LAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FORMULATION IN POST-CONFLICT SOCIETIES

Abstract

Developing a sustainable strategic action plan for land management and administration in post-conflict societies is extremely difficult. We will argue that it is not feasible to use conventional conceptual frameworks to underpin strategic action planning in post-conflict environments and, in fact, to do so might prove both inefficient and biased. This argument is based on work in Afghanistan, South Africa, Somalia, Mozambique, Uganda and Kosovo. Instead we argue that a soft systems approach, such as that developed by Barry and Fourie [4] in post-conflict South Africa, should ensure that the most appropriate activities are prioritised. By using examples based on cadastral systems and land administration, we show how a more appropriate strategic action plan for land administration in post-conflict situations can be developed using this framework. This approach should improve both national reconciliation, as well as the efficiency of the land market.