The Methodology Used to Interpret Customary Land Tenure

The Land Has Its Owners! Gender Issues in Land Tenure under Customary Law in Kenya

In-migration, customary land tenure, and complexity: exploring the relationship between changing land tenure norms and differentiated migrant livelihoods in Brong Ahafo, Ghana

This article focuses on the relationship between in-migration from Northern Ghana and changing land tenure norms in Ghana's central "transition zone" in Brong Ahafo Region. Using the complex adaptive systems (CAS) theoretical framework, it theorizes this relationship as part of a wider set of "co-evolving" social and environmental conditions across Brong Ahafo. It presents new qualitative resea...

Land Tenure

Farming in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa typically takes place on small plots cultivated by individuals. The land tenure system is often described as 'communal', meaning that land is owned by a kin-based or political group and that individuals obtain the right to cultivate through their membership in that group. If a generalization is possible about the process through which people ob...

The Future of Customary Tenure Options for Policymakers

For years, policy makers have debated how to deal with customary tenure —sometimes known as ―informal,‖ ―indigenous,‖ or ―traditional law.‖ This concern arises because dual (or multiple) legal systems co-exist in many countries: statutory law alongside informal, customary practices, religious law, etc. Educated urban elites tend to use the statutory system while rural citizens, the less educate...

Socioeconomic factors influencing customary marine tenure in the Indo-Pacific

For generations communities in the Western Pacific have employed a range of resource management techniques (including periodic reef closures, gear restrictions, entry limitations, and the protection of spawning aggregations) to limit marine resource use. Localized control over marine resources, commonly known as customary marine tenure (CMT), is the legal and cultural foundation for many of the...