, there are examples that one person specialized in this field can act as change agent by bringing facts and suggestions for changes to the notice of decision makers.

Information transfer can be organized in different ways and will be the more effective if more ways are used on parallel lines:

• Study tours for high-rank government officers and politicians to observe situations and changes in other countries;
• seminars, including traveling seminars, on the same subject;
• scholarships for Ph.D. students who prepare a thesis on land tenure aspects in order to raise the information level and develop a cadre of specialists;
• research contracts awarded to local researchers for land tenure research, including arrangements for publication in order to increase information and train specialists;
• publication of readers containing important articles - perhaps as a summary - on land tenure which are often scattered in the literature and hardly accessible;
• organization of training courses on land tenure aspects for middle level government officers to make them aware and give them technical knowledge (model: Land Reform Training Institute Taoyuan/Taiwan);
• placement of integrated policy advisers who discuss the issues, carry out or initiate studies on aspects of land tenure and, on request, advise on relevant issues.

Land tenure policy is a very sensitive field and, therefore, difficult to influence from outside. Projects concerning land tenure should strictly be planned on request only and not imposed upon the receiving country. Limited interest should be overcome with the help of policy dialogue, at first, or by permanent discussions held by integrated policy advisers. The number of useful special projects in land tenure is limited. The inclusion and consideration of land tenure aspects in most of the other projects of agricultural and rural development are of greater importance.