Local perceptions of indigenous land tenure systems: views of peasants, women and dignitaries in a rural province of Burkina Faso

Abstract

This article is based on the observation that the large debate on the nature and consequences of so-called indigenous land tenure systems does not sufficiently take into account the perceptions and interpretations of peasants themselves. Consequently, its aims are to provide people with a voice and to analyse their assessment of different forms of access to land, of the modifications undergone in recent times, and their adjustments to this change. The results of this qualitative approach are compared with some statistical information gathered by the authors in the study region – three villages in central Burkina Faso – as well as country-wide. As a result, one may conclude that peasants in this area do not feel insecure about their land tenure situation, and this assessment of their own position is confirmed by empirical data.