Land Tenure Security Research Articles

Community-based Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR): Determinants and policy implications in Tanzania

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) has gained global scientific and political attention in recent times, with many sub-Saharan African countries committing to restoration targets. Despite the commitments, there is a dearth of information on the factors shaping community participation in FLR in the context of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To close this gap, this study explored Babati District in Tanzania to investigate determinants, choices and policy implications of community-based FLR. A total of 98 households were surveyed in two villages, complemented by four experts’ interviews. We employed a hybrid analytical lens; the socio-ecological co-evolution, and the livelihoods framework for the study. The logistic regression analyses revealed that: (i) while both perceived monetary and non-monetary benefits shape households’ interest in FLR, asset-poor households are more interested in the monetary benefits than their rich counterparts, (ii) households FLR choices are largely shaped by the effectiveness of community-based institutions, (iii) natural, financial and social capital positively shaped households’ choices in FLR while a negative link was established for physical capital, and (iv) crop farmers choose to participate in FLR activities by growing a mixture of fruit and native timber tree species while those in other professions participated by planting only fruit trees species. Policy interventions which valorise community-based institutions should be prioritized to ensure equitable land access and tenure security, and promote the growing of native species. This would increase trust on land tenure and would invariably enhance participation in FLR activities. Moreover, policy incentives (e.g., training, micro-credit and market access) should be introduced to foster agro-based restoration approaches – involving the deliberate combination of tree-planting with crop-farming (agroforestry). Finally, policy support for alternative livelihood strategies such as bee keeping, butterfly gardening, snail and mushroom farming should be promoted to reduce monetary expectations from FLR interventions.

Using leading and lagging indicators for forest restoration

Abstract Forest restoration targets are often planned, implemented, measured and reported based on few short‐term lagging indicators (i.e. indicators of realised outcomes), such as the number of seedlings and area planted. We propose the use of leading indicators, which denote likelihood of a certain outcome (e.g. odds that seedlings are of quality and properly planted) to complement lagging indicators and describe how this construct differs from the current practice and how they can be used in conjunction with available frameworks for forest restoration. Leading indicators have great promise to complement lagging indicators because they address the near‐term factors more likely to influence the progress and performance of restoration efforts. For example, secure land tenure (leading indicator) can increase the likelihood of long‐term maintenance and protection (lagging indicator), and the use of best practices in quality seedling production (leading indicator) can increase survival rate (lagging indicator). By observing near‐term leading indicators, management can be adapted towards a goal. Long‐term impacts cannot be verified in the early stages of forest restoration, hence claiming success within the length of project cycles is often unrealistic. Reporting on leading indicators can inform the likelihood that forest restoration goals will be achieved in the longer term. Synthesis and applications. Leading indicators complement lagging indicators and can be used in forest restoration beyond monitoring and evaluation. Indicators can also be used in the design, adaptive management and reporting of restoration interventions. Leading indicators can be used to identify issues that might prevent success in a timely manner so they can be addressed.

Land tenure security and agrarian investments in the Peruvian Highlands

The abundant empirical studies on the relationship between land tenure security and investment remain inconclusive. This work sheds light on this issue, estimating a simultaneous equation model of 9 different types of land investments and land tenure security using data from the Peruvian agrarian census. This study analyzed the case of the Peruvian highlands, which could be a suitable case study for discussing the importance of land tenure security and land tilting programs on rural development in developing countries due to its agrarian-based economic characteristics and for having an official land-titling program (the PETT). We found that tenure security was significantly and positively related to five land investments among the nine analyzed; however, the size of these effects is small, so its importance is lower than what it is a priori expected on institutional grounds. The effects were also negative for two investments for which customs seemed to be a good way of land management. Land-titling programs in developing countries seem to be a necessary but not sufficient policy approach to promote rural development. Our results indicate that where customs are functioning well, land-titling programs can be complement to but not a substitute for these customary institutions. The impacts of other socio-economic variables suggest that public programs promoting education and training as well as gender equality are important for the promotion of rural development.

