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In their widely read discussion paper, the FAO, IFAD, UNCTAD and World Bank propose systematic property rights formalization – “the identification of rights holders, the legal recognition of rights and uses, and their demarcation and registration” – as a central first step in addressing the problem of irresponsible agricultural investment. This paper examines the case of Cambodia, one of at least a dozen countries where systematic land titling and large-scale land grabbing have proceeded in parallel in recent years. Cambodia’s experience exemplifies the challenges of what I call the “formalization fix”, and highlights the geography of land titling (and property formalization more generally) as a question that, despite substantial debate in Cambodia, has yet to receive adequate attention internationally. Examining three dimensions of Cambodia’s less-than-successful “formalization fix” efforts – (i) the spatial separation of systematic land titling and agribusiness concessions; (ii) the fact that property formalization can also be a means of land grabbing; and (iii) the political arena of efforts to legitimize “state land” – this paper questions the formalization fix as a policy solution, argues that the problem of unmapped state land needs to be addressed head on, and calls for greater geographical transparency in property formalization efforts in the global South. – See more at: http://www.plaas.org.za/plaas-publication/ldpi-37#sthash.oaDZSUS0.dpuf