Land Matters Practice Development

INSPIRE, in partnership with a commercial renewable energy company, Social Resonance and Social Process, is implementing Land Matters  - a project aimed at strengthening social performance in renewable energy developments, with a particular focus on land acquisition and land partnership strategies in South Africa.  

The national REIPPPP has resulted in less than a handful of the more than 100 projects located on community land, leaving a lot of untapped potential for land partnerships between IPPs and community-owned and traditionally governed land. 

Land Matters addresses this gap by practically supporting two solar projects currently under development, while also researching and documenting lessons learnt from existing IPP projects on communal land. This project engages both community and industry stakeholders to better understand what has worked, what has not, and why.  

The Land Matters project integrates practice development support with broader knowledge building activities. This includes attention to community engagement processes, advancing benefit-sharing mechanisms, and the lease acquisition process on community-owned land. It combines case study research and a facilitated practice reflection space to foster ongoing learning among stakeholders. Insights from these activities will inform the development of practice notes, guidance materials, and policy advocacy contributions. 

Since May 2025, INSPIRE and project partners have convened a series of workshops and reflective discussions, seeking to make better sense of the complexities of land governance, community engagement and commercial project development. These engagements have sought to be open, honest and grounded in practice, and have generated interesting insights.