By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Land ownership challenges are exacerbating poverty in a country where one in six Bahamians are thought to suffer from "chronic hunger", the government's report to the United Nations (UN) reveals.

The just-published report measuring The Bahamas' progress in meeting the UN's sustainable development goals, with the release timed to coincide with the prime minister's New York visit, confirms that challenges in establishing good title and secure land ownership is stunting the economic prospects for many - especially in the out islands.

"The challenges with land tenure security also impact poverty," the report concedes. "These challenges include: The lack of a parcel based cadastral map, uncertainty regarding ownership of land resulting from overlapping land claims, and the existence of generational and commonage land."

To combat these woes, the government said it was dusting-off, revising and reviewing a package of 2010 bills that were intended to foster development of a system of registered land in The Bahamas.

"The government is in the process of reviewing previously drafted legislation which includes the Land Adjudication Bill 2010, the Law of Property Bill 2010 and the Registered Land Bill 2010," the report to the UN said. "These are aimed at modernising property laws and addressing the challenges of generational land.

"The Land Adjudication Bill 2010 offers legal protection to generational land owners by providing a legal framework which enables families who have been in possession of a parcel of land (less than one acre) for 12 years or more to claim ownership of such land and, if successful, to be granted a certificate of title.

"The grant of a certificate is important because it makes title to the land marketable. The Registered Land Bill 2010 makes provisions to reform the land registration system, and the Law of Property Bill 2010 provides for the consolidation and reform of the laws relating to property and conveyance," it continued.

"The government of The Bahamas has further committed to offering concessionary rates for regularising long-term occupation of crown land developed or cultivated by Bahamians."

Giving a further insight into prevailing poverty levels, the government's report drew on a Hands for Hunger estimate that one in six Bahamians suffers "from chronic hunger". And with a $1bn annual food import bill, accounting for 90 percent of consumption, the report made clear The Bahamas has still made little progress on food security and being able to feed itself.

Outlining the Ministry of Health's agenda for the 2018-2019 budget year, the report said it is proposing a "tax on sugar sweetened beverages to decrease consumption and improve revenue to support healthy lifestyle initiatives".

"A national campaign will be geared towards equipping Bahamians with practical tips to turn forgotten foods such as beans, pumpkin and cassava into viable delicious meal options, and to reinvent some of our familiar staples," the report added.

While education was identified as the largest item (bar debt servicing) in the budget, accounting for 13 percent of total spending, and with its allocation set to increase from $205.6m this year to $247.4m by 2020-2021, this outlay is slightly lower than the world average as a percentage of GDP.

"Enrolment by Bahamians in tertiary educational institutions has increased steadily, with 20 percent of the population over age 15 now participating," the report said. "This is, however, below that of other high-income, non-OECD countries as well as other Caribbean competitors with university campuses.

"It has also been noted that many students educated in universities in OECD countries stay on in those countries, permanently or for some period after completing university."

And it continued: "Although children generally have equitable access to a quality education, the education system grapples with low levels of student attainment. Only 50 percent of graduating high school students actually achieve a diploma in any given year. The other half are awarded a 'certificate of attendance'; that is, although they attended classes they did not achieve the standard required for graduation.

"Additionally, there are significant concerns that the education system is not producing graduates with the skills required by the business sector, and that there is a significant gap in terms of the identification of key skills needed and a process to ensure that the education system delivers them.

"Many of these young people join the labour force but do not have the skills necessary for employment - both soft skills such as coming to work on time, or hard skills such as the appropriate level of literacy and numeracy.

"The inadequacy of the education of the workforce was seen as the single largest obstacle to doing business in The Bahamas. The mismatch is seen in all sectors and sizes of business."