In brief
Throughout his life, he championed land rights in over 60 countries, impacting millions of impoverished families.
Roy L. Prosterman, the esteemed founder of the land-rights nonprofit Landesa, passed away peacefully at his Seattle residence on Feb. 27 at the age of 89. His death was reported by Landesa, established in 1981, who credited him with transformative efforts in land reform aimed at alleviating poverty across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.Transitioning from a successful corporate lawyer to a dedicated advocate for land rights, Prosterman spent nearly sixty years collaborating with governments in around 60 nations to develop schemes that enabled land ownership among rural peasants. His strategies often included facilitating government expropriation of extensive landholdings with adequate compensation or outright giving land possessed by the government to needy farmers.With a firm belief in the significance of land rights for the upliftment of the impoverished, he persistently engaged both authoritarian regimes—such as those in Vietnam and El Salvador—and emerging democracies, including India, encouraging them to distribute arable land to disadvantaged agricultural workers.According to an official statement from Landesa, Prosterman’s groundbreaking initiatives have greatly benefited millions, marking him as a pivotal force in advocating for land access as a critical component for poverty alleviation. The organization, which later gained independence in 1992, was praised for its early efforts in raising awareness about the vital role of secure land ownership in boosting the living conditions of the poor. Renowned economist Joseph Stiglitz recognized Prosterman's contributions in his foreword to the 2009 book "One Billion Rising: Law, Land and the Alleviation of Global Poverty," which Prosterman co-edited.
