International Land Systems and Anhui Agriculture Commission Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Expand Rural Land Registration Program in China

NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- International Land Systems (ILS), Inc., now a company of Thomson Reuters, and the Anhui Agriculture Commission today announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding to further develop a rural land registration and mapping program for Anhui Province. The memorandum comes immediately after concluding a successful United States Trade and Development Agency-funded technical assistance pilot.

The initial pilot established a rural land certification process in China's Anhui Province, and registered rural farmers' households in two Chinese villages to secure their property rights. The memorandum was signed on July 18 by ILS executive vice president Peter Rabley and Anhui Agriculture Commission director of Personnel Management Zhang Zekun at the Maryland State House in Annapolis. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Anhui Province Governor Wang Sanyun were official witnesses of the signing. The memorandum expands the scope of the project to include registering and mapping rural lands in at least five townships – two townships in Jinan District and three townships in Qianshan County – representing an estimated 60,000 rural households.  

Anhui Province was an early pioneer in China's land reform, beginning in the late 1970s when rural lands were de-collectivized and individual households were assigned contract rights. As the growth of China's population continues, protecting rural, agricultural land is a priority for the nation and a matter of ensuring future food and economic security.  

During the initial pilot, ILS introduced methods and technologies to map the agriculture land parcels of rural households in China, and also established a modern digital land registry and land records archive system in Feidong County, Anhui Province. The agreement reached between ILS and the Anhui Agriculture Commission establishes a commitment to continue to work collaboratively to refine methods and models to more efficiently, cost-effectively, and accurately record farmers' land rights.

"ILS is pleased to support the ground-breaking efforts of the Anhui Agriculture Commission to create a successful model for rural land registration and reform in China," said Peter Rabley, ILS executive vice president.

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges (symbol: TRI).  For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com

About International Land Systems (ILS), Inc.

International Land Systems (ILS), Inc., now a Thomson Reuters company, is a land administration solutions company that offers the power of land management through application of modern technology and methodologies. ILS offers land management solutions including cadastre mapping, and registry systems. The company has worked in more than 40 countries and implemented over 100 projects worldwide. ILS is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, and has subsidiary offices in Kiev, Ukraine, and Cochabamba, Bolivia. For more information, go to www.landsystems.com.

SOURCE Thomson Reuters

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