Titling and the value of land in Tanzania

Abstract

We use household survey data to investigate the relationship between formal, private property rights to agricultural land and agricultural investment, land valuation and access to credit in Tanzania. Results show that landownership documents are associated with substantial increases in the market value of land (more than 25%). One reason appears to be that well‐documented private property rights facilitate the use of land as collateral for loans and therefore ease access to credit. The findings suggest that there are potentially significant, economic returns to systematic land titling in Tanzania and other countries.

The nexus between land title registration and property prices in Ghana: evidence from Accra’s housing market

“…Using transactional cross-sectional data of 4,722 from the LVD of Ghana's Lands Commission and the First National Bank in Ghana covering the period 1992 to 2016, we found that the value of a house situated on a registered land in Accra is about approximately 22.6% more than the value of house situated on an unregistered land. While this premium could vary Land title registration and property prices from one city to another, this finding supports the long-held epistemology that land title registration adds value to the price of a property (Aikaeli and Markussen, 2022;Dowall and Leaf, 1991;Tchinda and Kamdem, 2020;Wehrman and Lange, 2019). Based on this finding, we strongly affirm the need for (prospective) lessees to register their lands, as there is some latent value to be released from title registration.…”

“…The contested nature of the effects of land title registration raises questions about its economic viability. Previous studies have demonstrated that land title registration enhances the value of real property and have further quantified the additional value attributed to land titling (Aikaeli and Markussen, 2022; Alston et al ., 1996; Feder and Nishio, 1998). Our study advances this line of thought further by seeking to quantify the additional value created by registration in Accra, Ghana.…”

Socio-economic Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Chololo Pits Technology in Semi-Arid Dodoma: The Case of Chamwino District, Tanzania

“…For instance, a limited land ownership system hinders socioeconomic investment, contributing to slow economic growth in most developing countries (Mishra & Sam, 2016). Therefore, a proper land ownership system among farmers in Tanzania is vital due to its role in contributing to development, particularly in rural areas (Aikaeli & Markussen, 2022). It has been documented that farmers with proper land ownership systems tend to invest more in their lands; leading to sustainable agricultural productivity (Lasway & Selejio, 2021).…”

“…Therefore, belonging to a social group among chololo pits practitioners in Chamwino in Tanzania is vital due to its role in contributing to sustainable crop production, particularly in the semi-arid areas of central Tanzania (Aikaeli & Markussen, 2022). It has been documented that farmers who are members of farmers' social groups tend to have more knowledge and experience of the chololo pits practice, leading to sustainable agricultural productivity (Emmanuel et al, 2022).…”

The Impact of Government-Led Farmland Construction on Market-Oriented Farmland Transfer—Evidence from Shandong, China

“…At present, academic research on the effects of HSFC is mainly interested in the economic effects of promoting grain production [ 11 , 12 ], increasing farmers’ income [ 13 ], the social profitability of driving regional development [ 14 ], and reducing carbon emissions [ 15 ]. As for the factors influencing farmland transfer, existing research has mainly focused on property rights [ 16 , 17 , 18 ], agricultural socialized services [ 19 ], human capital [ 20 ], social capital [ 21 ], and fragmentation [ 22 ]. In 2022, Chen and Hong conducted a study exploring the impact of HSFC on farmland transfer with Jiangxi Province as the sample [ 23 ].…”