http://www.corp.at/archive/CORP2017_74.pdf

Land administration is a proper tool to identify the resources of a country and to document physical and legal properties connected to it. Land administration constitutes a basic requirement for land governance processes, like land management or land use planning (Mattsson and Mansberger, 2017). Therefore, development work in numerous countries of the south often includes the setup of a land administration system. During the last 20 years, the World Bank, for example, financed a large number of projects related to the implementation of land administration systems in Africa, in Asia, and in South-Eastern Europe. However, experience showed that the beneficiaries of land administration systems did not always meet to combat poverty. Due to the security of land use, also agro-industrial companies rent land, which often common land or land used by nomads. This “land grabbing” is an upcoming phenomenon that is increasingly endangering the life of underprivileged groups. Raising awareness for the problem is a significant part of dealing with the situation. However, a change can only happen, if the people making the decisions and designing the processes are aware of the problem and if they try to find alternative approaches avoiding land grabbing. Thus, the challenges of land administration have to be included into the education of experts. The paper discusses challenges connected to the implementation of land administration systems in developing countries with a focus to the situation in Africa. Afterwards the authors discuss practical experience gained from a capacity-building project in Ethiopia

The Effect of Potential-based Land Tax on Land Utilization

Land as a scarce resource requires efficient allocation, which includes efficiency in producing the highest value and efficiency in consumption conforming to people’s willingness-to-pay. Thus methods for controlling proper land utilization are essential for societies to reach sustainability. Like in many countries land and property tax in Austria is based on the profit that everyone could achieve using the land. This concept of a productivity-based land tax was developed centuries ago, when land in European economies was mainly used for agriculture. The implementation was simple, because soil quality, which is the main factor for possible productivity, could be determined. However, economies changed and the profit from agricultural areas – and thus the value of agricultural land – decreased with the effect that also the utilization of former agricultural areas altered. Therefore, also an adjustment in the tax system seems to be appropriate. In the paper the effects of such a change will be discussed. Determination of land tax should be objective and fair. The value of land is an objective criterion and since it reflects the wealth of the land owner it is also a fair measure. The value of land can be defined in different ways but the obvious meaning should be the market value, i.e., the revenue that will be gained if the land is sold. The market value is based on a number of factors including general economic situation and location, but one of the most prominent factors is potential use. Areas that allow a highly profitable use have a higher market value than areas with many restrictions on the use, e.g., due to regulations on groundwater protection or monument conservation. Austria has a large number of data sources that are suitable to determine land value in a mass appraisal approach (Muggenhuber et al., 2013). The implementation would be simple from a technical perspective, even if comprehensive political discussions are required. Land and real properties are also commodities within the capital market with rather stabile asset values over time. Thus, they also can serve as parking place for investments with minimal maintenance costs.. Therefore, people may purchase land in residential areas as a financial investment without improving the land with the consequence that the municipality is forced to create additional residential areas and provide the necessary infrastructure. This stresses the budget of the municipality and has a negative effect on resource management. If land tax is based on the potential of the land, land owners may rethink their strategy. The tax causes financial losses of the potential is not exhausted. Potential buyers will have an interest in the land, because they want to utilize the potential now. In addition, the political decision makers explicitly see the monetary effect of their decisions, and the beneficiaries become visible for the public

Adapting the Surveying Curriculum to New Dimensions of the Profession

Today the surveying profession is very different from what it was twenty years ago. Recent technological innovations, globalization, and global land-related challenges have allowed a wide range of advances in the surveying profession. The vision is to promote surveying practices that can enhance the quality of services in a variety of tracks in the land profession. According to the new adjacent professional areas and the needs of the labor market, academic courses for surveyors have to be adapted to meet the broader scope of the surveying profession and to supply highly qualified land professionals. This paper outlines the new challenges for the surveying profession and highlights the core skills, competencies, and knowledge that should be highly valued to produce competent experts. Furthermore, this paper suggests a common structure of a surveying curriculum to capture the new academic themes for better adaptation to the broader scope of the surveying profession

Toolbox for the Development of Cadastral and Registration Proclamation for Second Level Certification Program in Ethiopia

