The significance of secure access to land for the livelihoods and food security of Africa's farmers and the urban poor
Fobih, Dominic
Land is the basic source of livelihoods for majority of Africaas population. Subsistence farming, small-scale mining, pastoralism, reliance on timber and non-timber forest products provide sustenance to majority of Africaas farmers and urban poor. Poverty, disease and ignorance have been described as the greatest enemy to progress of developing countries and the brunt of it is felt in the rural areas where majority of the people live. It is therefore obvious that denying large segments of rural society equitable access to land and the benefits of secure land tenure lead to unanticipated costs and sometimes conflicts. Property rights to land is one of the most powerful mechanisms by which people can increase and expand their asset holdings beyond land and labour to the full portfolio necessary for sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction. Access to land, land tenure reforms, and land resource management however, remain difficult subject areas for many African countries, governments and communities. These have just recently been placed on the development agenda with various land reforms being pursued in many African countries such as Ghana, Uganda, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, etc.
Event: Conference on Land in Africa : Market Asset or Livelihood Security?
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