Adoption of agroforestry in cereal production in Burkina Faso: the role of land tenure insecurity

Even though it is widely recognized that giving farmers more secure land rights may increase agricultural investment, scholars contend that, in the case of China, such a policy might undermine the function of land as a social safety net and, as a consequence, not be sustainable or command broad support. Data from three provinces, one of which had adopted a policy to increase security of tenure in advance of the others, suggest that greater tenure security, especially if combined with transferability of land, had a positive impact on agricultural investment and, within the time frame considered, led neither to an increase in inequality of land distribution nor a reduction in households' ability to cope with exogenous shocks. Household support for more secure property rights is increased by their access to other insurance mechanisms, suggesting some role of land as a safety net. At the same time, past exposure to this type of land right has a much larger impact quantitatively, suggesting that a large part of the resistance to changed property rights arrangements disappears as household familiarity with such rights increases.

Tenure, Agricultural Investment, and Productivity in the Customary Tenure Sector of Malawi

Millions of people live and work on land that they do not legally own in accordance with enforceable state law. The absence of state recognition for local property rights affects people's tenure security and impedes development. Efforts to legalise extra-legal land tenure have traditionally emphasised individual titling and registration. Disappointment with such approaches have led to a search for 'a third way' in land tenure regulation that will reconcile state perspectives with local land rights. This book contributes to the quest for a new pluralistic approach. It combines the description of land tenure regimes in Africa, Latin America and Asia with an analysis of designs, objectives, and actual implementation of specific legalisation programmes.

This thesis delves into the state of contemporary customary land tenure security in Zambia, where the security of land tenure among rural smallholders or households plays a pivotal role in enhancing agricultural productivity. Notably, the land is steadily transitioning out of the customary system in Zambia, driven by both domestic and foreign actors acquiring large-scale holdings for export-oriented agriculture. The 1995 Land Act, which promoted land privatisation and formalisation, has expedited the commodification of customary land. This has given rise to informal and covert land markets characterised by corrupt transactions, effectively placing land out of reach for the impoverished and vulnerable rural population. This situation persists, even though land laws in Zambia explicitly prohibit the sale of customary land. Additionally, shifting political and socio-economic conditions are facilitating a move from communal to private property, predominantly leasehold regimes. The consequences of recent legal reforms on the structure of agrarian society remain to be fully comprehended. This thesis undertakes a comprehensive review of the transformation of customary tenure systems, shedding light on their repercussions for rural Zambians. It underscores the concept of the 'tragedy of the commons,' offering an alternative perspective alongside private ownership and government control. This thesis essentially aims to furnish evidence from a case study, scrutinising the prevailing legal framework and institutions governing customary land tenure and tenure security in Zambia, with a specific focus on the Chembe and Monze regions. This case study elucidates how land conflicts compromise land tenure security and impact the livelihoods of rural communities dependent on land-related activities. The research findings unequivocally reveal that land conflicts and tenure insecurity in Zambia stem from inherent deficiencies within land governance systems. These include a flawed legal and institutional framework and sub-optimal land allocation procedures. The repercussions of these issues extend to include loss of life and property damage. Consequently, this study posits a novel framework designed to enhance and safeguard land rights, improve land governance, and lay the groundwork for the implementation of such a framework in Zambia and other African nations. Profound insights into the land governance system and practices are imperative for devising equitable and effective solutions.

Linking land tenure security with food security: Unpacking farm households’ perceptions and strategies in the rural uplands of Laos

Millions of people around the world face difficulties related to the land where they live, work, grow crops, tend animals and run businesses. Even though they or their families may have lived on the land for many years, it is a serious obstacle that they have no formal relationship to it (UN-Habitat, 2012, Handling land: Innovative tools for land governance and secure tenure, Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Human Settlements Programme). Competition for land is intensifying because of rapid population growth, unregulated urbanisation, land conflicts, climate change, food, water and energy insecurity among others. Coupled by historical injustices and unlawful evictions, many people particularly in developing countries are becoming landless. Although many countries have completely restructured their legal and regulatory framework related to land and they have tried to harmonise modern statutory law with customary ones, millions of people around the world still have insecure land tenure and property rights (UN-Habitat, 2014, Land tenure security in selected countries. Synthesis Report, Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Human Settlements Programme). It is now well recognised that secure land and property rights for all are essential to reducing poverty, because they underpin economic development and social inclusion (UN-Habitat, 2008, Secure land rights for all, Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Human Settlements Programme/Global Land Tool Network). Uganda like many other countries has embarked on massive reforms to improve land tenure security. The development of a computerised land information system, decentralisation of land governance and development of national land policy are included among the many efforts (Ahene, Nsamba-Gayiiya, & Satana, 2013, Land sector strategic plan, 2013–2023, Kampala, Uganda: Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development). Despite tremendous efforts, land tenure insecurity persists in the country. This article provides a review of land ownership and existing initiatives to improve tenure security in Uganda.

