Revolutionizing land documentation in Uganda with Trimble Catalyst

Introduction

In Uganda, land is crucial for identity, livelihoods and community stability, especially in rural areas where customary land tenure systems are prevalent. However, many landholders lack formal documentation, making them vulnerable to disputes and displacement. Since 2016, the Cadasta Foundation has been addressing this issue by documenting customary land rights and issuing Customary Certificates of Occupancy (CCOs). Over the years, in partnership with Cadasta, the Ugandan government has issued over 5,000 CCOs, securing land tenure for thousands of families.

In 2023, the Ugandan Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development introduced new regulations requiring a high-precision standard of 60 centimeters for surveying customary land holdings. This posed a challenge and an opportunity for Cadasta to innovate.

The solution

By utilizing the Trimble^® Catalyst™ DA2 GNSS system, field teams from Cadasta and its local partner, the Ujamaa Foundation, are now collecting highly accurate data on land parcels, ensuring compliance with the new guidelines and surpassing the 5,000-parcel mark with no boundary overlaps. This scalable model sets a new standard for Fit-for-Purpose land tenure documentation, enabling Area Land Committees (ALCs), community leaders and volunteers to collect land data with minimal supervision, making the process more efficient, cost-effective and participatory.

One of the key benefits of Catalyst for the field teams is its ability to function without constant broadband connectivity, essential for rural Uganda. This feature allows teams to extend land demarcation efforts to remote areas, ensuring no community is left behind. The GNSS correction service, available via satellite, achieves high positioning accuracy and operates independently from CORS or a base-rover setup.

Using Catalyst has also streamlined field data collection workflows. Previously, teams used separate tools for gathering boundary data and personal information. Now, both types of data are collected using Esri ArcGIS Survey123, creating a more unified and efficient process that minimizes errors and speeds up the issuance of CCOs.

^{Ujamaa Foundation volunteers and data collectors during field data collection}

The outcome

The data collected with Catalyst meets the stringent government guidelines and can be seamlessly transferred to the Uganda National Land Information System (UgNLIS). This ensures that all issued CCOs are securely recorded, providing landholders with a permanent, verifiable record that protects their land rights for future generations.

By improving and owning the process of documenting land rights, Ugandans are reducing land disputes and enhancing economic stability. Landholders with formal documentation can use their land as collateral for loans or invest in its development without fear of losing it, fostering economic growth, and ensuring a brighter future for rural communities.