Compulsory acquisition is the power of government to acquire private rights in land without the willing consent of the owner or occupant in order to benefit society and is often necessary for social and economic development and the protection of the natural environment. The exercise of these powers is frequently contentious and problematic. The guide explains what compulsory acquisition and compensation are, and what constitutes good practice in this area, examining the consequences of poor legislation, procedures and implementation. It is likely to be of most use in countries that are seeking to understand good practice in this area and to improve their own legislation, procedures and implementation in compulsory purchase and compensation in the interests of society as a whole.

This resource CD contains various texts and case studies in English, French and Spanish that document and analyze a variety of legal empowerment experiences and actions aiming at securing the land rights of the poor. Its objective is to identify lessons and best practices that can lead to more effective processes of legal empowerment. The documents are divided in three sections: the first one presents the conceptual framework; the second one gathers case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America; the third one includes the report of an international workshop organized in Accra, in March 2008, by FAO, IIED and the Law Faculty of the University of Ghana. The workshop report, jointly published by FAO and IIED, presents the work experiences of legal service organizations from different parts of Africa.