In Baleni v Minister of Mineral Resources 2019 2 SA 453 (GP) the court, duly following the judicial guidance provided in Maledu v Itereleng Bakgatla Mineral Resources 2019 2 SA 1 (CC), made an important pronouncement on the rights of people who hold informal land tenure. The question in the Baleni judgment concerned the level of consent required to obtain a mining right over property held by a community with informal or customary land tenure. The court specifically considered provisions of the Interim Protection of Informal Land Rights Act 31 of 1996 (IPILRA) and the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002 (MPRDA), and concluded that the provisions of these Acts should be read together when determining the level of consent required. The court found that a community's consent, as required by IPILRA, and not merely consultation with a community, as required by the MPRDA, is necessary before a mining right can be obtained over a community's property. The Baleni and the Maledu judgments set an important judicial precedent protecting informal land owners against the potentially harmful effects of mining activities, and establish a higher standard for obtaining a mining right over such property. However, despite the success of the judgment, many questions remain regarding the longevity of IPILRA, in particular, and a long-term solution to informal land tenure and land security in general. This case note argues that final legislation should be enacted to provide protection for people who hold informal land rights, and consequently to formalise indigenous communities' land rights to ensure that these judgments act as the precursor for fundamental change in the current debate regarding informal land rights.

Assessing customary land rights and tenure security variations of smallholder farmers in northwest Ghana

D ISCUSSIONS of the efficiency of various systems of land tenure are marred by all sorts of imprecision in analysis. Economists have developed a clear notion of economic efficiency but discussions of land tenure invariably bring in some sociological and wealth-distribution constraints when discussing the efficiency aspects of tenure systems. Social anthropologists and others stress that certain tenure systems are integral parts of social systems involving such things as insurance for old and young, with the implication that even though these tenure systems might not facilitate (pecuniary) wealthmaximization, yet the non-pecuniary wealth facilitated provides "enough" compensation in some general welfare sense. I shall discard such sociological arguments because I believe that there is no reason why the sociological benefits of particular tenure systems cannot be obtained by some alternative arrangement while creating a tenure system that is designed to facilitate wealth maximization and wealth increases.

Land tenure security is central to food security of rural agricultural‐dependent communities, but there is limited evidence linking the state of agrobiodiversity to perception of land tenure security and access to and quality of food eaten. This study explores this relationship using data captured from 1,279 households in Acholi and Teso subregions of Uganda, and the relationships are established using a study sample of 1,227 women of reproductive age (WRA). Sixteen percent of respondents perceived themselves to be land tenure insecure. Although approximately 275 species were reported available for food, household access to a variety of plant and animal species is limited to <10 species by 69% of the study population. Dietary diversity was also low, with 53% of women meeting minimum diet diversity. Evidence from estimation of a generalized Poisson regression reveals that dietary diversity of WRA is consistently, positively correlated with species diversity available for food and negative with land tenure insecurity. A unit increase in species diversity led to 18% increase in dietary diversity of WRAs. Land tenure insecurity was likely to reduce dietary diversity of WRAs by 26% (p < .05). Interventions with an aim to increase species diversity can deliver positive dividends for food and nutrition security. Land policy reforms and interventions that strengthen land tenure security for both men and women are likely to contribute positively to dietary diversity leading to improved food and nutrition security of vulnerable communities in rural areas.

Land tenure (in)security and crop-tree intercropping in rural Xinjiang, China

Survey data on land tenure and food security among farming households in northern Nigeria

The role of land tenure security in promoting rural women’s empowerment: Empirical evidence from rural China

China's rural economic reforms radically altered land tenure in rural China. With the granting of land use rights and residual income rights to farming households between 1979 and 1983, agriculture shifted from a collective-based to a familybased system. Land was not privatized, however. Ownership remained "collective", with local officials, typically at the village level, exercising a major influence over the allocation of land and the way households could use land. The initial land allocations to families were typically based on household size, household labour supply, or both. The central government's policy was that these allocations were supposed to be for 15 years. In some villages, land use contracts have been respected; in other villages, however, local leaders have periodically redistributed land among households and have intervened throughout the reform period to determine how farmers are able to use the land. The initial reforms triggered an unprecedented acceleration of agricultural growth in China. From 1979 to 1984, the gross value of agricultural output increased in real terms at an annual rate of 7.6 per cent, and grain production rose by 4.9 per cent annually.' Empirical studies attribute a significant part of this increase to enhanced incentives, as farmers were able to keep the output and

Land tenure insecurity is one of the challenges facing urban dwellers given the increasing demand on land as the population increases in Tanzania. The main objective of this study was to examine the tenure security within urban agriculture on access to land. Specifically, it assessed different ways farmers’ access land for cultivation, the extent of land security among farmers, and implications of land tenure insecurity on vegetable cultivation. The study employed a cross-sectional design whereby snowball sampling was used to select 69 male and female vegetable farmers at the open space in Morogoro Municipality. Data was collected through household survey, in-depth interviews, observation and informal conversation. Results indicated that farmers access land through informal means by renting from the landlords who have legal land rights. Hence, social relationships have become important to access land while close relationship with the landlord determine the extent of land security a farmer has. Lastly, land tenure insecurity not only affects gardener’s vegetable cultivation but also creates uncertainty and hatred between farmers and their landlords. It is therefore imperative to integrate urban agriculture into urban development planning to enhance land tenure security of farmers since it has become permanent economic activity.