Factors enhancing agricultural productivity under innovation technology: Insights from Cameroon

This paper analyzes the impact of innovation adoption, namely, improved seeds or modern equipment and examines the effects of farmer education, access to credit, and land tenure security on agricultural productivity in Cameroon. We take advantage of a nationally representative survey to analyze factors affecting the probability of adopting innovation and their effects on productivity. We use the Heckman procedure to address potential selection bias. The results reveal significant productivity-enhancing effects of these key factors. They enhance agricultural productivity following innovation adoption and typically promote adoption itself. The propensity to adopt innovation and the potential gain in productivity increase with education level. Credit permits farmers to adopt the innovation and to purchase high-efficiency pesticides and fertilizers. Therefore, agricultural production increases in a timely and appropriate manner. Conditional on adopting innovation, tertiary education will produce a 16.5% to 18.3% increase in yield in value per ha, while access to credit leads a 10.9% to 15.5% gains. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of factors enhancing agricultural productivity under innovation technology and have important policy implications. The adoption of improved varieties or modern equipment alone is not sufficient to boost crop yield. Other productivity-enhancing factors should be promoted to exploit their full yield potential.

Blockchain on stool land acquisition: Lessons from Ghana for strengthening land tenure security other than titling

The paper develops a blockchain-enabled framework for stool land acquisition in Ghana that makes it possible for parties with interest in lands to object to their sale if the transaction is being conducted on their blind side. The framework also makes it possible for potential land buyers to authenticate in real-time the ownership status of the land they want to acquire–whether the property is registered with the Lands Commission or has been deregistered from the Commission’s records. The framework is a response to Ghana’s current opaque and weakly coordinated land administration systems flourishing the phenomenon of multiple sale of same lands and other land tenure security problems in the country. Further to providing a blockchain-enabled stool lands acquisition framework that enhances transparency, accountability, and better land records keeping in Ghana, the paper takes issues with the view widely held in international development, government, judicial, and some academic circles that titling or lease registration is the only or primary viable means of securing land rights. Our findings from Ghana show that in addition to creating predatory economies for powerful land sector actors (e.g., chiefs and land administrators) to extort outrageous sums of money from land buyers, the heavy emphasis on land titling or lease registration undermines efforts at strengthening other less cumbersome, less costly and less corruption-laden aspects of land administration to improve property rights in the land sector.

Classification of land use/land cover of Aniocha north local government area, Delta state using satellite imagery

Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) have been established as indispensable tools in the assessment of Land use / Land cover (LULC) change. RS and GIS are important for the monitoring, modelling and mapping of land use and land cover changes across a range of spatial and temporal scales, in order to assess the extent, direction, causes, and effects of the changes. Change detection has provided suitable and wide-ranging information to various decision support systems for natural resource management and sustainable development. The main objective of the study is to assess and evaluate the extent and direction of changes in LULC of Aniocha North Local Government Area (LGA), Delta State, Nigeria to explain the changes and identify some of their effects on both the livelihoods of the local people and the local environment, and also to explore some of the conservation measures designed to overcome problems associated with land use and land cover changes. Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) of 2002 with 30 meters resolution and landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) 2014satellite images as well as GIS techniques were used to monitor the changes and to generate maps of the LULC of the area in these periods. Supervised Land Use/Land Cover classification algorithm (Maximum likelihood with null class) was used in the analysis of classification. The classification result of LandSat ETM+ (2002) revealed that farmland accounted for 36.34% of the total LULC class, followed by savannah which accounted for 24.15%. Forest built up area, and waterbody constituted 20.42%, 16.46% and 2.62% respectively. Also, the result of LandSat ETM (2014) shows that forest accounted for 38.59% followed by farmland with 30.93%. Built up area covers 25.55% while savannah and river cover 2.86% and 2.08% respectively. The classification shows 83.26 % average accuracy and 79.16 % overall accuracy for 2002 while the 2014 accuracy assessment showed 95.06% average accuracy and 94.99% overall accuracy. Growing population pressure and its associated problems, such as the increasing demand for land and trees, poor institutional and socio-economic settings, and also unfavorable government policies, such as lack of land tenure security and poor infrastructure development, have been the major driving forces behind the LULC changes.

