Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, this mostly agrarian and poor republic has achieved considerable success in land reform—privatizing and developing markets for its urban and agricultural land.
During 1996-2000, Landesa and its partners were responsible for helping to draft the laws, regulations, and administrative and technical procedures required to privatize agricultural land, provide land ownership titles to citizens, and establish a practical framework for private land transactions. By the conclusion of Landesa’s engagement in 2000, Moldovan local governments had privatized 2.4 million land parcels and issued ownership titles to 590,000 former collective farm workers. All landowners could also freely engage in all modern land transactions. The project also established ten regional legal aid centers to assist thousands of impoverished landowners in resolving land disputes, including disputes with local officials.