Effects of land titling and registration on tenure security and agricultural investments: Case of Gataraga sector, Northern Rwanda

Abstract

Rwanda has undertaken a land registration and titling program since 2008 with a registration of 10.3 million land parcels in 2013. The aim of this paper is to investigate the early effects of the program on tenure security and agricultural investments since few studies have been carried out in this research area. The study was undertaken in Musanze district in Northern Rwanda, with specific focus on Gataraga sector and it draws on a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The findings indicate that the program led to reduced land conflicts and improved tenure security. Further, it had resulted in increasing collateral value of land; however mortgaging land to access loans seemed to depend on various factors including demographic and socio-economic characteristics of households. Land rental was the most common form of land market and the relatively well-off farmers seemed to gain most from the program than the poorest farmers.