Land together with its fixtures is the single most important asset in almost all societies. In Ethiopia land is also playing a pivotal role for sustainable development. Large scale cadastral projects supporting sustainable development and increased investments are planned all over the country as part of the countr

The Importance of Environmental Criteria for Kaunas City Pedestrian Zones

Pedestrian streets are public areas, where vehicle traffic is completely or partially restricted. In these parts of the city, people can take a walk, shop and ride bikes. Many scientific publications can be found on the social and economic significance of public areas; however, while seeking for the economic city growth and social advancement it is important not to waste natural resources and not to endanger ecological balance. It is noticed that environmental criteria are mentioned only as components of coherence and which have to interact with each other. Still, the pedestrian zones, as public areas intended for people, have to be safe (in the case of motor and non-motor vehicles) and protected from the vehicle emissions and noise. In addition, trees and green zones as well as the overall cleanliness are significant for the maintenance of ecological balance. Therefore, pedestrian zones not only have to meet economic and social needs but also should be a place that would be pleasant to come back to. The object of this article are the main pedestrian zones of Kaunas city. The research was conducted by applying the analysis and synthesis research methods

The making of a joint e-learning platform for remote sensing education : experiences and lessons learned

E-learning is widely used in academic education, and currently, the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing the demand for e-learning resources. This report describes the results achieved and the experiences gained in the Erasmus+ CBHE (Capacity Building in Higher Education) project “Innovation on Remote Sensing Education and Learning (IRSEL)". European and Asian universities created an innovative open source e-learning platform in the field of remote sensing. Twenty modules tailored to remote sensing study programs at the four Asian partner universities were developed. Principles of remote sensing as well as specific thematic applications are part of the modules, and a knowledge pool of e-learning teaching and learning materials was created. The focus was given to case studies covering a broad range of applications. Piloting with students gave evidence about the usefulness and quality of the developed modules. In particular, teachers and students who tested the modules appreciated the balance of theory and practice. Currently, the modules are being integrated into the curricula of the participating Asian universities. The content will be available to a broader public

Land Administration and Land Consolidation as Part of Austrian Land Management

Land administration and land consolidation are two pillars of the Austrian land management sharing a long tradition and duties defined by the constitution. Land administration supports measures of land consolidation with cadastre data, land registry data and other geo–technical data. New methods and instruments of geodata assessment provides a more detailed information about land and its changes. The geo–products are contributing to an improved process efficiency of land consolidation authorities. In addition, the role of land consolidation changed from an instrument to improve farming structures to a multifunctional tool of land management

Farmers Willingness to Participate In Voluntary Land Consolidation in Gozamin District, Ethiopia

In many African countries and especially in the highlands of Ethiopia—the investigation site of this paper—agricultural land is highly fragmented. Small and scattered parcels impede a necessary increase in agricultural efficiency. Land consolidation is a proper tool to solve inefficiencies in agricultural production, as it enables consolidating plots based on the consent of landholders. Its major benefits are that individual farms get larger, more compact, contiguous parcels, resulting in lower cultivation efforts. This paper investigates the determinants influencing the willingness of landholder farmers to participate in voluntary land consolidation processes. The study was conducted in Gozamin District, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. The study was mainly based on survey data collected from 343 randomly selected landholder farmers. In addition, structured interviews and focus group discussions with farmers were held. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively mainly by using a logistic regression model and qualitatively by using focus group discussions and expert panels. According to the results, landholder farmers are predominantly willing to participate in voluntary land consolidation (66.8%), while a substantive fraction of farmers express unease with voluntary land consolidation. The study highlighted the following four determinants to be significant in influencing the willingness of farmers for voluntary land consolidation: (1) the exchange should preferably happen with parcels of neighbors, (2) land consolidation should lead to better arranged parcels, (3) nearness of plots to the farmstead, and (4) an expected improvement in productivity. Interestingly, the majority of farmers believes that land consolidation could reduce land use conflicts. The study provides evidence that policymakers should consider these socio-economic, legal, cultural, infrastructural, and land-related factors when designing and implementing voluntary land consolidation policies and programs