Improvements in Women’s Access to Rural Farmland: The case of Ile-Ife, Nigeria

The study investigates women's access to rural farmlands in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, in the context of land availability, affordability, tenure security and ease of transaction. A qualitative research design was employed. Purposive and stratified sampling were utilised to obtain data from four key informants and 13 rural women farmers in Ajebandele village of Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Themes emerged from the responses through content analysis. Findings revealed that women's access to land has improved over the past four decades. The study concludes that despite the improvements, gender equality had not been fully achieved as rural women farmers lack tenure security.

Access to Land for Sustainable National Development: Land Delivery Channels and Tenure Security Institutions in Benin City, Nigeria

It is increasingly being recognized that secure tenure is the bedrock of sustainable development. Used as one of the indicators for measuring progress in development goals, secure tenure forms the basic framework for assessing sustainable human settlements’ development since its adoption in the 1996 Istanbul Declaration. Since secure land tenure has been recognized to reduce poverty, land conflicts and guarantee property inheritance, it, therefore, forms part of an integrated development approach of the Post-2015 Development Agenda in the context of human settlements. This article, therefore, examines the place of access to land and tenure security in the context of sustainable development with a particular focus on neo-customary land delivery systems and tenure security institutions that underpinned tenure rights in Benin City. Through focus group discussions (FGDs) with key actors and semi-structured interviews of resident home-owners, the customary process and institutions that guaranteed tenure security were identified. The study reveals a number of key tenure security issues in the neo-customary land delivery systems which show that though neo-customary land delivery channels increase access to land, sustainable development will be compromised as long as the customary institutions cannot guarantee secure tenure, particularly for the urban poor.

Disciplining Statelessness: Fragmentary Outcomes of the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy in India

ABSTRACT Tibetan settlements in India house the largest population of Tibetan exiles and are crucial repositories of Tibetan culture and nationalism in the political struggle for Tibet. The settlements privilege the moral narrative of statelessness as an integral part of the Tibetan struggle. However, given the precarity of land tenure, these settlements are steadily hollowing out, with an increasing number of Tibetans choosing to migrate out of India. In response, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and the Indian government have jointly framed the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy (TRP) to consolidate the Tibetan population in India. The TRP functions as a disciplinary regime that is delivered through a centralised process for creating secure land tenure for Tibetan settlements, and aims to retain the Tibetans as a stateless population in India. Using three case studies of Tibetan settlements across India, we demonstrate that Tibetans are resisting this moral injunction of statelessness by opting out of the disciplinary logic of the TRP. This resistance includes processes of outmigration and pursuing citizen-like claims in India. These forms of resistance reflect the fragmentation within the exile community over the political value of statelessness, with many Tibetans exploring new ways to imagine their struggle as rooted in citizenship claims.

LADM for sustainable development: An exploratory study on the application of domain-specific data models to support the SDGs

Individual land titling will not deliver land tenure security to the majority of people by 2030. Nevertheless, tenure security is implicit to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and deep-rooted in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Land tenure security underpins the SDGs related to poverty reduction, food security, disaster risk management and gender equality. The cross-cutting benefits of land tenure security with regards to sustainable development suggests equally cross-cutting conceptual frameworks, management cooperation and data sharing are needed within, and between, those sectors. Additionally, previous research in the land administration domain developed approaches, frameworks and data models linking across different domains. This latter achievement showed how developments using standardised modelling approaches and domain terminologies can be used to support gathering, organising and disseminating information relevant to reporting on and monitoring of the SDGs. From the perspective of data sharing, domain models - such as the Land Administration Domain Model LADM (ISO 19152), a globally recognized standard - are seen as supporting this capability. In response, this paper explores whether and how LADM, in terms of data model additions and adaptations, could support other SDG-relevant domains. The approach used is exploratory, including elements of literature review, case study analysis, conceptual data modelling, and synthesis. It shows the potential and added value of an integrated data modelling approach, with regards to Land Administration and its intrinsic feature to other fields of study including poverty reduction, food security, and gender equality. • Data models using standards, such as the LADM, can be used to support gathering and disseminating information relevant to the SDGs. • There is value in creating shared understandings about the value and role of shared data models between different domains, and country contexts. • Both models, LADM as well as STDM, are flexible and can accommodate other attributes and associations and are extensible to link disciplines. • The interrelationship of Land Administration with various other disciplines reflected in the SDGs becomes visible through data modelling. • A holistic approach strengthens the demand for interlinkages with the 2030 Agenda and its 5Ps and the domain of Land Administration.

