Traditional Landholding Certificates in Zambia : Preventing or Reinforcing Commodification and Inequality?
(2018) In Journal of Southern African Studies 44(4). p.613-628- Abstract
- The formalisation of customary land rights in Africa, as an alternative to their privatisation, is gaining increasing attention from scholars and policy makers. In this article, we use findings from Petauke district in eastern Zambia to discuss the impact of such reforms, where so-called traditional landholding certificates were implemented by the Petauke District Land Alliance in 2010. Based on interviews with farmers, chiefs and the Alliance, we argue that the certificates have reinforced, rather than reversed, both commodification of land and increased inequality of access to land. The main reason is that the certificates provide chiefs and lineage seniors with an efficient tool to further impose institutionally induced scarcity,... (More)
- The formalisation of customary land rights in Africa, as an alternative to their privatisation, is gaining increasing attention from scholars and policy makers. In this article, we use findings from Petauke district in eastern Zambia to discuss the impact of such reforms, where so-called traditional landholding certificates were implemented by the Petauke District Land Alliance in 2010. Based on interviews with farmers, chiefs and the Alliance, we argue that the certificates have reinforced, rather than reversed, both commodification of land and increased inequality of access to land. The main reason is that the certificates provide chiefs and lineage seniors with an efficient tool to further impose institutionally induced scarcity, thereby failing to provide already vulnerable groups with more secure rights to land. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/48667e48-cc9a-497b-b72e-fe4fdbf2b24a
- author
- Green, Erik LU and Norberg, Milja
- organization
- publishing date
- 2018-07-04
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- customary land, inequality, land reform, land certificates, Zambia
- in
- Journal of Southern African Studies
- volume
- 44
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 613 - 628
- publisher
- Routledge
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85046890885
- ISSN
- 0305-7070
- DOI
- 10.1080/03057070.2018.1461490
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 48667e48-cc9a-497b-b72e-fe4fdbf2b24a
- date added to LUP
- 2018-04-12 08:01:10
- date last changed
- 2022-04-25 06:42:50
@article{48667e48-cc9a-497b-b72e-fe4fdbf2b24a,
abstract = {{The formalisation of customary land rights in Africa, as an alternative to their privatisation, is gaining increasing attention from scholars and policy makers. In this article, we use findings from Petauke district in eastern Zambia to discuss the impact of such reforms, where so-called traditional landholding certificates were implemented by the Petauke District Land Alliance in 2010. Based on interviews with farmers, chiefs and the Alliance, we argue that the certificates have reinforced, rather than reversed, both commodification of land and increased inequality of access to land. The main reason is that the certificates provide chiefs and lineage seniors with an efficient tool to further impose institutionally induced scarcity, thereby failing to provide already vulnerable groups with more secure rights to land.}},
author = {{Green, Erik and Norberg, Milja}},
issn = {{0305-7070}},
keywords = {{customary land; inequality; land reform; land certificates; Zambia}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{07}},
number = {{4}},
pages = {{613--628}},
publisher = {{Routledge}},
series = {{Journal of Southern African Studies}},
title = {{Traditional Landholding Certificates in Zambia : Preventing or Reinforcing Commodification and Inequality?}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03057070.2018.1461490}},
doi = {{10.1080/03057070.2018.1461490}},
volume = {{44}},
year = {{2018}},
}