Abstract
Land access and livelihoods in post-conflict Timor-Leste: no magic bullets
Highlights
Access to land is the basis for almost all rural livelihoods in the rural hinterland of Timor-Leste (East Timor)
Following scholarship on rural land use and its social relations, we argue that diverse customary institutions can co-exist and work with state institutions to build collective political legitimacy and to fight “exclusion” that can result from inequitable land reforms (Hall et al 2011, 5)
We explore the importance of customary institutions in Timor-Leste’s proposed land tenure reform legislation, and their relationship with enhanced support to diverse rural livelihoods and better infrastructure
Summary
Access to land is the basis for almost all rural livelihoods in the rural hinterland of Timor-Leste (East Timor). Local customary institutions are managing access, through a range of extant relationships to land and natural resources. Since independence from Indonesia in 1999, the formal rules governing land access have been the subject of intense debate, community speculation, and proposed legislation. We explore the importance of customary institutions in Timor-Leste’s proposed land tenure reform legislation, and their relationship with enhanced support to diverse rural livelihoods and better infrastructure. Land access and livelihoods in post-conflict Timor-Leste: no magic bullets 621 traditions available that have served the communities well for centuries. Drawing on empirical research in four villages we assess the extent to which traditional land allocation rules serve rural communities, and we argue that the meaningful recognition of custom and tradition is a prerequisite for relatively conflict-free, equitable and sustainable development for Timor-Leste’s commons. In addition to legal reform, well-targeted government extension and service delivery in rural areas is needed, building on extant local strengths, capacities and values
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