Fit for Purpose Land Administration: Country Implementation Strategy for Addressing Uganda’s Land Tenure Security Problems

The Republic of Uganda is one of the five countries within the East African region. Uganda’s efforts to increase land productivity are hampered by land tenure insecurity related problems. For more than ten years, Fit for Purpose Land Administration (FFPLA) pilot projects have been implemented in various parts of the country. Uganda is now in advanced stages of developing a country strategy for implementing a fit for purpose approach to land administration, to define the interventions, time and cost required to transform the existing formal (western type) land administration system into an administration system that is based on FFPLA principles. This paper reviews three case studies to investigate how lessons learnt from pilot projects informed a FFPLA country implementation strategy. The review is based on data collected during the development of the FFPLA strategy, in which the authors directly participated. The data collection methods included document review, field visits and interviews with purposively selected respondents from the pilot sites and institutions that had piloted FFPLA in Uganda. The study identified that pilot projects are beneficial in highlighting specific gaps in spatial, legal and institutional frameworks, that have potential to constrain FFPLA implementation. Pilot projects provided specific data for informed planning, programing and costing key interventions in the FFPLA country implementation strategy. The lessons learnt from the pilot projects, informed the various steps and issues considered while developing the national strategy for implementing a FFPLA approach in Uganda. On the other hand, the study identified that uncoordinated pilot projects are potential sources of inconsistencies in data and products, which may be cumbersome to harmonize at a national level. In order to implement a fit for purpose approach for land administration at a national level, it is necessary to consolidate the lessons leant from pilots into a unified country implementation strategy.

Applying the Fit-for-Purpose Land Administration Concept to South Africa

What potential will the fit-for-purpose land administration concept have of working in the Republic of South Africa? This question is asked against the existence of a high-quality cadastre covering most of the South African landmass. However, a large proportion of the people living in South Africa live outside of this secure land tenure system. Many citizens and immigrants reside on communal land, in informal settlements, in resettled communities, in off-register housing schemes, and as farm dwellers, labour tenants and other occupants of commercial farms. Reasonable estimates suggest that there are more than 5 million land occupations that exist outside the formal land tenure system and hence outside the formal land administration system. This paper looks at the current bifurcated system and considers how the application of the fit-for-purpose land administration system can expand the existing cadastral system and provide security of tenure that is beneficial and acceptable to all. It demonstrates that, not only could it work, but it is also considered to be necessary. This paper uses South Africa as a case study to demonstrate how adjustments to institutional, legal and spatial frameworks will develop a fully inclusive, sufficiently accurate land administration system that fits the purpose for which it is envisioned. These country-specific proposals may well be of international interest to assist with the formulation of fit-for-purpose land administration systems being developed in other countries.

Beyond accuracy: evaluating alternative measurement methods in context of Flexible Land Tenure System in Namibia

Namibia currently undergoes a rapid process of urbanisation of 4% annually, visible through an exponential informal settlement growth. Alternative measurement methods in cadastral mapping could secure land tenure in these settlements and fasten land registration. This article investigates the performance of five alternative measurement methods within the Flexible Land Tenure System (FLTS): orthophoto-based boundary demarcation, mapping applications on mobile devices, hand-held GPS, low-cost GNSS with u-blox receiver and GNSS RTK based on the Namibian CORS. The article evaluates all five methods on technical performance, affordability, time efficiency, feasibility, and simplicity. Based on the evaluation, all methods are appropriate for Namibia except for the hand-held GPS method. Low-cost approaches are appropriate for starter titles, whereas high-technology methods are better when requiring higher positioning accuracy (land hold title). Orthophoto-based boundary demarcation is surprisingly less suitable for the Namibian case. Overall, the results support a fit-for-purpose land administration in Namibia.

