Improving Land Rights to Promote Development in Africa

Land—a vital asset for millions of Africans

© 1997 Suresh Babu/IFPRI

Land rights are critical for development and can provide:

economic security

incentives to protect the environment

increased social status, especially for women

© 2006 Michele Pietrowski/IFPRI

Forms of land access and rights

jointly held by a group or members of a community

owned solely by an individual

based on customary law, or the social rules of a community

based on legal titles registered with the government

access to public property, such as forests or reserves

A community sweetpotato field in Kenya

In Africa, the poor often have rights to land, forests, or pastures when resources are held as common property

© 2006 Michele Pietrowski/IFPRI

Farmers in their field near Mpigi, Uganda

In Africa, more than 30 percent of the land is jointly held by a group or community

© 2004 Michael Rubinstein/IFPRI

Strengthening women’s rights to land and other assets improves:

agricultural productivity

household

welfare

women’s

decision-making power

© 2006 Michele Pietrowski/IFPRI

Land tenure needs to secure rights for:

multiple users women pastoralists forest peoples other poor or

marginalized groups

© 2006 Dhaki Tukuu

How can land tenure reforms strengthen the rights of women and the poor?

Individual legal title to land does not necessarily improve rights, especially for women and pastoralists

© 2006 Michael Rubinstein/IFPRI

Formal land titling often erodes, rather than improves, land rights

Poor households often lack money to officially register land and can lose access to resources when it is divided into private property

Individualized ownership fails to take into account common property arrangements and flexible boundaries based on customary law

Formal land titling often erodes, rather than improves, land rights

women and pastoralists can lose rights to land once held in common when property is titled to individuals

© 2006 Michael Rubinstein/IFPRI

Customary laws can also threaten land rights

Customary laws, while protecting common property, can often prevent women from owning and inheriting land

© 2003 Anna Temu/IFPRI

New approaches to improve land rights

Reform that reflects customary tenure has to ensure that rights of women, groups, and the poor are safeguarded

© 2006 Michael Rubinstein/IFPRI

New approaches to improve land rights

Provide legal advice to inform the poor of their rights

Alter bank lending rules to accommodate group rights

© 2002 Michael Rubinstein/IFPRI

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to reforming land rights in Africa

Innovative approaches to property rights can achieve equity, protect the environment, and improve the lives of the poor

© 2003 Anna Temu/IFPRI