property rights what are they think about it you live in a property you work on property the water you drink has to come through property but did you know that 3/4 of the world's population do not have property rights and cannot prove ownership of the land they Farm or the house they live in Imagine for one moment you're sitting quietly at home a man knocks on the door and says he wants to build a shoppingall where you live you have title Deeds proof of ownership of your house which means you have a choice sell and move on or simply stay put it's a different story in many parts of the world in Africa for example 90% of land is undocumented your family might have farmed the same fields for centuries but how do you stop the bulldozers without a piece of paper to prove your property rights you risk losing losing your home your livelihood your children lose hope in some parts of the world it is even tougher women cannot own or even inherit property despite producing half the world's food women own less than 20% of land but the problem is not just about farmland or forests it's happening in some of the world's fastest growing cities from the faelas of Rio to The Shanty towns of Mumbai in entire communities without titles or tenure are losing their homes as they're bulldozed in the name of development so you see property rights are incredibly important when people can prove ownership they have security and a chance to invest in their future communities with property rights are stronger healthier wealthier and better educated it's all about Place property land and access connections empowerment because land rights are human rights