Land Tenure and Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Tea Producers: The Case of Ya’An City, China

70 percent of the world and 80 percent of China’s tea production produced by smallholder farmers. However, the tea production per unit area significantly unchanged in the past decades. Understanding factors affecting the technical efficiency of smallholder tea producers is very important to maximize tea production. Aimed at examining the impact of land tenure security and land certification on smallholder tea producers’ technical efficiency, this paper employs the Cobb- Douglas Stochastic Production Frontier (CD-SPF) and Translog Stochastic Production Frontier (TL- SPF) methods for Maximum Likelihood Estimate (MLE) with cross-sectional data collected from 161 randomly selected tea farm plot households in Ya’an city, China. We found that an 1 mu (0.067 ha) increase in the tea farm size will produce a 1.086 tea yield advantage for smallholder tea farmers. We also found that the values of input-output elasticity of land size, household income and labor decrease in turn with 0.144, 0.105 and 0.010 respectively. The results show that farm size is a more crucial input for tea production than income and labor. Moreover, we identify the determinations which enhance the technical efficiency of smallholder tea producers such as land certification, land tenure security age, education, farming experience, total farm size holding, chemical fertilizer, plot steepness and plot distance from home and find that the elimination of land tenure insecurity through land registration and certification makes a clear difference in that. We therefore recommend that tea farmland need to expand and enlarge for better production through comprehensive land consolidation program. We also suggest endorsing the land certificates of all land holders as this will help improve land tenure security, enhance technical efficiency and promote the tea production of smallholder producers.

Land Tenure Security Perceptions Amongst Nigerian Rural Communities: A Case Of Atiba Local Government Area (Lga), Oyo State

Abstract Subject and purpose of work: Security of tenure is observed as an underlying tool for measuring the development among communities of developing countries. Despite this, the issues related to peoples’ thinking or feelings as well as to what drives security of land tenure are poorly understood and inconclusive. This study examines the residents’ perception of security of land tenure in rural Nigeria. Materials and methods: A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 125 respondents from the study area by administering a questionnaire while key informants were subjected to an in-depth interview. Results: The data for the study were collected and analysed using content analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that the perception of security of land tenure varies in the area studied and across the settlement categories. Further results showed that four factors such as income, length of stay, culture, and education were identified as major factors influencing the residents’ perception of the security of land tenure. Conclusions: The study concluded that socio-economic and cultural factors influence the residents’ perception of security of land tenure in the area researched.

Governance of urban agriculture in African cities: Gaps and opportunities for innovation in Accra, Ghana

Urban agriculture provides one of the most promising areas for innovation in green and blue infrastructure in cities, particularly in developing countries. It can address multiple economic, social and local environmental benefits. Despite this critical role, urban agriculture often faces many challenges, including land competition, lack of urban policy directives, unfair land use planning and land tenure decisions. The presence of such barriers is indicative of critical issues of governance. This article examines various actors’ roles in different forms of governance in improving the sustainability benefits of urban agriculture. It draws policy lessons from Accra, Ghana, through empirical research conducted at two sites. The paper identifies the institutions and actors that govern urban agriculture and points to the problems and potential solutions to sustainable urban agriculture. These problems could be addressed by removing perverse incentives, conflicting regulations and unfair land management decision-making systems and providing more secure land tenure and large-scale technical support for agricultural and environmental management in a tropical urban environment.

