land use

For many millions in the developing world, land is central to livelihoods, food security, even identity — the natural result of a direct dependence on agriculture and natural resources. It is not surprising, then, that a recent wave of large-scale land acquisitions in poorer countries has sparked a major debate.

Governments’ poor understanding of pastoralism combined with the inability of pastoral groups to influence the decisions that affect their lives and to hold government to account is perpetuating a vicious circle of pastoral poverty and conflict, thereby reinforcing the very preconceptions underpinning inappropriate policy directives for pastoral development in much of Africa.

The aim of this action research is to identify and support processes that can help democratise the governance of food systems, land use and the environment. It seeks to find more equitable ways of including citizens in policy making and in the design of technologies and institutions that shape food systems and the environment.

This strand of action research specifically studies the challenges posed by gender disparities with regard to access to land and natural resources.

Across rural Africa, land legislation struggles to be properly implemented, and most resource users gain access to land on the basis of local land tenure systems. There is growing recognition that land laws must build on local practice. In recent years, several African countries have adopted legislation that strengthens protection for local land rights.

Since independence, African governments have adopted policies and programmes aimed at increasing land tenure security for farmers, so as to foster agricultural investment and productivity. These policies have usually been based on systematic registration of land rights, ignoring existing customary and local institutions and largely disregarding the distributive issues underlying tenure security ("security for whom?"). The materialisation of their hoped for benefits has been generally limited, and their implementation has enabled elite capture of land and has resulted in the expropriation of the rights of weaker groups. Over the last decade, new approaches to improving tenure security have been devised, usually paying more attention to local/customary norms and practices and to protecting all rights and interests in land.

Livestock mobility allows millions of pastoralists and agropastoralists to lead productive lives in areas few other producers can exploit. It is critical for local livelihoods, for trade, and for coping with climate change. In several parts of Africa there are important efforts underway to facilitate livestock mobility and to remove the obstacles that constrain the inherent flexibility of pastoral systems.