Post-conflict land governance reform in the African Great Lakes region. Part III - Securing tenure of smallholder peasants

Abstract

In post-conflict settings, securing tenure of local small-holders is considered of major importance to reduce and prevent local land disputes, to contribute to the recovery of rural livelihoods, and to improve agricultural production. Registration and other ways of formalizing land ownership are generally considered to significantly enhance local tenure security and rural development. Our research in Uganda, Burundi and South Sudan suggests, however, that post-conflict settings pose particular challenges to formalization of land ownership, which may for instance ignite conflict and competition, or add to confusion about local ownership and tenure security. A particular challenge is how to improve land tenure security of women, who experience specific vulnerabilities in accessing land, notably in post-conflict settings. Both customary and statutory tenure arrangements pose opportunities as well as threats to secure women’s access to land.