Transforming Land Administration Practices through the Application of Fit-For-Purpose Technologies: Country Case Studies in Africa

Access to land for many people in Africa is insecure and continues to pose risks to poverty, hunger, forced evictions, and social conflicts. The delivery of land tenure in many cases has not been adequately addressed. Fit-for-purpose spatial frameworks need to be adapted to the context of a country based on simple, affordable, and incremental solutions toward addressing these challenges. This paper looked at three case studies on the use of the Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM) tool in promoting the development of a fit-for-purpose land administration spatial framework. Data gathering from primary and secondary sources was used to investigate the case studies. The empirical findings indicated that the use and application of the STDM in support of the fit-for-purpose land administration framework is quite effective and can facilitate the improvement in land tenure security. The findings also revealed that the tool, together with participatory and inclusive processes, has the potential to contribute to other frameworks of Fit-For-Purpose Land Administration (FFP LA) toward influencing changes in policy and institutional practices. Evidently, there was a remarkable improvement in the institutional arrangements and collaboration among different institutions, as well as a notable reduction in land conflicts or disputes in all three case studies.

Quality Assurance for Spatial Data Collected in Fit-for-Purpose Land Administration Approaches in Colombia

The Fit-For-Purpose Land Administration (FFPLA) approach uses flexible techniques under basic regulations, avoiding complicated systems and aiming to fulfill the objective of land tenure security for all. In addition, a land administration system should evolve, starting as a simple system in rural areas and gradually evolving into a more complex system in more populated areas where requirements and quality increase progressively. The system can develop to a precision system. Implementing the FFPLA methodology in Colombia has allowed processes to be developed for data capture in the field using real-time technology and efficient methods for information management. These processes are under quality control by applying technical specifications in alignment with the FFPLA principles. This article presents the results of creating a FFPLA quality assurance model, which includes the application of the ISO 19100 family of technical standards based on the product’s life cycle and quality model concepts. Furthermore, the article documents essential aspects for controlling the quality of the parcel boundary data collected in the field, using direct and indirect methods to measure the applicable spatial data quality elements (logical consistency and positional accuracy) preserving FFPLA principles.

Do Design Science Research and Design Thinking Processes Improve the ‘Fit’ of the Fit-For-Purpose Approach to Securing Land Tenure for All in South Africa?

In South Africa, land tenure security is a challenge for 60% or more of the population who hold interests in land outside of the formal system of registered title. There is a need for the cadastral and land administration systems to be reshaped, and for new land tenure forms to be developed to record all land rights and interests so as to improve land tenure security for all. In this paper, we undertake a reflective retrospective of the processes of land administrative reform in South Africa using a thematic framework that includes fit-for-purpose, design science research, and design thinking processes. Literary sources are coded using the thematic framework to identify potential contributions of foregrounding design science research and design thinking in fit-for-purpose land administration (FFP LA) approaches. Design science research paired with tools of behavioral science add value in understanding the context, problems, needs, and objectives and in communicating the results of critical reflection. The design thinking process has much to offer in capitalizing on the human abilities of empathy, deep understanding, and challenging assumptions, setting the scene for unconstrained creative thinking. Design science research and design thinking within FFP LA may promote innovations in land administration systems reform initiatives that deliver restorative justice in the South African land sector.

Contested Land Restitution Processes in Cambodia

Cambodia has experienced rapid economic growth due partly to excessive natural resource extraction. Land conflicts have been pervasive between local communities and companies that invest in land and other natural resources. Despite substantial research into land conflict resolution, knowledge about how land is returned to wronged parties and what happens to the returned land is fragmented. This review aims to provide a holistic understanding of land restitution in Cambodia by examining different types of land conflict, actors involved, and restitution processes. It provides both a macro perspective on land restitution and conflict-specific perspectives regarding how actors engage in different processes that produce various outcomes for disputants. We find both complications and ambivalence of the actors involved, particularly concerning their roles and influences in resolution processes. Specifically, we find contentious and ambivalent roles that non-governmental organisations (NGOs), donor agencies, and government authorities played in mixed results of resolution mechanisms in the cases that have yielded outcomes in terms of land restitution. Our review also suggests that the neoliberal policy that favours commoditisation of resources and the authoritarian patronage state disguised in a hybrid democracy allowed some grassroots resistance, civil society space, and responses from other concerned economic and political actors in the resolution processes. However, the state controlled and manipulated their engagement to benefit and maintain its economic and political bases, and it never allowed any transformative approach that could tackle the root causes of the problems. This understanding of complexities in land restitution is crucial to achieving land tenure security, particularly for local communities.