African land tenure

Land ownership security and farm productivity: Evidence from Thailand

“…For example, it is argued that even if individual, secure land ownership has apparently contributed significantly to the agricultural progress of Europe and North America, the experience is not relevant to Africa because the link between land tenure and productivity is said to be weak [Hunter and Mabbs-Zeno, 1986]. The differences in the nature of the linkage derives from the differing historical context.…”

Individualisation and the assault on customary tenure in Africa: title registration programmes and the case of Somalia

“…Customary tenure in Africa, while very diverse across the continent, has frequently been treated by economists as a single unchanging entity throughout Africa (Ault and Rutman, 1979;Hunter and Mabbs-Zeno, 1986). Generally, customary tenure is thought to be a system in which land is held by a group or community whose members have use rights.…”

“…The British followed with a system of titles at the turn of the century, and most industrialised countries now have some method of registration, either of titles or of deeds. The success of these systems in Europe and North America led planners to believe they were also important and necessary for developing countries (Hunter and Mabbs-Zeno, 1986; see also Hellen, 1977). The East Africa Royal Commission report in 1955 and the Swynnerton plan for Kenya in 1954 were extremely influential both in dictating why individualisation efforts were necessary for Africa and in delineating the proper methods for introducing them.…”

“…Land transactions in response to these and other factors emerged throughout Africa, particularly in West Africa and Kenya, before and during the colonial period, especially with the growing importance of high-value export crops. Researchers from all over Africa cite examples of sales occurring under customary tenure (see Brock, 1969;Gershenberg, 1971;Berry, 1975;Ault and Rutman, 1979;Cohen, 1980;Netting, 1982;Hecht, 1985;Land Tenure Center, 1985;Hunter and Mabbs-Zeno, 1986;Feder and Noronha, 1987;Shipton, 1988;Haugerud, 1989;MacKenzie, 1989;Barrows and Roth, 1990, among others). In an interesting twist, Feder and Noronha (1987: 154) discuss how colonial authorities refused to recognise land transactions under indigenous tenure occurring in Ghana, southern Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi, thereby rendering such transactions illegal and thus increasing the insecurity of tenure.…”

“…One must ask why, given the poor record to date, registration programmes continue to be introduced, to receive support, to have a place on the development palette. Hunter and Mabbs-Zeno (1986) present an interesting analysis of the arguments in support of land reform in the form of entitlement programmes for Africa. Foreign advisers and donor agencies, they suggest, are pushing individualisation of title-on the basis of experience in Europe, where development followed land reform of this nature.…”