Roy L. Prosterman, a lawyer known for his advocacy of land reform in developing nations, passed away on February 27 at his home in Seattle at the age of 89. His death was confirmed by Landesa, a land-rights organization he co-founded, although the cause was not disclosed.
Over nearly six decades, Prosterman collaborated with governments in approximately 60 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, focusing on providing land ownership to peasant families. His work often involved governments expropriating land with compensation or distributing government-owned land directly to those in need.
Prosterman viewed land rights as essential for improving the lives of millions of rural poor. He advocated for land distribution in both authoritarian regimes, such as Vietnam and El Salvador, and emerging democracies like India, emphasizing the importance of giving farmland to impoverished farmers.
According to Landesa, millions have benefited from the initiatives Prosterman and his organization implemented. Founded in 1981 as the Rural Development Institute at the University of Washington, Landesa became independent in 1992 and has been recognized for its role in highlighting the significance of land access for the poor in agrarian economies.
Prosterman's journey began after graduating from Harvard Law School and working at a prestigious New York law firm. A trip to Liberia in 1963, where he witnessed stark poverty, motivated him to leave corporate law in 1965 to teach at the University of Washington and pursue land reform.
In 1966, he published a counterproposal in the Washington Law Review, advocating for land reform without uncompensated expropriation. His work caught the attention of the U.S. Agency for International Development, leading to his involvement in land reform initiatives in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, which resulted in significant land ownership changes for tenant farmers.
Prosterman's land law in Vietnam was recognized as one of the most progressive non-Communist land reforms of the 20th century, though it did not prevent the collapse of the Thieu government. He later worked on land reform projects in El Salvador, which faced mixed results amid civil unrest.
In recent years, he focused on India, proposing innovative concepts such as providing small plots of land to landless individuals, with an emphasis on joint ownership by women. By 2009, he noted the limitations of traditional land reform methods due to the decline of authoritarian regimes.
Born on July 13, 1935, in Chicago, Prosterman was the only child of Sidney and Natalie Prosterman. He graduated from the University of Chicago and earned his law degree in 1958. Throughout his career, he received several awards for his contributions to social justice and land reform.
Prosterman's legacy lies in his belief that securing land rights motivates individuals to improve their circumstances, emphasizing the human impact of his work over political implications.