From Standards to Solutions: Kadaster International’s Role in Implementing LADM for Sustainable Land Administration in Latin America

Resumo

Kadaster International, the international department of the Netherlands’ Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, plays a pivotal role in advancing sustainable land governance worldwide. Kadaster International supports governments and communities in building inclusive, interoperable, and fit-for-purpose land administration systems. In Latin America, the organization has been instrumental in supporting land tenure formalization, capacity building, and the deployment of innovative geospatial technologies. A cornerstone of its approach is the Land Administration Domain Model (LADM – ISO 19152), a global ISO-certified standard that enables the integration of legal, spatial, and administrative land data across institutions. Complementing this is the Fit-for-Purpose Land Administration (FFP-LA) methodology, which emphasizes affordability, flexibility, and participatory mapping to accelerate land tenure formalization. This paper presents key use cases from Colombia and Brazil, where LADM and FFP-LA are applied to address complex land governance challenges. In Colombia, the adoption of LADM—locally adapted as LADM_COL—is central to the country’s post-conflict land policy following the 2016 Peace Accords. Led by the Colombian Institute Agustín Codazzi (IGAC), LADM_COL aims to create an interoperable, multipurpose cadastre covering 70% of the national territory by 2026. Kadaster International supports this effort through projects such as Land in Peace, LAND-at-Scale, and Booster, which combine LADM with FFP-LA principles to simplify data collection, integrate local knowledge, and promote community participation. These initiatives address key challenges such as institutional fragmentation, the recognition of informal rights, and the modernization of cadastral infrastructure. In Brazil, Kadaster International and ITC facilitated a high-level training with three federal ministries—Economics (Receita Federal), Agricultural Development (MDA/INCRA), and Data Processing (SERPRO)—to explore how LADM can unify Brazil’s fragmented cadastral systems. The workshop resulted in a jointly developed roadmap for an integrated cadastre, demonstrating how LADM serves as a common language between land administration and IT professionals. This collaboration continues with plans to engage additional ministries and stakeholders. Further south, in Mato Grosso, Kadaster supported smallholder land regularization through a pilot project in São Joaquim. In partnership with INCRA, local registries, and academic institutions (UNICAMP and Wageningen University), the project applies LADM and FFP-LA tools to streamline land titling processes. A trial in Tangará da Serra uses GPS-based mapping and administrative adverse possession to address overlapping claims and reduce procedural barriers. In the Amazon’s Tapajós region, Kadaster works with indigenous communities to protect ancestral lands from illegal encroachment and deforestation. Using FFP-LA and participatory mapping, communities and key stakeholders at federal and state level will be trained to document landholders and generate spatial data that authorities can use to enforce indigenous land rights. This initiative exemplifies how inclusive land administration can empower vulnerable groups and support environmental stewardship. Together, these examples illustrate how LADM and Fit-for-Purpose approaches can be adapted to diverse legal and institutional contexts, contributing to tenure security, institutional coordination, and sustainable development. By strengthening land information systems and promoting inclusive governance, Kadaster International’s work supports broader societal goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—particularly those related to poverty reduction, gender equality, climate action, and peacebuilding.